Figure 1 through Figure 2 show how records from three files are selected for processing.

The records from the three disk files above are selected in the order indicated by the dark numbers.
| Cycle | File Processed | Indicators On | Reason for Setting Indicator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PRIMARY | 02 | No match field specified |
| 2 | PRIMARY | 02 | No match field specified |
| 3 | FIRSTSEC | 04 | No match field specified |
| 4 | SECSEC | 05 | Second secondary low; no primary match |
| 5 | PRIMARY | 01, MR | Primary matches first secondary |
| 6 | PRIMARY | 01, MR | Primary matches first secondary |
| 7 | FIRSTSEC | 03, MR | First secondary matches primary |
| 8 | FIRSTSEC | 03 | First secondary low; no primary match |
| 9 | FIRSTSEC | 03 | First secondary low; no primary match |
| 10 | SECSEC | 05 | Second secondary low; no primary match |
| 11 | PRIMARY | 01 | Primary low; no secondary match |
| 12 | PRIMARY | 01, MR | Primary matches second secondary |
| 13 | PRIMARY | 02 | No match field specified |
| 14 | SECSEC | 05, MR | Second secondary matches primary |
| 15 | SECSEC | 05, MR | Second secondary matches primary |
| 16 | SECSEC | 06 | No match field specified |
| 17 | PRIMARY | 01, MR | Primary matches both secondary files |
| 18 | FIRSTSEC | 03, MR | First secondary matches primary |
| 19 | FIRSTSEC | 04 | No match field specified |
| 20 | SECSEC | 05, MR | Second secondary matches primary |
| 21 | FIRSTSEC | 03 | First secondary low; no primary match |
| 22 | PRIMARY | 01, MR | Primary matches both secondary files |
| 23 | FIRSTSEC | 03, MR | First secondary matches primary |
| 24 | FIRSTSEC | 02, MR | First secondary matches primary |
| 25 | SECSEC | 05, MR | Second secondary matches primary |
| 26 | SECSEC | 05, MR | Second secondary matches primary |

