Methods for Accessing PC Files Data

You can use SAS/ACCESS Interface to PC Files to read data from PC files for use in SAS reports or applications. You can use SAS data sets to create PC files in various formats. SAS/ACCESS Interface to PC Files includes accessing data in Microsoft Access database files and Excel workbook files. The Import and Export Wizards guide you through the steps to access your data.

The Import and Export Wizards as well as the IMPORT and EXPORT procedures facilitate data transfer between SAS data sets and several PC file formats including:

Not every PC file format is available under every operating environment. For a list of supported data source and environments, see Supported Data Sources and Environments.

To use LIBNAME ACCESS statement or LIBNAME EXCEL statement, you must have Microsoft ACE (Access Database Engine) software installed. See LIBNAME Statement Syntax for additional information.

To use LIBNAME PCFILES statement, you must also install SAS PC Files Server on Microsoft Windows.

To use the pass-through facility, seePass-Through Facility on Microsoft Windows.

You can directly read, update, or extract PC files data into a SAS data file. Use the ACCESS procedure with Microsoft Excel 4, 5, 95, Lotus 1-2-3 ( WK1, WK3, WK4) , DBF, and DIF file formats. See The ACCESS Procedure for PC Files for additional information.

The ACCESS procedure creates PC files and loads them with the data from a SAS data set. Use the DBLOAD procedure with any file formats that the ACCESS procedure supports. Both procedures are supported only for compatibility with SAS 6. Such SAS 6 limitations as the 8 character-long variable names apply. See The DBLOAD Procedure for additional information.

On Linux, UNIX, and Windows, using the DBF procedure, you can convert formatted data between dBase (DBF) files and SAS data sets. The DIF procedure enables you to convert between data interchange format (DIF) and SAS data sets. See Overview: DBF and DIF Procedures for additional information.