A logic device includes a compare unit at one level of a plurality of levels of a hierarchical structure to be used in sorting of records. The compare unit includes a buffer pair in which one or more buffers of the buffer pair are adapted to store at least one record. The logic device further includes another compare unit on another level of the plurality of levels of the hierarchical structure. The other compare unit includes another buffer pair in which one or more other buffers of the other buffer pair are adapted to store a portion of a record. A size of the one or more other buffers of the other buffer pair is insufficient to store the entire record. The one compare unit and the other compare unit are adapted to sort a plurality of records.