topic Extract dataset name from expression (datasetname(options)). in SAS Programming

Extract dataset name from expression (datasetname(options)).

TimurShangareev — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 15:27:29 GMT

Is there any method, where I can extract dataset name from expressions like:

<work.ds(...where=(...))>

<ds(... where=(...))>

or somehow check that this expression is valid in macro calls (wthout PROC or DATA statements)?

Re: Extract dataset name from expression (datasetname(options)).

PaigeMiller — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 16:52:49 GMT

@TimurShangareev wrote:

Is there any method, where I can extract dataset name from expressions like:

<work.ds(...where=(...))>

<ds(... where=(...))>

or somehow check that this expression is valid in macro calls (wthout PROC or DATA statements)?

Let me make sure I am understanding. You have some text, like

SASHELP.CLASS(where=(sex='F'))

and you want to determine the data set name (which is SASHELP.CLASS). Is that what you want?

Where do you want to do this? (In a SAS data step? Somewhere else?)

What is the source of the input text string?

Re: Extract dataset name from expression (datasetname(options)).

Tom — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 17:14:52 GMT

@TimurShangareev wrote:

Is there any method, where I can extract dataset name from expressions like:

<work.ds(...where=(...))>

<ds(... where=(...))>

or somehow check that this expression is valid in macro calls (wthout PROC or DATA statements)?

It would help if you explained in more detail what you actually mean. Perhaps some example use cases would help?

You mentioned macro calls. So in macro code here are a couple of simple things.

%let dsn=sashelp.class(where=(age>11));
%let valid=FALSE;
%let dsid=%sysfunc(open(&dsn));
%if &dsid %then %do;
  %let valid=TRUE;
  %let dsid=%sysfunc(close(&dsid));
%end;
%let name_only=%scan(&dsn,1,());
%let options=%substr(&dsn%str( ),%length(&name_only)+1);
%let memname=%scan(&name_only,-1,.);
%let libref=%scan(WORK.&name_only,-2,.);
%put &=dsn &=valid ;
%put &=name_only &=options;
%put &=libref &=memname ;