topic Re: How to Proc Import a csv file with variable names on row 3 and data beginning on row 9? in SAS Programming

How to Proc Import a csv file with variable names on row 3 and data beginning on row 9?

genemroz — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 16:47:45 GMT

I want to import a csv file with 90 variables (columns) and >100K rows. I want to assign row 3 as containing the variable names. The data rows start on row 9. How can I do this with Proc Import?

Thanks in advance...

Gene

Re: How to Proc Import a csv file with variable names on row 3 and data beginning on row 9?

PaigeMiller — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 16:52:18 GMT

Easiest thing to do is delete rows 1 and 2 and delete rows 4-8.

Re: How to Proc Import a csv file with variable names on row 3 and data beginning on row 9?

ballardw — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 21:39:29 GMT

Did the source of that file provide an adequate contents description to write a data step? Such as column meaning, ranges of values, layout such as currency or dates, maximum length of character variables?

If so, I would write a data step and use the INFILE option Firstobs=9 to skip to the first line of the data wanted.

As a minimum you want to include a Guessingrows=max; statement if using proc import. Otherwise the number of rows examined may result in many mismatches of variable types or truncated values.

Regardless, you want to save the generated data step in the log as you may need to make changes that aren't possible directly with Proc Import and it is often easier to modify some working code (the generated data step) than to start from scratch.

Proc import will treat any series of digits only as a number. Which leads to loss of significant leading zeroes in thing like bank accounts or routing numbers and similar.

Re: How to Proc Import a csv file with variable names on row 3 and data beginning on row 9?

SASKiwi — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 22:15:52 GMT

If you delete row 2, GETNAMES = YES will work. Then specify DATAROWS = 8 to identify which row to starting read your data from, since you deleted a line.

Re: How to Proc Import a csv file with variable names on row 3 and data beginning on row 9?

genemroz — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 22:16:57 GMT

This turned out to be the easiest approach. Thanks to all for responding with suggestions.