SAS 9.4 crashes when viewing dataset (sometimes)

[Alphanumeric]

Greetings SAS community. Just to set the table, I work in research for a university. My workstation is using WIN10 64bit but dept practice is to use SAS 32bit installations. This is done because there are a lot of people involved in the studies I'm working on and we each have our own SAS license through the university. Since many of the programs for the data management were built on 32bit machines, we kept the individual installs of SAS at 32bit for consistency and to avoid the 32 vs 64 SAS issues to a minimum.

Now on with the story...I've been living with a pain in the butt issue: Typically, I open the SAS 9.4 enhanced editor and initialize all my libraries and then open a program I have been building or just creating. I'll run some code and check the datasets being created. I double click the dataset in the work library in the SAS environment and 9/10 times the dataset pops open and I can eyeball the data. However, that 1 time, SAS.exe just freezes and I get the dreaded (Not Responding) message in the window bar at the top. I cannot reliably replicate this issue which makes it even more vexing. I either have to RED X out of SAS and punch through the Windows pop-up or open up the great equalizer, task manager. Popping open windows task scheduler, I've been attempting to look further, I found this interesting situation - screenshot enclosed.

Short story, it seems SAS is waiting on this SPLWOW64.exe to progress. I know there are problems in WIN10 using a 64bit OS with 32bit programs and was wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem and has suggestions on solving it or minimizing the hate induced rage that sets in when realizing all the code and changes to code I had developed only exists now in my head. I have become way more attentive to saving code more frequently, but when you are close to something working and want to view the changes in the dataset... well excite tends to kill the repetitive mashing of the save button before getting to the good stuff.

[ballardw]

This is apparently a very common error. When I started to type splwow64.exe into a google search I had several error and such suggested completions. It is apparently part of the Microsoft Printer world, which probably partially explains the inconsistent error appearance.

There are a number of fixes I found using google but I'm not going to spend time trying to determine which is appropriate especially as quick review many include replacing dlls and such.

You might want to get your IT department involved.

[Alphanumeric]

I concur with the googlefu and finding it is common. Sadly, finding anything related specifically to SAS about the issue is not. I have not had this impact any other program/environment and only finding it somewhat frequent when using SAS.

Thanks for the reply. Always helps to have more eyes on an issue than only me.

[Reeza]

Haven’t found a fix, but I did set up auto save every minute and have the shortcut reference to the backup folder in Windows cause it happens that often.

[FreelanceReinh]

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@Alphanumeric wrote:

I double click the dataset in the work library in the SAS environment and 9/10 times the dataset pops open

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Hi @Alphanumeric,

So, you open a VIEWTABLE window within SAS, right? Then I recommend using the SAS Universal Viewer instead. As one of several additional advantages it doesn't lock the opened datasets. You can open SAS datasets with it by double-clicking them in the Windows Explorer rather than the SAS Explorer window (see, e.g., this thread: Close all VIEWTABLES for more information).

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[Reeza]

That would change the workflow which makes it problematic. For example, running code and opening the data set to view it after to see changes and ensure it worked the way you expected.

I did get it fixed once, but that was a a different organization. At that point it seemed to be one of the Windows accessibility setting that had to do with how it viewed headers and stuff - the zoom etc.

[Alphanumeric]

Just an update: I've begun exploring things a bit more with my limited freetime. I've changed some registry values and will see if this happens again. If it doesn't happen by Friday, I'll supply the fix I have tried for the greater good. 

Sad part of this whole issue is the seemingly randomness of the occurrence. If I could trigger it consistently, I could figure it out... but some days I go all day without the problem and some days it happens 2-3 times.

[ballardw]

This may not have anything actually to do with this, but by any chance when using viewtable are you displaying Labels instead of column names? I might suggest trying the column name only. Or if using FORM view to use table view.

If you change from one to the other option, column/label, I have noticed that setting for column name/label persists when clicking on tables in the Explorer.  You can open the last the data set created with options by using a KEYS entry such as

vt _last_ ; colnames;

If you need to sort the data for any reason you would use

vt _last_ openmode=edit; colnames;

to ensure that column names are used.

This is a guess that perhaps the label information being used from the table header is confusing that exe file for 32-bit data sets for some reason.

[Reeza]

Mine is set to names already and this still occurs :(.

[Alphanumeric]

Like I said, I simply double click the dataset in the SAS library explorer window. It freezes before displaying the dataset so I never get the option. However, when it does open, it defaults to label and I change it when I need. 

[ballardw]

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@Alphanumeric wrote:

Like I said, I simply double click the dataset in the SAS library explorer window. It freezes before displaying the dataset so I never get the option. However, when it does open, it defaults to label and I change it when I need. 

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The option would be the default click option in the explorer. Which is why I suggested a keys entry might help. Most people aren't comfortable with changing system settings, though @Reeza's comment looks like she has tried this and continues to have the problem.

You can modify the default behavior when clicking on a table in the Explorer by:

Make explorer the active window

Click on the Tools Menu, Select Options then Explorer

The Members tab has the default commands for objects. You could try editing the Table by highlighting and then click on the Edit button, then select the &open (default action)

The default is likely

VIEWTABLE %8b."%s".DATA

you could add the colnames option as

VIEWTABLE %8b."%s".DATA ; colnames;

separate each VIEWTABLE command to give the window with ;

As I mentioned, this was a guess and bit of a longshot.

[Alphanumeric]

Oh that is really handy. I just updated that per your instructions to default the opened tables to column names. Just as a general rule, I am always changing that thing to names because I don't care about the labels. 

Thanks.

[ballardw]

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@Alphanumeric wrote:

Oh that is really handy. I just updated that per your instructions to default the opened tables to column names. Just as a general rule, I am always changing that thing to names because I don't care about the labels. 

Thanks.

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Glad to be of at least some assistance. I had a number of sets with labels that were the full text of questions and had to find a way or two to prevent half of my display columns occupied with the labels.

[Alphanumeric]

As promised. I have been keeping an eye on things after I did some looking into fixes using regedit. 

Haven't hit a crash since I put the hotkey in, but jury is still out on whether or not the key actually did anything. But so far, haven't crashed since my OP. Was only doing some moderate SAS work this week so that might have lowered the possible size of the sample/time used. Either way though...

*disclaimer: the tweak I found means running regedit and modifying HKEYs

upcase(you do this at your own risk!)

Now in case anyone else is curious:

run regedit

navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE --> SYSTEM -->CurrentControlSet --> Control --> Print

now for the voodoo:

right-click the window on the right and click new DWORD

name that: SplWOW64TimeOutSeconds

then right-click (or double click) on that new shiny DWORD --> select Modify

change Value data: to however many seconds you want it to run before it times out (I put mine at 3)

hit OK then close regedit

Again, not saying this fixed anything, but haven't had SAS freeze up on me since doing this and this was the only change I have done since my OP. 

now watch, SAS will freeze Monday morning and I'll be right back at the beginning. Keep hope alive though. I'll revisit this as the weeks progress.

[Reeza]

@ChrisHemedinger 

Chris,

Would it be possible to have SAS look into this solution as well?

This is one of my biggest day to day pains with SAS, so it would definitely be worth fixing if it's possible. But I'm in a locked down environment, so I'd need some official statement to allow my IT to make these changes. 

Thanks!