topic Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS? in SAS/IML Software and Matrix Computations

Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Visiting — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 12:52:55 GMT

Recently working on a project requiring use RData dataset, which created by R, searched online, seems there is no good method to import RData into SAS, any suggestion? Thank you.

here is a piece of code to output a RData format table using R:

setwd("C:\path...")

library(car)

test<- mtcars

write.RData(test, "mydata.RData)

I have tried to output sas7bdat format table from R, but it can't be opened by SAS.

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

LinusH — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 12:59:42 GMT

Either if you can output to a csv-file instead.
Or if you have an IML license, call R from there and output that to a SAS dataset:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/29376903/is-there-a-way-to-load-rda-rdata-data-from-r-into-sas

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

quickbluefish — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 13:07:10 GMT

I second the PROC IML solution if you have it available. Everything between the SUBMIT / R; and the ENDSUBMIT; statements is R code. You can then use this call routine to import the R dataframe to a SAS dataset:

https://documentation.sas.com/doc/en/pgmsascdc/v_059/casimllang/casimllang_proc_sect041.htm

The only thing you'll need to figure out is what R statement you need to read the .RDat file into a dataframe (after SUBMIT / R;)

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Visiting — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 18:29:41 GMT

How to check if IML license available? CSV has limitation, worrying about losing records if the dataset is too big.

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Visiting — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 18:32:56 GMT

The RData file is already saved by others, don't need to generate dataset in SAS, could you please paste a sample code for importing data only. Thank you.

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

SASKiwi — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 19:04:17 GMT

Run PROC PRODUCT_STATUS to confirm IML is installed and PROC SETINIT to check if it is licensed:

proc product_status;
run;

proc setinit;
run;

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Visiting — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 19:10:49 GMT

The license is available until Dec2025.

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Tom — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 19:32:17 GMT

@Visiting wrote:

The RData file is already saved by others, don't need to generate dataset in SAS, could you please paste a sample code for importing data only. Thank you.

You have lost me here. You started by saying you wanted to create SAS datasets, now you saying you don't? What is it that you need to do?

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Visiting — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 22:38:37 GMT

I want to import RData format data into SAS, which is generated by R.

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Patrick — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 00:01:00 GMT

@Visiting wrote:

I want to import RData format data into SAS, which is generated by R.

To make the data available to SAS you need to convert your R data frame to a format SAS can read. The most obvious format is a SAS data set.

@quickbluefish already shared this link with a code template how to achieve this.
As documented under the link you need SAS/IML as well as:

If above requirements are not met then convert your R data frame to a .csv on any environment where R is installed and then load this csv to a location that SAS can access. The read the csv into a SAS data set.

I'm not sure what you mean by "CSV has limitation, worrying about losing records if the dataset is too big". A csv is just a text file that can become very very big. Just don't open it with Excel as there you've got of course limitations - but that has nothing to do with the csv.

And just thinking: If you're on SAS Viya 3.5 or newer then consider writing the R data frame to a parquet file and then use the SAS parquet libname engine to read it. Parquet has the advantage over csv that it maintains the variable names and types and it's also compressed meaning less data to push from your R environment to your SAS environment.

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Ksharp — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 01:56:14 GMT

As quickbluefish said , you get job done with SAS/IML .

Firstly read in RData by R statement,

Once read this Rdata as a DataFrame with R and using function call ImportDataSetFromR() to bring it in SAS.




proc iml;
submit / R;
setwd("C:\path...")
library(car)
read.RData(test, "mydata.RData)   /*<---Read in RData with R statement*/
endsubmit;

call ImportDataSetFromR("Work.MyData", "test");   /*<--- write DataFrame "test" into a sas dataset "MyData"*/
quit;

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Rick_SAS — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 13:48:45 GMT

SAS supports importing dataframes. So instead of using write.RData(), just import the dataframe directly:

proc iml;

submit / R;
library(datasets)
test<- mtcars
endsubmit;

call ImportDataSetFromR("MySASData", "test");
quit;

proc print data=MySASData; run;

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Tom — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 14:52:29 GMT

@Rick_SAS wrote:

SAS supports importing dataframes. So instead of using write.RData(), just import the dataframe directly:
proc iml;

submit / R;
library(datasets)
test<- mtcars
endsubmit;

call ImportDataSetFromR("MySASData", "test");
quit;

proc print data=MySASData; run;

The requestor said they already have a disk file (Rdata file). Is that the same thing as a data frame? Or could it contain some other type of R object? If what was saved in the Rdata file is not a data frame can you still use that same call routine? Or would they first need to run some R code to convert the object into a dataframe?

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Visiting — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:02:56 GMT

It is close to get it work, thank you!

But I got an error: "The RLANG system option must be specified in the SAS configuration file or on the SAS invocation command line to enable the submission of R language statements".

How can I solve this issue?

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Tom — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:40:51 GMT

That option needs to be set when you launch SAS. How are you accessing SAS?

Do you run SAS directly? On a personal computer? Or on a shared multi-user server?

Or are you using some front end to run SAS. Like SAS/Studio or Enterprise Guide.

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Rick_SAS — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:50:56 GMT

RData files can store multiple R objects. But SAS can import only data frames, which are rectangular and are analogous to SAS data sets. This is documented at
SAS Help Center: IMPORTDATASETFROMR Call
and
SAS Help Center: Transferring Data between SAS and R Software

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Patrick — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 23:57:50 GMT

@Visiting wrote:

It is close to get it work, thank you!

But I got an error: "The RLANG system option must be specified in the SAS configuration file or on the SAS invocation command line to enable the submission of R language statements".

How can I solve this issue?

Suggest you read the info under the links provided. For example under the one already shared earlier it clearly states:

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Ksharp — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 00:57:09 GMT

Check this to see how to build a connection between R and SAS:

https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-RUN-R-or-Python-in-SAS/m-p/330170
https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Communities-Library/The-Open-Source-Integration-node-installation-cheat-sheet/ta-p/223470
https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-IML-Software-and-Matrix/How-can-I-run-R-code-in-SAS-OnDemand-for-Academics/m-p/769766

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

Visiting — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 01:00:43 GMT

Thank you remind me! I noticed that, but I use SAS EG, it is in cloud server, R is not installed there, probably that is why sample code doesn't work.

Re: Is it possible to directly import a RData file into SAS?

SASKiwi — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 01:26:32 GMT

In that case the administrator of your SAS cloud platform needs to add the RLANG option. This is not something you can do.