Each Connect ETL task performs one primary operation: sort, join, aggregation, copy, or merge. Selecting the task type is usually the first step in creating a Connect ETL task. There is a strong correlation between the mainframe sort control statements and the task type; the table below provides some guidelines for selecting a task type based on the control statements.
| If the sort control statements contain… | then the task type should be… |
| SORT FIELDS=(fields) | Sort |
| MERGE FIELDS=(fields) | Merge |
| SORT FIELDS=COPY | Copy |
| JOINKEYS | Join |
| None of the above | Sort |
If SUM appears in the sort control statements of a sort or merge, you should specify “Retain only one record” in the keys dialog:
Another way to implement SUM functionality is with an aggregate task. Note, though, that the output of an aggregate task is not guaranteed to be sorted unless you explicitly tell Connect ETL to sort it:
