topic Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS? in SAS Programming

What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

dcampb — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 14:37:32 GMT

Is there an easy way to convert it? PC-SAS users seem to love to make these for me, but I cannot easily use them.

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

jakarman — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:07:49 GMT

These catalog files are used in the same way in Unix as in Windows, really no difference when you have them as native files.

The issue is getting them in a native format as CEDA the ease known with datafiles do not exist with catalogfiles.

The solutions:

- recreate the catalogs by running the SAS code. SAS formats are examples of catalog member types.

There are many more types being stored in catalogs (source logs output are one of the oldest types)
- use a SAS conversion tool.

+ Proc import/export can work when going to the same or higher version. But the encoding must be the same when going to another machine.

This limitation on encoding is a blocking issue to get data into the University Edition that one is running utf8 not the common latin1.

+ SAS/connect can upload/download easily catalogs. It has less limitation of versions and machines.

he same exception with utf8/latin1 is applicable

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

dcampb — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:12:52 GMT

Can you recommend a conversion tool that will do this? The other options you note do not work in my situation.

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

jakarman — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:41:49 GMT

You did not mention anything of involved SAS releases, machine types and environmental limitations.

I mentioned the normal global approaches as they are valid (there ar no more ways).

Not really something to base a recommendation on with that little background.

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

dcampb — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:45:32 GMT

I don't know the answers to any of those things. I run SAS on a big linux server. Fairly regularly, someone delivers data with a sas7bcat formats file. Linux SAS won't open it. I'm looking for a simple solution to using it. I can get onto a PC-SAS machine and convert it, but am hoping there is a trick to skip that step.

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

ballardw — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:47:01 GMT

Or tell the folks sending the catalogs to include a CNTLOUT data set that you can then use as a CNTLIN to recreate the formats.

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

Tom — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:48:56 GMT

Tell the users to use PROC FORMAT to dump the format catalog they have created to a DATASET and send that along with the data. Then you can use it.

Say the user has created a folder to store their data and formats and is using the libref MYDATA to point to that folder. After they have created their formats (or as part of sending you the data) they can run this step to create the corresponding dataset for the format catalog.

proc format lib=mydata.formats cntlout=mydata.formats noprint; run;

Then when you receive the formats.sas7bdat file you can convert it into formats. If you are just working on their files for a little while then perhaps you just want to store the formats into your WORK library. Say you have placed their files in a directory on your unix machine and create a libref PCDATA that points to it.

proc format lib=WORK cntlin=PCDATA.formats noprint; run;

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

dcampb — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:48:57 GMT

This applies to the last 2 responses--many of these are old or second hand data and there is no way to do that. I wish I could!

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

jakarman — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 16:44:05 GMT

1/ As long the version on Unix is equal or newer as the Windows version....
Use: proc export upload the export file (transport file) import that one in Unix.

2/ As it it are formats. The format procedure can export all formats to a SAS datasets (CNTLOUT) in Windows

do a upload of the SAS dataset and Import the format (CNTLIN).
Should work for most older approaches. I am in doubt with 9.4 using MLF formats and FCMP in a format. That is rather new.

3/ Formats are created by SAS sources. Are they available let them hem have delivered and use those to create the format catalogs.

Preferable is 3/ than 1/ and as last 2/ At all occasions some of these approaches should work.
Why is 3/ preferable? Well my doubts on the newer functions and you should have the original code for binaries. Formats can be seen as as compiled versions of the SAS code.

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

dcampb — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 18:46:10 GMT

I apologize, it appears I have not been clear.

These sas7bcat format files are delivered to me without code or other documentation. The original programmers are long gone, and there is no one with access to their work. The people delivering them know nothing about their creation and there is no one to contact to get more information. So, the alternatives that require doing something different in creation of the formats are simply not possible.

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

jakarman — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 19:24:34 GMT

Well only /3 is based on code that is delivered for recent build code with the coder being accessible preferred.

The /1 is a conversion of the catalog not needing anything but limited by restrictions in sas versions

The /3 is based on a conversion of catalog members only of the format type. No original code of sas creating that is required as just a conversion of format catalog type.

Probably having restrictions by eg fcmp types. As that is very new functionality in those cases the developer should be known.

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

Peter_C — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 19:24:52 GMT

Try emailing Phil Holland or look into www.hollandnumerics.com

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

ballardw — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 21:01:30 GMT

Your comment about PC/SAS users liking to send these files doesn't imply that that they are old but current, so pardon the confusion.

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

SASKiwi — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 02:51:00 GMT

My understanding is that there is no way in Linux SAS to convert the "vanilla" Windows SAS format catalogs.

You need to convert them using Windows SAS first.

If you had SAS/Connect licensed and installed in both Linux and Windows (use PROC SETINIT to confirm) you could automate the conversion of these catalogs by getting your Linux SAS to connect to your Windows SAS PC and upload these catalogs. SAS will automatically convert them while uploading.

Failing this you could batch process all of your format catalogs on Windows SAS into transport format, store them on a file share where Linux can see them and then import them into Linux format with Linux SAS.

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

Kurt_Bremser — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 08:20:16 GMT

I have used the PROC CPORT/PROC CIMPORT path in the past. Only needs base SAS on the source and target system.

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

dcampb — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 13:32:49 GMT

SASKiwi, that's essentially what I have been doing. I was hoping there was a one-step method. It seems odd that these cannot simply be opened but it sounds like that's the case.

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

Ksharp — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 13:43:24 GMT

Not sure. Did you check proc catlog ?

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

jakarman — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 14:45:57 GMT

dcamp, dou you have SAS/connect? That is the most easy and simple method to have catalogs copied between releases / systems.

The luxury of just opening as with SAS-datasets (CEDA) is not easy possible. Catalogs are having a internal directory structure for a lot of members. Some type of members are needing as real conversion (aside some OS pointers). All that is done behind scenes using SAS/connect. The proc upload/download are supporting the adding of members, that is not part of proc catalog). When you have you source and destination (rls possible) it is very much like a one step copy.
To use formats is dedicated catalog-datasets you also have to set a sas option. All can be prepared as standard at startup. What is you issue with that?

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

dcampb — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 14:50:04 GMT

No, we don't have SAS/Connect.

I found several articles indicating what I was hoping for is impossible, so this topic might as well be closed. Thanks to all for the responses,

Re: What is the best way to access a sas7bcat formats file in Unix SAS?

hollandnumerics — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 08:51:51 GMT

dcampb,

As Peter has mentioned, there are not many SAS file conversions that I can't cope with. See http://www.hollandnumerics.com for my contact details, if you are interested.

.......Phil Holland