ERROR: Insufficient space in file WORK.'SASTMP-000000096'n.UTILITY. ERROR: File WORK.'SASTMP-00000

[agbpilot]

Hi, I'm receiving this error in my log after importing several data sources and then attempting to join them together.  The import of each of the 5 data sources appears to be working Ok.  It's when I attempt to join them using Proc SQL that I get this error.  Any tips or ideas on how I can resolve?

I'm confused because it seems to relate to the "Work" space being insufficient.  However, previously I ran this same program with the same amount of records, same files being imported just fine without encountering this error.  The data or files being imported has not changed from before I got the error to now.

Appreciate it,

Andy

[Reeza]

Talk to your server admin, you may have a limit on the size of your work library. 

In fact, you possibly have old files lying around from times SAS has crashed that haven't been properly cleaned up and are causing part of the issue. You can temporarily create a user library which will default to work and that will function as a workaround. 

libname user '/folders/myfolders/';

[Kurt_Bremser]

Are you using a licensed installation of SAS or one of the learning editions (University Edition, On Demand for Academics)?

[agbpilot]

Hi Kurt, I'm using SAS University.

Andy

[Kurt_Bremser · Accepted solution]

Not good. UE has a nasty tendency to fill its virtual machine with remnants of crashed SAS sessions. I have made a ballot ware suggestion to make UE more resilient.

If you search this website, you'll find one thread where a method to do surgery on the image is described. But the safest (or simplest) bet is a reinstallation of the VM.

[agbpilot]

Ok thanks Kurt. Will try the reinstall approach.

[Reeza]

The user library works for this workaround, basically set it up if you're working with large files and then manually remember to clear your temp library every few days/weeks as needed.

[agbpilot]

Hi Reeza, thanks. How do I setup a user library for large files? How do I
clear my temp library?

Appreciate it.

Andy

[Reeza]

---

@agbpilot wrote:
Hi Reeza, thanks. How do I setup a user library for large files? 

---

Exactly like I showed above. When there's a user library, sas defaults to the user library rather than WORK.

How do I
clear my temp library?

---

You can use PROC DATASETS to delete datasets in the library, or if you do it to a different path, you can manually go in and periodically delete all the files.

[agbpilot]

Hi, I'm confused. How exactly can I use proc datasets to clear my "work"
space? Doesn't the "work" temporary library only operate when the
programming session is open or on? When I close SAS the work library goes
away and all of the data contained there in, correct? How can proc datasets
help? In an attempt to remedy the error, I shut down SAS and the virtual
machine completely. Then I restarted SAS and the error persisted when I
ran the program again. I did this several times. Finally I had to
uninstall and reinstall SAS per Kurt's advice. This worked!

Andy

[Reeza]

---

@agbpilot wrote:
Hi, I'm confused. How exactly can I use proc datasets to clear my "work"
space?

Andy

---

Check the documentation. 

---

@agbpilot wrote:
 Doesn't the "work" temporary library only operate when the
programming session is open or on? When I close SAS the work library goes
away and all of the data contained there in, correct? 

Andy

---

Yes, but SAS UE is not good at cleaning the space all the time so if you work with large files you'll run into this issue again. So the workaround for SAS UE is to move your work library from the VM to your local drive via a USER library. If there's a library called USER SAS defaults all single level name to the USER library. But SAS doesn't automatically clean the USER library up at the end of the session so that's up to you. This is a workaround for SAS UE because it's intended as a teaching tool, not a production/full research tool. If you want that type of usage you need the full product.