My colleagues created 4 SAS datasets in a common directory. While I can freely create and use any SAS dataset in that directory, and other teammates can freely read and process these 4 datasets, I just can’t.
Dataset Name Error Message
Close_variance_file.sas7bdat The value VARIANCE ID is not a valid SAS name.
Open_variance_file.sas7bdat The value VARIANCE ID is not a valid SAS name.
Mlone_accounts_file.sas7bdat The value UNIQUE ID is not a valid SAS name.
Variance_security_file.sas7bdat The value VARIANCE ID is not a valid SAS name.
What are these error messages supposed to mean? Make NO sense AT ALL.
Likely you have a different setting for the VALIDVARNAME option.
Run this code:
proc options option=validvarname;
run;
You will likely get this in the log:
VALIDVARNAME=V7 Specifies the rules for valid SAS variable names that can be created and processed during a SAS session.
if your colleagues run the same code I suspect that the result will be VALIDVARNAME=ANY, which allows SAS to use non-standard variable names.
Please change the thread title to: What does error message "not a valid SAS name" mean?
Available on demand!
Missed SAS Innovate Las Vegas? Watch all the action for free! View the keynotes, general sessions and 22 breakouts on demand.
Learn how use the CAT functions in SAS to join values from multiple variables into a single value.
Find more tutorials on the SAS Users YouTube channel.