XPT: LSAF

[Kevin_Viel]

1) Did I miss a way to create V8 transport files like through the XPORT engine or COPY procedure or is the %LOC2XPT (https://support.sas.com/kb/46/944.html) the typical route?

2) If %LOC2XPT is the route, then has SAS created an LSAF version?

Thank you,

Kevin

[RichardDeVen]

I believe transport files are version independent and converted to target engine during CIMPORT.

* one table put out in CPORT format;

filename cpt 'class.xpt';

proc cport data=sashelp.class file=cpt;
run;

proc cimport infile=cpt data=work;
run;

* several tables put out in XPORT format;

data table1 table2 table3;
  set sashelp.class;
run;

libname manycpt XPORT 'c:\temp\tables.cpt' ;

proc copy inlib=work out=manycpt;
  select table:;
run;

proc sql;
  drop table table1, table2, table3;

proc copy inlib=manycpt outlib=work;
run;

Note: The XPORT engine can not read CPORT created files. You'll get a message 

proc sql; 
  drop table class;

libname cpt XPORT 'class.xpt';

proc copy inlib=cpt outlib=work;
run;
--------
ERROR: File is probably a cport file. XPORT engine unable to read file created by proc cport.
       Please use proc cimport to convert this file to native format.

[Kevin_Viel]

Thanks Richard!  Been quite a while, glad to have heard from you again.

-Kevin

[Tom · Accepted solution]

The XPORT engine only support V5 transport files (short names and max of 200 bytes for character strings).

If you want to create transport files that support newer SAS dataset conventions then either use the macros (or write your own code as the file format is published)  or switch to using PROC CPORT to create SAS proprietary format transportable files.