1. A computer-implemented process comprising: translating a record-pattern expression of a record pattern of data records to a regular expression of a character pattern; converting a record series of data records to a character string in which each character in the character string corresponds to a respective data record in the record series; searching for pattern instances of the character pattern in the character string to identify ordinal character positions in the character string of characters in the pattern instances; and reporting data records at ordinal record positions in the record series of data records corresponding to the ordinal character positions.