Product/Service

CoSORT, Version 7 for Unix

Source: CoSORT/IRI, Inc.
CoSORT Version 7 represents a breakthrough in open systems data processing technology
  • Data Warehouse Staging and Integration
  • Mainframe and COBOL Sort Migrations
  • Very Large Database Load Acceleration

    Introduction
    CoSORT Version 7 represents a breakthrough in open systems data processing technology. As with its mono-processing predecessors, CoSORT 7 continues to be the fastest sort software available for Unix environments. CoSORT 7 is the product of more than 14 years of sort development and licensing exclusively in Unix operating systems. Version 7 is discussed separately here for the benefit of several thousand worldwide CoSORT users already familiar with Version 6 and below. All of the features and functionality described in the CoSORT product description above are included in Version 7.

    Supplementary Description
    On scalable SMP platforms, CoSORT Version 7 drives large sorts across multiple CPUs. This creates near linear improvements in high volume sort timings, and thus a whole new level of performance for VLDB reorgs and reloads, and data warehouse extractions, transformations, joins, and aggregations.

    A 600Mb sort ran in one minute on a 3-cpu Sun UltraEnterprise platform. On a Digital AlphaServer 8400, with 300Mhz CPUs, CoSORT can sort a gigabyte in under 1 minute, a record. 5Gb (23 keys) on a loaded 4-CPU Sun UE 3000 sorted and wrote in fewer than 20 minutes, and 50Gb (25 sort keys) on a loaded 8-CPU UE 6000 took 3 hours. On a smaller, Pentium 200 Pro running Windows NT, a 2-key 20Mb sort at Intel labs lasted 3 seconds.
    Because performance is the reason for commercial-grade sort software, IRI has expanded its system control facilities to cover SMP tuning issues and introduced a cross-platform GUI for all Unix and and Win32 machines with a JAVA runtime environment. More detail and usage examples on CoSORT's utility programs, API, and tuning facilities can be found, along with complete technical specifications, in IRI's new product overview booklet for Version 7. IRI has also prepared a white paper for MIS managers, DBAs and application developers on parallel sorting in VLDB and data warehouse operations. You can request either publication from this site, or by calling IRI at 1-800-333-SORT.

    Notice to Current CoSORT Users
    Version 7 also contains a number of features and enhancements over prior versions of CoSORT for Unix, including the addition of the /JOIN feature in sortcl, support for more international data types, and improved sort timings on numeric data. The upgrade is recommended if data volumes exceed 100Mb and you have or will soon acquire one or more SMP systems. Version 7 (for both Unix and Windows NT platforms) also features the Micro Focus COBOL sort verb replacement and is callable from SAS System 7 and 8, their Year 2000-compliant release. All Version 7 utility scripts are backward-compatible with Version 6 and 4.5 utility scripts. More information about Version 7 is available in the readme file (release notes) with the new software, and of course, the new product documentation.

    Notice to Other Sort Users
    CoSORT Version 7 includes sort parm conversion utilities, including ss2scl, to automatically upgrade antiquated job specification files on Unix systems and improve sort performance. The resulting sortcl job specification files are more explicit, user-friendly, and offer additional data manipulation functionality and report generation flexibility. Similarly for mainframe sort migrations, CoSORT includes a sort parm converter for MVS JCL sort parms, jcl2scl. Additional CoSORT tools offer plug-n-play replacements for the Unix /bin/sort commands, the Micro Focus COBOL sort verb, the SAS System 7 and 8 sorts, Software AG's Natural Sort, and other DBMS and third party sort offerings. CoSORT Version 7 also supports Micro Focus COBOL copybook (file dictionary) record layouts, as well as Microsoft CSV and Extended (web) Log Format layouts. Contact IRI for conversion assistance.

    Platform Availability
    Like its mono-processing predecessors, CoSORT Version 7 supports all Unix platforms, including the HP 9000, Sequent Symmetry, Pyramid Nile and Reliant, Siemens RM, NCR WorldMark, DEC AlphaServer, Data General AViiON, IBM RS/6000, SCO Unix, Unixware, SGI IRIX, Linux, DG/UX and Solaris for Intel, and Sun CS6400 and UltraEnterprise (SPARC) platforms. See the complete list of platforms supported at the general CoSORT product description page or contact your IRI agent if your platform is not shown.

    Licensing and Support
    Version 7 is a "chargeable upgrade" and is available to current users not under maintenance at a 50% discount from the published license fee, and to current users under maintenance either free or at a 90% discount. See licensing and support for CoSORT and contact your IRI agent for more information.