topic Re: Error in automatic chain - NOEXEC in New SAS User

Error in automatic chain - NOEXEC

Charlotte37 — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 15:50:06 GMT

Hello,

We have SAS chains that are triggered automatically at different times.

These chains call several SAS programs (via "include"). These chains can call N programs that do not depend on each other.

Currently, if the N1 program contains errors then the rest of the chain doesn't execute correctly because : "PROC SQL set option NOEXEC and will continue to check the syntax of statements."

We tried the EXEC and NOERRORSTOP options without success.

We need the programs run correctly even if the previous one had an error. Can you help us, please ?

Thanks,

Re: Error in automatic chain - NOEXEC

ballardw — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 16:17:24 GMT

So what type of errors are these? There are at least 20 system options related to different types of errors not to mention return codes set by procedures that can be used to conditionally do things

If your data contains values that your program can't handle, such as missing variables or no values, or missing/zero observation data sets that is pretty much up to you to make sure the data is acceptable before dumping the data into a procedure. If the variable types are incorrect then you have an issue further back in your process that is allowing incorrect data types to be created.

Re: Error in automatic chain - NOEXEC

SASKiwi — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 01:03:27 GMT

options nosyntaxcheck;

Is probably what you need: https://documentation.sas.com/?docsetId=lesysoptsref&docsetTarget=n014qbvh3po8w5n1qlqbzr22vtg0.htm&docsetVersion=9.4&locale=en

SYNTAXCHECK is the default setting for batch jobs.

Re: Error in automatic chain - NOEXEC

Patrick — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 02:48:54 GMT

"These chains call several SAS programs (via "include"). These chains can call N programs that do not depend on each other."

%include allows you to execute code stored in multiple files but the code gets still executed as one single program. There are syntax errors like unbalanced quotes or things like an abort statement in code from which you can't easily or not at all recover whatever "tricks" you use.

If you would execute these programs each in their own environment then your problem would just go away. Options to do so:

A) Use a scheduler and build flows (1 per chain). SAS Management Console allows you to do so.

B) Use SAS/Connect (if licensed) and call your programs within rsubmit blocks

C) Use an X command (or %sysexec) to issue OS level batch commands to run your programs (requires option XCMD set)

Any of above 3 options will execute the programs independently from each other. All options also allow you to execute some or all of the programs in parallel.

If you execute everything together then it's not only about syntax errors but also that a previous program can change the environment for the next %included program - all the work tables, options changed, global macro variables created will still exist when the "2nd" program executes.

Re: Error in automatic chain - NOEXEC

Charlotte37 — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 10:09:03 GMT

Hello,

We tried the 'nosyntaxckeck' option and it seems to work.

Thank you very much,