topic Re: 9.4 Proc Export to txt without REPLACE in SAS Programming

9.4 Proc Export to txt without REPLACE

TimWright — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 16:59:03 GMT

Hi folks,

My objective is to create a txt file from a SAS dataset with both the variable names and the data seperated by "^".

My initial strategy was to divide it into two parts: first export a file with only the variable names. Then export the data to the same txt file.

*STEP 1;

data _null_;

set work.mySASdata;

Retain count 0;count+1;

file "&filelocation";

length line $ 200;

varnameline=strip('var1^var2^var3^var4');

if count=1 then put VarnameLine;

run;

*STEP 2;

proc export data=mySASdata

outfile="&filelocation"

dbms=dlm replace;

delimiter='^';

putnames=no;

run;

The problem is that the second step seems to require the option REPLACE, which would overwrite, rather than append to, the file with only the variable names seperated by ^.

Q1: Is there a way to export SAS9.4 to text without replacement?

Q2: Is there a way to do this in one export or datastep so I won't need an answer to Q1 above?

Thanks,

Tim

Re: 9.4 Proc Export to txt without REPLACE

ballardw — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 17:16:13 GMT

It sounds like you are want to append more than one data set to the exported file.

If that is the case then you might have to go back to a data _null_ for the follow up data and use the FILE statement option MOD which writes at the end of an existing file if it already exists.

Or combine all of the data involved into a single data set and use Proc Export with putnames=yes

Re: 9.4 Proc Export to txt without REPLACE

TimWright — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 17:35:32 GMT

It occurs to me that one 3-step solution would be the following:

STEP1: export SAS data to excel

STEP2: import data from the excel, starting with line 1 (rather than two).The new SAS file, work.NewFile, should have the original variable names as the first record of the data.

STEP3:

Proc Export data=work.NewFile

outfile='c:\newTxtFile.txt'

dbms=dlm replace ;

delimiter='^';

Putnames=No;

run;

Re: 9.4 Proc Export to txt without REPLACE

error_prone — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 17:53:59 GMT

Why do you need two steps? The following proc export seems to produce the desired result:

proc export data=sashelp.class dbms=dlm file="&filelocation" replace;
   delimiter='^';
run;

If you don't want/have to print the real variable names, you have two options:

Use one data-null-step.
Create a view renaming the variables, then use proc export.

data _null_;
   set sashelp.class;
   file "&filelocation" delimiter="^";
   
   if _n_ = 1 then do;
      put "Var1^Var2^Var3^Var4^Var5";
   end;
   
   put Name Sex Age Weight Height;
run;

Re: 9.4 Proc Export to txt without REPLACE

TimWright — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 18:00:33 GMT

Wy do I need two (or three) steps? Because I'm a SAS dummy

Re: 9.4 Proc Export to txt without REPLACE

TimWright — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 19:16:43 GMT

I cannot believe that I spent so much time trying to figure out an alternative solution based on the assumption that it would export the data in the wrong way, without even testing it.

UGH!

Thanks!