Sorting under CICS

There is no IBM® sort product that is supported under CICS®. However, you can use the format 1 SORT statement with a sort program you write that runs under CICS to sort small amounts of data. You can also use the format 2 SORT statement under CICS to sort tables.

You must have both an input and an output procedure for the format 1 SORT statement. In the input procedure, use the RELEASE statement to transfer records from the COBOL program to the sort program before the sort is performed. In the output procedure, use the RETURN statement to transfer records from the sort program to the COBOL program after the sort is performed.

The format 2 SORT statement is supported under CICS and you don't need to write a special SORT program.

related references
CICS SORT application restrictions
CICS reserved-word table