LIBNAME Statement: PC Files on Microsoft Windows

READBUFF

Sets the number of rows of data to read into the buffer.

Valid in:	DATA and PROC steps (when accessing PC files data using SAS/ACCESS software)
Default value:	LIBNAME option setting
Alias:	ROWSET_SIZE

Syntax
Syntax Description
Details
See Also

Syntax

READBUFF=number-of-rows

Syntax Description

number-of-rows

is the maximum value that is allowed by the data source.

Restriction:

Microsoft Access only.

Details

The READBUFF= option improves performance by specifying a number of rows that can be held in memory for input into SAS. Buffering data reads can decrease network activities and increase performance. However, because SAS stores the rows in memory, higher values for the READBUFF= option use more memory. In addition, if too many rows are selected at once, then the rows that are returned to the SAS application might be out of date.

When READBUFF=1, only one row is retrieved at a time. The higher the value for the READBUFF= option, the more rows the SAS/ACCESS engine retrieves in one fetch operation.