PROC DELETE to remove SAS tables

[#1]

Proc Delete is faster than either PROC DATASETS or PROC SQL.  Here are a few examples of how SAS programmers delete SAS tables.

proc delete data = libref.dataname;
run;

proc sql;
  drop table libref.dataname;
quit;

proc datasets library = libref;
  delete dataname;
run;

data _null_;
  length dd $8;
  rc = filename(dd,cats(pathname('libref'),'\dataname.sas7bdat'));
  rc = fdelete(dd);
  put _all_;
run;

 Since SAS 9.4, PROC DELETE has had more capabilities than ever -- find out more in Chris Hemedinger's blog.

This was originally posted by Ronald Fehd on sasCommunity.org.

[RW9]

I am sorry, but that coding is all over the place, upper case used, sometimes indents, unfinished blocks (e.g. missing run; after first proc.  Your other tips follow a coding standard?

[ChrisHemedinger]

Good points, @RW9.  We're moving some of the most popular posts from sasCommunity.org (now in stasis) to here, and these are coming over "as is" -- but I've fixed up this one.