Difference Between SORT, DFSORT, SYNCSORT,ICEMAN, ICETOOL, SYNCTOOL, CA-SORT

DFSORT is a sort product sold by IBM. SYNCSORT is a competing product sold by Syncsort, Inc. CA-SORT is yet another sort product, sold by Computer Associates but we’ll keep that out of discussion for this post. It’s most obvious that most shops only buy one of these products.

ICEMAN is just another name or an entry point, used for the default sort program at your shop. It is a common practice in shops for the system programmers to set up all the common names as entry points to their purchased SORT product. You will often find that PGM=SYNCSORT and PGM=DFSORT will both work in your shop, and both execute the same sort program (whichever one your shop purchased)

ICETOOL is an expansion to DFSORT that allows users to do multiple operations in a single step, as well as perform additional new functions such as SELECT, SPLICE, OCCUR, DISPLAY, COUNT, STATS, VERIFY, etc. ICETOOL is supplied as part of the basic SORT package — if you haveDFSORT, you also have ICETOOL. 

SYNCTOOL isSyncsort Inc.’s version of the ICETOOL package. It is not yet documented, however, it works well. Though the use of it in the production is very subjective because if you get an abend, well, you are your own.

To determine if you’re using DFSORT (from IBM) or Syncsort (from Syncsort, Inc), run the PGM=ICEMAN job below (or any PGM=SORT or PGM=ICEMAN job you like). Look at the SYSOUT output. If it has ICExxxs messages, you’re using DFSORT. If it has WERxxxs messages, you’re using Syncsort.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 //STEP1 EXEC PGM=ICEMAN //SYSOUT DD SYSOUT=*    //SORTIN DD * //SORTOUT DD DUMMY //SYSIN DD * SORT FIELDS=COPY /* //*

For example, if you’re using DFSORT the first two messages you’ll get are:

ICE143I 0 BLOCKSET     COPY  TECHNIQUE SELECTED ICE000I 1 - CONTROL STATEMENTS FOR 5740-SM1, DFSORT REL  ...