using proc report to write very large CSV file

[walterwang]

it is very very slow. 

ODS CSV file="/ww/list.csv";
proc report data=temp;
columns customer_id;

define customer_id/display " customer_id";

run;
ODS CSV close;

any help?

[Kurt_Bremser]

Why so complicated?

data _null_;
set temp;
file "/ww/list.csv";
if _n_ = 1 then put "customer_id";
put customer_id;
run;

No ODS or any output-creating procedure involved.

[walterwang]

It is a very big file. a lot of columns. I want to use format to control the output.

[Kurt_Bremser]

You can use formats in the data step; alternatively, PROC EXPORT will create DATA step code for you.

[PaigeMiller · Accepted solution]

Data steps still work with lots of variables, you can use formats and control the output. PROC EXPORT works, assign formats in the DATA step. Also, ODS CSV plus PROC PRINT works.

PROC REPORT is designed to make complicated reports, not appropriate for CSV files.

[walterwang]

use data steps to format the output. for example, date9. for date. use label to control the output name.

proc export data=temp1
outfile="/ww/list.csv"
label dbms=csv
replace;
run;

for 1G output, it only need minutes. which use proc report need two hours.

[Tom]

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@walterwang wrote:
It is a very big file. a lot of columns. I want to use format to control the output.

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You need to provide a better example of your code then.  How many observations in the dataset? How many variables? 

What do you mean by "use format"? 

A CSV file has no "format".  It is just a text file.

Normal CSV file generation will use the formats attached to the variables to display the values.   If you want to display some of the values with a different format than is what is normally attached to the variable then perhaps you could just write the CSV with a data step and include a FORMAT statement in the data step.