Sort Key

The field order print records need to be sorted in the right sequence in order for a document composition application to process them. The following is a description of the portion of each record that is responsible for performing this task.

Note that the first ten fields in the Sort Key - DISP_GRP_CD through FO_ID - are all from the CIS database records. For each Field Order in an extract run, there will be a "block" of records of indeterminate size in which the values of these first ten fields will be identical. These ten fields see to it that each block is sorted correctly within the extract as a whole. It is the task of the last six fields to make certain that the records in a particular Field Order's block are sorted correctly within the block. Most of these six are artificial, but two are from the CIS database, where they serve a similar function.

The precise mechanics of the Sort Key may be difficult to envision. This is particularly true with regard to the three-in-one format of the Sequence Number field described in the table below. A look at the Order of Record Types section above may help to make it clearer. Within a given Field Order (FO) block there are several sub-groups. Not only must each sub-group as a whole be in the proper sequence within the FO block, but each record in a sub-group must be in the proper sequence within the sub-group. These sub-groups are Service Point (one or more per FO with one or more Field Activities at each SP), Meter (a Meter and its Registers), Multi-Item (a Multi-Item record and its Detail Lines), and Field Activity (a Field Activity record and its various Steps).

The following table defines the structure of the sort key that appears on each field order print record. Please note that different components are filled in for each printer key.


Field Name	Format	Source/Value/Description
DISP_GRP_CD	A8	CI_FO / Dispatch Group code
REP_CD	A8	CI_FO / Representative code
STATE	A6	CI_PREM / State of the Premise address
CITY	A30	CI_PREM / City of the Premise address
POSTAL	A12	CI_PREM / Postal Code of the Premise address
ADDRESS1	A64	CI_PREM / first line of the Premise street address
PREM_ID	A10	CI_FO / System-assigned identifier for the Premise
SCHED_DT	D10	CI_FO / Scheduled date of the Field Order
SCHED_TM	T15	CI_FO / Scheduled time of the Field Order
FO_ID	A10	CI_FO_STG_DWN / System-assigned identifier of the Field Order
FO Group [Artificial]	N2	This field forces the Service Point record group(s) into a position subordinate to the Field Order. Values: 10 - Field Order 30 - SP 90 - End Field Order
SP Sequence [Artificial]	N2	If there is more than one Service Point on a particular FO, this field forces them into an arbitrary sequence. Each SP is then followed by its device and Field Activity record group(s).
SP Group [Artificial]	N2	This field forces the device (meter, item or multi-item) and Field Activity record groups into a position subordinate to the Service Point. Values: 10 - SP 20 - Item 30 - Meter 35 - End Meter 40 - Multi-Item 45 - End Multi-Item 50 - FA 60 - End SP
Sequence Number READ_SEQ [Artificial] [Artificial]	N3	This field serves the same purpose in three distinct areas: Register Sequence (within a Meter record) (CI_REG) Item Sequence (within a Multi-Item record) FA Sequence (within a Service Point) In each instance, it forces the subordinate records into the correct order within, respectively, the Meter, Multi-item and Service Point record sub-groups.
STEP_SEQ_NBR	N3	CI_FA_STEP In addition to the "natural" values from the CIS database, there are two artificial values that serve to force a particular record into its proper place within the FA sub-group: 000 - Credit & Collections record 999 - End FA record
FA Step Group [Artificial]	N2	Each FA Step will have one or more FA Step (action) records. This field is to force these records into an arbitrary sequence within the FA sub-group. Values: 10 - Enter Meter Badge Number 20 - Enter Item Badge Number 30 - Enter Customer Contact 40 - Enter Reconfigure Register 50 - Enter Disconnect Location 60 - Enter Register Reading 70 - Enter Multi-item 80 - Enter Trouble Order Statistics 90 - Enter Changes 98 - Generic (placeholder) 99 - End FA Step