The ASSIGN= statement causes view descriptors to inherit the
SAS variable names and formats of the
parent access descriptor at the time that the descriptor is created. That is, if ASSIGN=Y, the
variable names generated for the access descriptor are used in all derived view descriptors,
regardless of the naming conventions used.
If ASSIGN=N, which is the default value, you specify the SAS variable names and formats
when you create a
view descriptor from this access descriptor. The naming conventions used by the view descriptors
are determined by examining
the VALIDVARNAME SAS option. The VALIDVARNAME SAS option lets users specify what naming
conventions are used in a SAS session, and enforces them by converting variable names
that do not conform to the necessary format. For more information about the
VALIDVARNAME system option, see
SAS System Options: Reference.
If you enter a value of Y for this statement, you cannot specify the RENAME, FORMAT,
and UN= statements when creating view descriptors that are based on this access descriptor.
When a new CREATE statement
is entered, the ASSIGN= statement is reset to the default value, N.