How to Run Shell Script inside SAS?

[jjames1]

Hello,

I am trying to run a .sh file from sas. I tried the following

data _null_;
call system ('cd /users/smith/report.sh');
run;

But it is not executing my script .

Please help 

[mkeintz]

1. "cd" is change directory.  It will not run the script.
2. Have you tried the X statement?  It's a global statement (i.e. does not need to be (should not be) inside a DATA step or other PROC step.   See http://www.sascommunity.org/wiki/X_statement

  x '/users/smith/report.sh' ;

You also need to consider whether you want your SAS program to wait for the X statements complete or not.  If yes, then issue

  options xwait;

somewhere prior to the X statement(s).

If not

  options noxwait;

Note many sysadmins turn off the ability to issue X statements when configuring SAS.

[Smr1234]

Hi,

I am trying to execute a shell file from a SAS MACRO

I use below code:

filename runoc pipe "/test/space.try.sh";

I get message saying there is no logical file name assign to runoc.

[Kurt_Bremser]

• don't hijack a thread that's two years old. Almost nobody will see your question. Open your own thread in SAS Programming.
• in this new thread, post your whole log (from the filename statement to the ERROR message), using the {i} button.

[Kurt_Bremser]

As @mkeintz already noted, cd won't run anything, it just (in UNIX) sets the current working directory of the shell (or, when submitted with x or call system(), the cwd of the SAS session).

The best method for executing external programs is with a filename pipe:

filename oscmd pipe "/users/smith/report.sh 2>&1";

data _null_;
infile oscmd;
input;
put _infile_;
run;

filename oscmd clear;

This will catch all output (including error messages from stderr, that's done with the 2>&1 redirection) from the external program in the SAS log.

[Babloo]

Could you please tell me why we use

2>&1?

[Kurt_Bremser]

---

@Babloo wrote:

Could you please tell me why we use

2>&1?

---

You should start to read all of a post before answering/questioning:

Quote from my post:

(including error messages from stderr, that's done with the 2>&1 redirection)

A google search for "2>&1" will give you extensive information for why it is done.