VMS Help SORT, /CHECK_SEQUENCE  *Conan The Librarian (sorry for the slow response - running on an old VAX)

    Verifies the sequence of the records only in Merge input files.
    By default, Merge checks the sequence of records. Use only with
    the MERGE command.

    Formats

      /CHECK_SEQUENCE

      /NOCHECK_SEQUENCE

1 - Full Description

    The /CHECK_SEQUENCE qualifier is unique to the MERGE command. By
    default, Merge does sequence checking to ensure that the input
    files have been sorted on the same key.

    You can also use the /CHECK_SEQUENCE qualifier to check whether
    the records of one or more files (up to 10) have been sorted.
    (The records will still be directed to an output file, which you
    must specify.) If you are checking whether records are sorted on
    a key field other than the entire record, you must specify key
    information, along with requesting sequence.

    High-performance Sort/Merge: The high-performance Sort/Merge
    utility allows you to specify up to 12 files.

2 - Examples

    1.$ MERGE/KEY=(SIZE:4,POSITION:3)/NOCHECK_SEQUENCE  PRICE1.DAT, -
      _$ PRICE2.DAT PRICE.LIS

      The /NOCHECK_SEQUENCE qualifier specifies that the sequence
      of the input files, PRICE1.DAT and PRICE2.DAT does need not
      be checked. (Checking is not necessary because the records
      in those files are sorted on the same key and the sequence of
      records is correct.)

    2.$ MERGE/SPECIFICATION=PAYROLL.SRT/CHECK_SEQUENCE -
      _$ MAY3.DAT,MAY10.DAT,MAY17.DAT,MAY24.DAT TOTAL.LIS

      In this example, the specification file, PAYROLL.SRT includes
      the /NOCHECK_SEQUENCE qualifier. The /CHECK_SEQUENCE qualifier
      on the MERGE command line is necessary to override the
      /NOCHECK_SEQUENCE qualifier in the specification file. The
      sequence of records in the four input files are to be checked.