Overview of the IMPORT Procedure

The IMPORT procedure reads data from an external data source and writes it to a SAS data set. External data sources can include Microsoft Access databases, Microsoft Excel files, Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets, Paradox files, SPSS files, Stata files, and delimited external files. (Delimited files contain columns of data values that are separated by a delimiter, such as a blank or a comma.)

When you run PROC IMPORT, the procedure reads the input file and writes the data to a SAS data set. The SAS variable definitions are based on the input records. PROC IMPORT imports the data by one of the following methods:

• generated DATA step code

• generated SAS/ACCESS code

• translation engines

You control the results with statements and options that are specific to the input data source. PROC IMPORT generates the specified output SAS data set and writes information about the import to the SAS log. In the log, you see the DATA step or the SAS/ACCESS code that PROC IMPORT generates. If a translation engine is used, no code is submitted.

Note:   To import data, you can also use the Import Wizard, which is a windowing tool that guides you through the steps to import an external data source. You can request that the Import Wizard generate IMPORT procedure statements, which you can save to a file for subsequent use. To open the Import Wizard, select File  Import Data from the SAS windowing environment.  

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