Data Set Options Syntax by Category

Data Set Control

Name	Syntax and Description
AGGREGATE= Data Set Option	AGGREGATE=YES \| NO Specifies whether detailed data or aggregated data should be used Product: Base SAS Document: Base SAS Guide to Information Maps
ALQ= Data Set Option	ALQ= allocation-quantity Specifies how many disk blocks to initially allocate to a new SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
ALQMULT= Data Set Option	ALQMULT= n Specifies the number of pages that are preallocated to a file. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
ALTER= Data Set Option	ALTER=alter-password Specifies a password for a SAS file that prevents users from replacing or deleting the file, but permits read and write access. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for z/OS
ALTER= Data Set Option	ALTER=alter-password Specifies a password for a SAS file that prevents users from replacing or deleting the file, but permits Read and Write access. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for the UNIX Environments
ALTER= Data Set Option	ALTER=alter-password Specifies a password for a SAS file that prevents users from replacing or deleting the file, but permits READ and WRITE access. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
ALTER= Data Set Option	ALTER= alter-password Assigns an ALTER password to a SAS file that prevents users from replacing or deleting the file, and enables access to a read- and write-protected file. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
BKS= Data Set Option	BKS= bucket-size Specifies the bucket size for a new data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
BUFNO= Data Set Option	BUFNO=n \| nK \| hexX \| MIN \| MAX Specifies the number of buffers to be allocated for processing a SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for the UNIX Environments
BUFNO= Data Set Option	BUFNO= n \| nK \| hexX \| MIN \| MAX Specifies the number of buffers to be allocated for processing a SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
BUFSIZE= Data Set Option	BUFSIZE= 0 \| n \| nK Specifies the size of a permanent buffer page for an output SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for z/OS
BUFSIZE= Data Set Option	BUFSIZE=n \| nK \| nM \| nG \| hexX \| MAX Specifies the size of a permanent buffer page for an output SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for the UNIX Environments
BUFSIZE= Data Set Option	BUFSIZE= n \| nK \| nM \| nG \| hexX \| MAX Specifies the size of a permanent buffer page for an output SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
BUFSIZE= Data Set Option	BUFSIZE= n \| nK \| nM \| nG \| hexX \| MAX Specifies the size of a permanent buffer page for an output SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
CACHENUM= Data Set Option	CACHENUM= n Specifies the number of I/O data caches used per SAS file. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
CACHESIZE= Data Set Option	CACHESIZE= n \| nK \| nM \| nG \| hexX Controls the size of the I/O data cache that is allocated for a SAS file. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
CNTLLEV= Data Set Option	CNTLLEV=MEM \| REC Specifies the level of shared access to SAS data sets. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
CNTLLEV= Data Set Option	CNTLLEV=LIB \| MEM \| REC Specifies the level of shared access to a SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
COMPRESS= Data Set Option	COMPRESS=NO \| YES \| CHAR \| BINARY Specifies how observations are compressed in a new output SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
DEQ= Data Set Option	DEQ= default-file-extension-quantity Specifies how many disk blocks to add when OpenVMS automatically extends a SAS data set during a write operation. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
DEQMULT= Data Set Option	DEQMULT= n Specifies the number of pages to extend a SAS file. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
DLDMGACTION= Data Set Option	DLDMGACTION=FAIL \| ABORT \| REPAIR \| NOINDEX \| PROMPT Specifies the action to take when a SAS data set in a SAS library is detected as damaged. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
ENCODING= Data Set Option	ENCODING= ANY \| ASCIIANY \| EBCDICANY \| encoding-value Overrides the encoding to use for reading or writing a SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS National Language Support: Reference Guide
ENCRYPT= Data Set Option	ENCRYPT=YES \| NO Specifies whether to encrypt an output SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
EXPCOLUMNLEN= Data Set Option	EXPCOLUMNLEN=column-length Specifies the default length of the SAS character column when a data item defined with expressions is encountered Product: Base SAS Document: Base SAS Guide to Information Maps
FILTER= Data Set Option	FILTER=(<NOT> filter-1 < ... Boolean-operator <NOT> filter-n > ) Uses the filters that are defined in an information map to specify criteria in a query for subsetting a result set Product: Base SAS Document: Base SAS Guide to Information Maps
GENMAX= Data Set Option	GENMAX= number-of-generations Requests generations for a new data set, modifies the number of generations for an existing data set, and specifies the maximum number of versions. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
GENNUM= Data Set Option	GENNUM= integer Specifies a particular generation of a SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
INDEX= Data Set Option	INDEX=(index-specification-1 ...< index-specification-n > ) Defines an index for a new output SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
LABEL= Data Set Option	LABEL='label' Specifies a label for a SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
MBF= Data Set Option	MBF= multibuffer-count Specifies the multibuffer count for a data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
OBSBUF= Data Set Option	OBSBUF= n Determines the size of the view buffer for processing a DATA step view. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
OUTREP= Data Set Option	OUTREP= format Specifies the data representation for the output SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
OUTREP= Data Set Option	OUTREP= format Specifies the data representation for the output SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
PW= Data Set Option	PW=password Assigns a READ, WRITE, or ALTER password to a SAS file, and enables access to a password-protected SAS file. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for the UNIX Environments
PW= Data Set Option	PW= password Assigns a READ, WRITE, and ALTER password to a SAS file, and enables access to a password-protected SAS file. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
PWREQ= Data Set Option	PWREQ=YES \| NO Specifies whether to display a dialog box to enter a SAS data set password. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
READ= Data Set Option	READ= read-password Assigns a READ password to a SAS file that prevents users from reading the file, unless they enter the password. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
READBUFF= Data Set Option	READBUFF=integer Specifies the number of rows to hold in memory for input into SAS Product: Base SAS Document: Base SAS Guide to Information Maps
REPEMPTY= Data Set Option	REPEMPTY=YES \| NO Specifies whether a new, empty data set can overwrite an existing SAS data set that has the same name. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
REPLACE= Data Set Option	REPLACE=NO \| YES Specifies whether a new SAS data set that contains data can overwrite an existing data set that has the same name. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
REUSE= Data Set Option	REUSE=NO \| YES Specifies whether new observations can be written to freed space in compressed SAS data sets. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
SORTEDBY= Data Set Option	SORTEDBY= by-clause </ collate-name > \| _NULL_ Specifies how a data set is currently sorted. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
SPILL= Data Set Option	SPILL=YES \| NO Specifies whether to create a spill file for non-sequential processing of a DATA step view. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
TOBSNO= Data Set Option	TOBSNO= n Specifies the number of observations to send in a client/server transfer. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
TYPE= Data Set Option	TYPE= data-set-type Specifies the data set type for a specially structured SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
USEDIRECTIO= Data Set Option	USEDIRECTIO= Turns on direct file I/O for a library that contains the file to which the ENABLEDIRECTIO option has been applied. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for the UNIX Environments
WRITE= Data Set Option	WRITE= write-password Assigns a WRITE password to a SAS file that prevents users from writing to a file, unless they enter the password. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary

