Sort

Operation Name

Sort

Function Overview

Sorts the input data.

Data Model

Table model type.

Refer to "Table model type schema" for input/output schema.

Properties

Basic settings

Item name	Required/Optional	Use of variables	Description	Remarks
Name	Required	Not available	Enter the name to show on the script canvas.
Input data	Required	Not available	Select a component on the script canvas.

Required settings

Item name	Required/Optional	Use of variables	Description	Remarks
Sort key configuration	Required	-	Specify columns which would be the key for sort operation. Comparison priority for a key set to upper row will be high. Each column can be operated with the following buttons. [Up]: Raises the comparison priority of the key. [Down]: Lowers the comparison priority of the key. [Add]: Adds a key. [Delete]: Deletes the key.	When multiple columns are specified as keys, the key with higher priority will be compared sequentially. Only when the comparison result is equal, the subsequent keys will be compared. As default, when the order of a result of comparing all the key columns is equal, the operation does not assure the output order of the row data. You cannot specify a byte[] type column and sort data.
Sort key configuration/Column name	Required	Not available	Select a column name that would be a key.	Displays the index that shows the order after the column name. When the value of [Input data] is selected or changed, column name will be updated.
Sort key configuration/Data type	Required	Not available	Select a data type at the time of sort, when the key column is string. [String]: (Default) Compares the column as is without converting it. [Number]: Converts the column into number and then compares it. [Date/Time]: Converts the column into date and then compares it.	Enabled when the data type of the column specified in [Sort key configuration/Column name] is string. When [Date/Time] is selected, converts from string to date and time using date format of DataSpider Servista.
Sort key configuration/Order	Required	Not available	Select the order of sort. [Ascending]: (Default) Sorts row data so that the column will be in ascending order. [Descending]: Sorts row data so that the column will be in descending order.	When the column is string, sorting is done in the order corresponding to the data type specified by [Sort key configuration/Data type]. When the column is other than string, sorting is done in the order of the data type specified in the column. When sorting it as string, it will be in Unicode order.
Preserve the initial order of keys with equal values	Optional	Not available	Select whether to preserve the order of the input data or not, when the value of sort key is equal. [Checked]: Preserves the order. [Not Checked]: (Default) Does not preserve the order.	When it is checked, the performance of the processing may be worse.

Output settings

Item name	Required/Optional	Use of variables	Description	Remarks
Configure output manually	Optional	Not available	Select whether or not to set columns to be output manually. [Checked]: Output target is set manually. [Not checked]:(Default) Output target will be automatically set according to the content of the specified property items.	When it is not checked, the output target would be in the following order. Order of the input schema of [Input data]
Output target configuration	Optional	-	Specify columns to be output. Each column can be operated with the following buttons. [Up]: Moves the output order of the output target upwards by one . [Down]: Moves the output order of the output target downwards by one. [Add]: Adds an output target. [Delete]: Deletes the output target.	Enabled when [Configure output manually] is checked.
Output target configuration/Column name	Required	Not available	Select the name of a column to be output.	Displays the index that shows the order after the column name. When the value of [Input data] is selected or changed, column name will be updated.

Comment

Item name	Required/Optional	Use of variables	Description	Remarks
Comment	Optional	Not available	You can write a short description of this adapter. The description will be reflected in the specifications.

Schema

Input Schema

Same as the schema of input source component.

Output Schema

Depending on [Output setting], the number of column differ.

For schema structure, refer to "Table Model Type Schema".

Loading Schema in Mapper

Output schema will be loaded automatically while input schema should be done manually.
Specify the schema for data to be loaded.

For more details, refer to "Edit Schema".

Mass Data Processing

Mass data processing is not supported.

PSP Usage

PSP is not supported.

Available Component Variables

Component variable name	Description	Remarks
message_category	Stores the category to which corresponding message code belongs to, when error occurs.	Default value is null.
message_code	Stores its corresponding message code of the occurred error.	Default value is null.
message_level	Stores the severity of the corresponding message code of the occurred error.	Default value is null.
error_type	Stores the error type when error occurs.	Default value is null. Error is represented in the format depicted below. Example: "java.io.FileNotFoundException" Stored contents may vary depending on the version of DataSpider Servista.
error_message	Stores the error message when error occurs.	Default value is null. Stored contents may vary depending on the version of DataSpider Servista.
error_trace	Stores the trace information when error occurs.	Default value is null. Stored contents may vary depending on the version of DataSpider Servista or the client application used.

Schema Modification of Input Source Component

When the schema of component specified in [Input data] is modified, to reflect those changes to sort operation, open the property setting dialog of sort operation and click [Finish] button.

When the schema structure of the component specified in [Input data] is modified (swapping or deletion of schema elements), the settings of [Sort key configuration/Column name] or [Output target configuration/Column name] must be modified accordingly.
The reason behind is that the sort operation keeps the information of columns by their orders (indices) rather than by their names.

Null and Empty String

An error occurs when there is a null value existing in the value of the column value which is specified in [Sort key configuration].

When there is an empty string existing in the value of the column which is specified in the [Sort key configuration], the behavior of the operation varies depending on the value specified in [Sort key configuration/Data type].
- In case of [String], empty string is processed as sort key value.
- An error occurs when it is other than [String].

Specification Limits

Multi-thread processing is supported.
For the specification limits on multi-thread processing, refer to "Specification Limits".

When specifying [Sort key configuration] and [Output target configuration], the output schema of input source component must be configured.
For components requiring manual schema settings, load schemas with Mapper.

When [Date/Time] is selected in [Sort key configuration/Data type], an error will occur during execution if multiple date formats exists in the value of specified column.

Even when mass data processing is performed by the input source component, data is temporarily held in the memory during the execution of sort operation.
Therefore, when the data amount is massive, an OutOfMemoryError might occur even with mass data processing enabled.
In such case, expand the memory allocation of DataSpiderServer.

Main Exceptions

Exception name	Cause	Solution
InputDataNotFoundException	[Input data] is not specified.	Specify the [Input data] or, draw an input data flow.
InvalidInputTypeException	[Input data] is not table model type.	Check whether the component specified in [Input data]is table model.
InvalidPropertyConfigurationException Value is not specified in <property name>	Value is not specified in [<property name>]	Specify the [<property name>].
InvalidPropertyConfigurationException Value is not specified in <property name2> of the row [<row number>] in [<property name1>].	Value is not specified in [<property name2>].	Specify the [<property name2>].
InvalidPropertyConfigurationException The value specified in the row [<row number>] of <property name> is duplicated.	The value specified in [<property name>] is duplicated.	Check whether the value specified for [<property name>] is appropriate.
ConversionFailedException Column value cannot be processed as specified sort key.	The contents of input data contains some values that cannot be processed as per the specification in [Sort key configuration].	Check whether the input data is compatible with the contents specified in [Sort key configuration], or whether any null or empty string is contained.
ConversionFailedException Date format applicable to [<value of column>] was not found.	Date format applicable to [<value of column>] was not found.	Check whether [<value of column>] is following the date format of DataSpider Servista.