Abstract: A system and method for manipulating a plurality of data records. Each record is comprised of a plurality of bits and is identified by a unique record address value. A portion of each record comprises a keyfield consisting of one or more sub-keyfields, each having a different order of significance. The sub-keyfield value of greatest significance of each record is utilized to enter the unique record addresses into a column of a compressed matrix memory means in a logical row corresponding to the sub-keyfield value of that record. The column entries of the set compressed matrix memory locations are then arranged in order of row position, and the column entries derived from the same row are grouped together. The process is successively repeated, separately for each group of duplicate column entries, for the sub-keyfield value of next greatest significance of each record in the group as long as at least one group of duplicate column entries remain and all sub-keyfields have not been processed.

Abstract: A system and method for manipulating a plurality of data records. Each record is comprised of a plurality of bits and is identified by a unique record address value. A portion of each record comprises a keyfield and each keyfield is generally divided into a plurality of sub-keyfields, each having a different order of significance. The sub-keyfield value of greatest significance of each record is utilized to set one memory location in the column of a matrix memory means corresponding to the record address value of that record, said memory location being in the row of the matrix memory means corresponding to the sub-keyfield value of that record. The column position values of the set memory locations are then arranged in order of row position, and the column position values derived from the same row are grouped together.