a strange RPG program

I have inherited an RPG38 program whose source code is lost (we do not have 
an uncompiler!) but which does the following:

Based on entry parms, it updates a member of a source physical file, 
apparently without calls to any CL programs. The source physical file 
contains exactly one member which is the source specification for the 
FMTDTA command (sort utility). The purpose is to enable dynamic selection 
and sorting of a particular database file.

How can an RPG program do this? I thought they could update only database 
files. Could it be using some API?

Ronald Dubson
Senior Programmer
Kansas City Area Transportation Authority
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