What does EG do when I open a dataset from an unassigned library?

[TimCampbell]

Hi everyone,

I have a library that I have created using DI studio that contains some datasets and also some user-defined formats that I want the datasets use.

My goal is that when a user opens the data in enterprise guide they see the data with the correct user-defined formats applied.

I have put a cheat into the advanced options on the library metadata by setting the 'Other option(s) to be appended' field to be

; options fmtsearch(mylib)

this means than when I right click on the library in DI studio and select 'View Libname' it correctly shows as

LIBNAME mylib BASE "mypath"; options fmtsearch(mylib);

and running this code in enterprise guide lets me view the datasets with the correct format.

However, in a new EG session when I browse to this library in the enterprise guide server list or metadata folders and open the datasets to view the data, the data does not show in the correct format.

Does anyone know how I can check to see why enterprise guide is not running the full libname statement that I defined it to run in the metadata?

Thanks in advance

Tim.

[LinusH · Accepted solution]

This is probably because EG uses the META engine by default if the library isn't pre-assigned. I have no idea how such assignment will work with your cheat, but it doesn't sound like a best practice...

Why don't you put the formats in the SASApp\SASEnvironment\SASFormats location (APFMTLIB), and the they will be available by default?

[TimCampbell]

Thanks LinusH,

APFMTLIB worked exactly as I needed.

Tim

[SASKiwi]

Another option is to create a SAS library with a LIBREF of LIBRARY. SAS automatically searches this LIBREF for any stored formats without using FMTSEARCH.