Miscellaneous

Name	Syntax and Description
FILECLOSE= Data Set Option	FILECLOSE= FREE \| LEAVE \| REREAD \| REWIND Specifies how a tape is positioned when a SAS data set is closed. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for the UNIX Environments
FILECLOSE= Data Set Option	FILECLOSE=DISP \| LEAVE \| REREAD \| REWIND Specifies how a tape is positioned when a SAS data set is closed. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary

Observation Control

Name	Syntax and Description
FIRSTOBS= Data Set Option	FIRSTOBS= n\| nK \| nM \| nG \| hexX \| MIN \| MAX Specifies the first observation that SAS processes in a SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
IN= Data Set Option	IN= variable Creates a Boolean variable that indicates whether the data set contributed data to the current observation. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
LOCKREAD= Data Set Option	LOCKREAD=YES \| NO Specifies whether to read a record if a lock cannot be obtained for the record. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
LOCKWAIT= Data Set Option	LOCKWAIT=YES \| NO \| n Indicates whether SAS should wait for a locked record. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Companion for OpenVMS on HP Integrity Servers
OBS= Data Set Option	OBS= n \| nK \| nM \| nG \| nT \| hexX \| MIN \| MAX Specifies the last observation that SAS processes in a data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
POINTOBS= Data Set Option	POINTOBS=YES \| NO Specifies whether SAS creates compressed data sets whose observations can be randomly accessed or sequentially accessed. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
WHERE= Data Set Option	WHERE=(where-expression-1<logical-operator where-expression-n>) Specifies specific conditions to use to select observations from a SAS data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
WHEREUP= Data Set Option	WHEREUP=NO \| YES Specifies whether to evaluate new observations and modified observations against a WHERE expression. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary

User Control of SAS Index Usage

Name	Syntax and Description
IDXNAME= Data Set Option	b IDXNAME= index-name Directs SAS to use a specific index to match the conditions of a WHERE expression. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
IDXWHERE= Data Set Option	IDXWHERE=YES \| NO Specifies whether SAS uses an index search or a sequential search to match the conditions of a WHERE expression. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary

Variable Control

Name	Syntax and Description
DROP= Data Set Option	DROP= variable-1 <...variable-n> For an input data set, excludes the specified variables from processing; for an output data set, excludes the specified variables from being written to the data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
KEEP= Data Set Option	KEEP= variable-1 <...variable-n> For an input data set, specifies the variables to process; for an output data set, specifies the variables to write to the data set. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
RENAME= Data Set Option	RENAME=(old-name-1=new-name-1 < ...old-name-n=new-name-n > ) Changes the name of a variable. Product: Base SAS Document: SAS Language Reference: Dictionary