For decimal string data, the Sort/Merge utility reports an invalid digit inthe input string differently for VAX and Alpha systems. On VAX systems,you receive a message that the invalid digit (or reserved operand) isconverted to a valid decimal string for comparison purposes. On Alphasystems, Sort/Merge performs the same conversion but does not displaya message. In both cases, the data from the input file is written to theoutput file without change.