Script import problems

[V_Andy]

Hi everyone!

I got a problem trying to imprort data from .tsv text file to SAS Base. I used the script in one of the previous versions and everything was okay but now when I got SAS 9.4 I get an odd result.

The initial source of data is text file with only one column. Here is a sample of data file:

TRANS_SUM
2286,5
985,39
3730,23
984,12

To import data I submit the script below:

Data TRANS.Test_data (Compress = yes);

  Retain TRANS_SUM;

   Infile 'h:\sample2.tsv'

   DLM = '09'x MISSOVER DSD FIRSTOBS = 2;

   Input

  TRANS_SUM_RUR CommaX20.;

   Format

  TRANS_SUM_RUR Comma20.2;

Run;

Earlier I got a dataset with one column and for records of decimal numbers with decimal part separated by comma.

TRANS_SUM
2286.5
985.39
3730.23
984.12

But now a dataset is being created but I get missing values instead.

TRANS_SUM
.
.
.
.

Would you be so king to explain me what's wrong with the script.

[Tom · Accepted solution]

First, why would you use the MISSOVER option instead of the TRUNCOVER option?  The only difference is that with MISSOVER if you try to read 20 characters and there are 6 available then SAS sets the value to missing. With TRUNOVER is just reads the 6 characters that are there.

Second don't use formatted input when the widths of the fields vary (at least not without adding : or other modifiers) to prevent SAS from reading past the end of the field and getting the column pointer confused.

Third SAS code files are called programs not scripts.  SAS is a language not a shell.

data trans.test_data (compress = yes);

   infile 'h:\sample2.tsv'

      dlm = '09'x truncover dsd firstobs = 2

   ;

   informat trans_sum_rur commax20.;

   format trans_sum_rur comma20.2;

   input trans_sum_rur ;

run;

[V_Andy]

Thank you very much, Tom! It helped and of course this is not a script, this is a program!