Exporting SAS dataset into .txt file readable by Access (delimiter preferably ' | ' pipe line).

[vpgodbole]

Hi,

I saw this question posted, but could not find Access part anywhere.

I am trying to export SAS dataset into .txt because i want it to be imported into Access. Prefer Pipe line as delimiter as my data has spaces, commas.

I tried using Proc export .. looks like txt export doesn't work on Windows, 

I tried data _null_ method, however, when i import in Access the End of record is not detected. Variables get split.

- Please advice. Thank you!

Below are the codes:

data _null_;

file "/data/cs/Users/Varun_Godbole/Sc2_20180626.txt" DLM='|' ;

set c2339197.Sc2 (obs=500) ;

put _all_;

run;

proc export data=c2339197.Sc2 (obs=500) outfile='/data/cs/Users/Varun_Godbole/Sc2_20180626.txt' dbms=dlm
replace;
delimiter='|';
run;

[ybolduc]

What error are you getting when you try to import the txt file produced by the proc export?

Thanks,

[vpgodbole]

I see data in one variable rolling over next.

It gets exported, but in the txt file it gives double pipeline somewhere in the middle of variable sequence, i guess double delimiter is to indicate end of record, and should be end of record.

[ballardw]

Two or more consecutive delimiters in the Proc Export occurs when one or more variables are missing for that row of data.

Depending on how you import the file into Access you should get either a blank or NULL value for the variable.

Example code and results. You can see the double || after each F for the Sex column because all of the values for age were removed in the data step.

data work.junk;
   set sashelp.class;
   if sex='F' then age=.;
run;

proc export data=work.junk
     outfile="x:\example.txt"
     dbms=dlm
     replace;
     delimiter='|';
run;

Results:
Name|Sex|Age|Height|Weight
Alfred|M|14|69|112.5
Alice|F||56.5|84
Barbara|F||65.3|98
Carol|F||62.8|102.5
Henry|M|14|63.5|102.5
James|M|12|57.3|83
Jane|F||59.8|84.5
Janet|F||62.5|112.5
Jeffrey|M|13|62.5|84
John|M|12|59|99.5
Joyce|F||51.3|50.5
Judy|F||64.3|90
Louise|F||56.3|77
Mary|F||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