Data set with more than 32 characters

[MariaD]

Hil folks,

I know that SAS can't handle datasets with more than 32 characters. But is there any way to identify it (are SAS datasets not DBMS tables) and change the name to any one below 32 characters using SAS programming? 

Thanks,

[ChrisNZ]

Sorry this question is unclear to me. What data sets do you have and what outcome do you want?

[MariaD]

Hi @ChrisNZ ,

Please, apologise me if my question was not clear. In our SAS environment, we find some SAS tables with names with more than 32 characters. For example: "table_name_user_big_name_table_table_table.sas7bdat". My question is, is there any way using SAS programming to change the name of this datasets to any one with less than 32 characters? For example the new name will be "table_name_user_big_name.sas7bdat". 

Regards, 

[Tom · Accepted solution]

SAS will not make a SAS7BDAT file with a name like that. Someone must have made the file outside of SAS or renamed the file outside of SAS.

Just use operating system command to rename the file.   If it has not been disabled in your installation just call the operating system RENAME command (mv on Unix) to rename the file.  Then you can reference the file as a dataset.

data _null_;
  infile "mv table_name_user_big_name_table_table_table.sas7bdat table_name_user_big_name.sas7bdat" pipe;
  input;
  put _infile_;
run;
data want;
  set "table_name_user_big_name.sas7bdat";
run;
 

If Operating System command access is disbled SAS does have the FCOPY() function that will let you copy the file to a new file with a shorter name.  I don't think it has a file rename function, but perhaps there is one hiding in the grab bag of functions.

[MariaD]

Thanks @Tom , yes the users made outside SAS.

[SASKiwi]

When you try to create a SAS table with a name more than 32 characters long SAS will fail and not create it. Where do you see these long name SAS tables? By viewing folder contents with an OS command or some other way? It is very unlikely these are genuine SAS tables. You can always try renaming them to < 32 character long names using an OS command. Then try reading them in SAS.   

[ChrisNZ]

This becomes a question about system files then: how to list and rename files.

@Tom 's reply addresses the rename part, and there are many answers on this forum about ways to list files.

Very curious how you ended up with such long (and invalid) data set names?

[MariaD]

Unfortunately, some users change SAS datasets name through SAS EG (accessing "File folder").

Regards,