topic %sysexec command in SAS Programming

%sysexec command

diane74 — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 09:36:44 GMT

Hi SAS Community,

I would like to ask about %sysexec command, is it only used for opening automatically excel files? because it didn't work with me when i used it for openning an access file and a word file.

Thanks

Re: %sysexec command

RW9 — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 09:42:25 GMT

Manual:

http://documentation.sas.com/?docsetId=mcrolref&docsetTarget=n08ecabbpebv2xn13ieu8uylrohm.htm&docsetVersion=9.4&locale=en

%sysexec - this command is used for sending Operating System commands to the Operating System and getting results back if used in that way. Anything you can do in the command line can be sent via this macro function.

The real question here would be why you are using this function when you don't know what it is for? Why are you "opening an access file and a word file"? Are you perhaps using the ancient DDE system? If so, move to a modern import/export process.

Re: %sysexec command

ballardw — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 15:29:13 GMT

"Didn't work" is awful vague.

Are there errors in the log?: Post the code and log in a code box opened with the {i} to maintain formatting of error messages.

No output? Post any log in a code box.

Unexpected output? Provide input data in the form of a dataset, the actual results and the expected results. Data should be in the form of a data step. Instructions here: https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Communities-Library/How-to-create-a-data-step-version-of-your-dat... will show how to turn an existing SAS data set into data step code that can be pasted into a forum code box using the {i} icon or attached as text to show exactly what you have and that we can test code against.