ACCESS Procedure Reference

CONTENT Statement

Specifies a SAS date format or length.

Optional statement
Applies to:	access descriptor or view descriptor
Interacts with:	ASSIGN

Syntax
Details

Syntax

CONTENT column-identifier-1 <=> SAS-date-format | length | E
<... column-identifier-n <=> SAS-date-format |length|E>;

Details

The CONTENT statement enables you to enter a SAS date format, a variable length, or an extended time format. A date format means that the ADABAS data has the specified representation. A variable length determines the number of characters to be accessed. The extended time format (E) invokes NATURAL date, time, and datetime values. SAS stores datetime values as the number of days and seconds before and after January 1, 1960. The NATURAL 4th generation language stores date and time values as the number of days and seconds since 0 A.D.

For ADABAS files, entering a SAS date or a variable length automatically changes default values for SAS formats and informats. For NATURAL DDMs, entering a date changes the default format and informat but entering a length does not. However, if you have previously changed any format and informat values, specifying a CONTENT value does not alter those values. Specifying extended time format changes default values for SAS informat and format values to DATETIME16.

For groups and periodic groups, the CONTENT field is for information only and is set to *GROUP* and *PGROUP*, respectively.

ADABAS does not have a specific date type; therefore, the CONTENT statement enables you to identify dates for SAS processing. You can enter one of four SAS date formats.

YYMMDDw. where w is 6 for two-digit years or 8 for four-digit years
MMDDYYw. where w is 6 for two-digit years or 8 for four-digit years
DDMMYYw. where w is 6 for two-digit years or 8 for four-digit years
JULIANw. where w is 5 for two-digit years or 7 for four-digit years.

If you specified ASSIGN=YES when creating an access descriptor, you cannot change the value for this statement when you later create a view descriptor based on that access descriptor. If you specified ASSIGN=NO, you can change the value for this statement in a subsequent view descriptor.

You do not have to issue a SELECT statement for columns named in the CONTENT statement.

Note: The SAS/ACCESS to ADABAS engine does not provide automatic conversion to the extended time format in releases of SAS before Release 6.08 TSO420. However, it is possible to convert a value to the extended time format in a SAS DATA step by using the following formulas:

SAS date value     = NATURAL date value - 715874
SAS datetime value = (NATURAL datetime value / 10)
                      - (715874 * 3600 *24)
SAS time value     = NATURAL time value / 10

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