The DBLOAD Procedure for Relational Databases

Overview: DBLOAD Procedure

The DBLOAD procedure is still supported for the database systems and environments on which it was available in SAS 6. However, it is no longer the recommended method for sending data from SAS to a DBMS. It is recommended that you access your DBMS data more directly, using the SAS/ACCESS LIBNAME statement or the SQL pass-through facility.

Not all SAS/ACCESS interfaces support this feature. See features by host to determine whether this feature is available in your environment.

Properties of the DBLOAD Procedure

The DBLOAD procedure, along with the ACCESS procedure and an interface view engine, creates an interface between SAS and data in other vendors' databases.

The DBLOAD procedure enables you to create and load a DBMS table, append rows to an existing table, and submit non-query DBMS-specific SQL statements to the DBMS for processing. The procedure constructs DBMS-specific SQL statements to create and load, or append, to a DBMS table by using one of these items:

a SAS data file
an SQL view or DATA step view
a view descriptor that was created with the SAS/ACCESS interface to your DBMS or with another SAS/ACCESS interface product
another DBMS table referenced by a SAS libref that was created with the SAS/ACCESS LIBNAME statement.

The DBLOAD procedure associates each SAS variable with a DBMS column and assigns a default name and data type to each column. It also specifies whether each column accepts NULL values. You can use the default information or change it as necessary. When you are finished customizing the columns, the procedure creates the DBMS table and loads or appends the input data.

About DBLOAD Procedure Statements

There are several types of DBLOAD statements:

Use database connection statements to connect to your DBMS. See the DBMS-specific reference in this document for details about your DBMS.
Creating and loading statements are LOAD and RUN.
Use table and editing statements .ACCDESC=, COMMIT, DELETE, ERRLIMIT, LABEL, LIMIT=, LIST, NULLS, QUIT, RENAME, RESET, SQL, TABLE, TYPE, and WHERE.

This table summarizes PROC DBLOAD options and statements that are required to accomplish common tasks.

Statement Sequence for Accomplishing Common Tasks with the DBLOAD Procedure

Task

Options and Statements to Use

Create and load a DBMS table

PROC DBLOAD
statement-options;
database-connection-options;

TABLE= <'>table-name<'>;

LOAD;

RUN;

Submit a dynamic, non-query DBMS-SQL statement to DBMS (without creating a table)

PROC DBLOAD
statement-options;
database-connection-options;

SQL DBMS-specific-SQL-statements;

RUN;

LOAD must appear before RUN to create and load a table or append data to a table.

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