Patent ID: 7996411

Claim:
A method for processing data records within a record sorting system, the method comprising: processing a plurality of data records in a data pipeline comprising concurrently executing stages; inputting the plurality of data records; at one stage of the data pipeline: scanning control statements associated with a data record, the control statements including translation indicators and translation type specifiers, wherein the translation indicators indicate that character translation is to be conducted on selected characters within a data field of the data record associated with the control statements, wherein the translation type specifiers specify a type of character translation to be conducted on the selected characters, where multiple types of character translation are supported; translating the selected characters from the data field of the data record as specified by the translation indicators and the translation type specifiers in the control statements; at another stage of the data pipeline, sorting a second record with respect to the plurality of data records; and outputting the plurality of data records to another stage of the data pipeline.