topic Proc export issue in SAS Enterprise Guide

Proc export issue

laxmanpai — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 05:17:57 GMT

Hi,

My work table has 10 columns which i am trying to export this into .txt file using proc export using "|" delimiter.

Ideally the txt file must contain 9 pipe ("|") symbols separating the 10 columns but here since the last 2 columns has null values in the input data , it has only 8 pipe ("|") symbols and the last column is getting truncated.

for Example ;

Proc export data = a.txt

outfile= b.txt

dbms=dlm replace;

delimiter="|";

putnames=NO;

RUN;

Any help would be much appreciated if anything needed to be included in the proc export option

which would solve my issue.

Re: Proc export issue

Tom — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 05:52:40 GMT

Can you share an reproducible example?

FYI - There is no need to use PROC EXPORT to produce a delimited file, especially one without a header row. A simple PUT statement will do the job.

data _null_;
  set mylib.myds ;
  file 'myfile.txt' dsd dlm='|';
  put (_all_) (+0);
run;

Re: Proc export issue

andreas_lds — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 07:46:36 GMT

@laxmanpai wrote:

Hi,

My work table has 10 columns which i am trying to export this into .txt file using proc export using "|" delimiter.

Ideally the txt file must contain 9 pipe ("|") symbols separating the 10 columns but here since the last 2 columns has null values in the input data , it has only 8 pipe ("|") symbols and the last column is getting truncated.

This does not happen using SAS 9.4m5:

data class;
   set sashelp.class;

   length Empty1 8 Empty2 $ 10;

   call missing(of Empty:);
run;

proc export data=work.class 
      file= "class_pipe.txt"
      dbms=dlm
      replace;
   delimiter='|';
   putnames=no;
run;

Alfred|M|14|69|112.5||
Alice|F|13|56.5|84||
Barbara|F|13|65.3|98||
Carol|F|14|62.8|102.5||
Henry|M|14|63.5|102.5||
James|M|12|57.3|83||
Jane|F|12|59.8|84.5||
Janet|F|15|62.5|112.5||
Jeffrey|M|13|62.5|84||
John|M|12|59|99.5||
Joyce|F|11|51.3|50.5||
Judy|F|14|64.3|90||
Louise|F|12|56.3|77||
Mary|F|15|66.5|112||
Philip|M|16|72|150||
Robert|M|12|64.8|128||
Ronald|M|15|67|133||
Thomas|M|11|57.5|85||
William|M|15|66.5|112||

Re: Proc export issue

ballardw — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 10:35:06 GMT

Show us the LOG from when you run the code. Copy the entire code for the step involved plus all notes and messages from the LOG. Paste into a text box opened on this forum with the </> icon to preserve formatting.

Also, which program did you use to open the text file and examine the contents?

You say "it has only 8 pipe ("|") symbols and the last column is getting truncated.". Is this truncation on the the line with only 8 pipe symbols or on other lines? I ask because you say the 8 pipes occurs where the last two columns are "null" values. So how would tell that a missing last column is truncated.

If any of your variables contain a linefeed and/or carriage return character you might be seeing the result from the content of your data. Does it appear that a line of data might only have one or two | symbols with very short data?

Re: Proc export issue

Sajid01 — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 00:44:41 GMT

Thanks @Tom for the simple and elegant example.