How to find the latest file and how to move it in a different folder.

[annypanny]

Hi, suppose I have multiple external files e,g.onlineuser20200414.txt , onlineuser20200415.txt, Userxyz.txt in a input folder location  "/loc/sasdataset/lev1"  now the latest file i.e., onlineuser20200415.txt from that location I have to extract into a dataset and will be moved to different archived folder location "/loc/sasdataset/xyz" and if any file aged more than 30 days e.g onlineuser20200314.txt will be automatically deleted from the location "/loc/sasdataset/xyz". How can I find the latest file and extract it into a dataset in sas EG? Please if anybody give a code example.

Thanks in advance

Edited

[Kurt_Bremser]

In SQL, query DICTIONARY.TABLES to find the latest. Note that if you always MOVE files, you will (in the long run) only find one dataset (the most recently added) anyway.

[annypanny]

hi, I used DICTIONARY.TABLES but it did'nt work for me, I just wanted to move the latest file in to the folder, how can I, can MACROS makes my life easier?

[Kurt_Bremser]

How did you query DICTIONARY.TABLES? Please post your code, using the "little running man" button.

[Patrick]

Are these SAS tables or some external files on disk?

[annypanny]

sas tables

[Tom]

---

@annypanny wrote:
sas tables

---

Why did your original post use .txt extension on the file names if they are SAS datasets?  SAS datasets use .sas7bat as the extension.  DICTIONARY.TABLES will not show text files.  Just datasets (and then only for places pointed to by active librefs).

[Kurt_Bremser]

It did not have the .txt, that's why I suggested using the dictionary tables. But we seem to have a goalpost-mover here.

To the OP: please add a line declaring the edit if you have to edit one of your posts (except if it's just correcting a typo).

If I had known that you were talking about external text files, I would not have suggested the dictionary tables at all.

[annypanny]

sorry for that, it was confusing

[Kurt_Bremser]

So what are we really talking about, datasets or external files?

[annypanny]

datasets

[Kurt_Bremser]

Then dictionary.tables is the way to go. Show the SQL code that you tried, post the log from it using the </> button.

[annypanny]

</filename file "/sas/sasdataset/lev1/";

data latest;

set file.latest;

run;

create view file as select * from dictionary.tables;

/>

[Kurt_Bremser]

To find SAS datasets, define a libname for the directory, then use DICTIONARY.TABLES:

libname file "/sas/sasdataset/lev1/";

proc sql;
create table datasets_in_file as
  select *
  from dictionary.tables
  where libname = 'FILE' /* always use uppercase for libnames and memnames */
;
quit;

[annypanny]

and what if it is a extrnal file not sas dataset? just asking for curiosity then we can't use libname then how can I do that?