Please share more info about just how you are "importing" your data, and include some specific SAS log (pasted in your post reply) to more accurately explain the SAS problem you are experiencing. It does not make sense that SAS would read up a data column into a SAS variable and not reference the variable as expected. Do remember though that SAS variable names must start with a character.
Below please find a useful Google advanced search argument against the SAS support
http://support.sas.com/ website where you may find relative topic information and product documentation:
sas variable names start character site:sas.com
Scott Barry
SBBWorks, Inc.
SAS 9.2 Language Reference: Concepts - Names in the SAS Language
http://support.sas.com/documentation/cdl/en/lrcon/61722/HTML/default/a000998953.htm