When you are debugging and working with large data
files, you might find it useful to decrease some or all of the data
that is flowing into a particular step or steps. One way of doing
this is to use the OBS= data set option on input tables of DATA steps
and procedures.
To specify the OBS=
system option for an entire job in SAS Data Integration Studio, add
the following code to the
Precode and Postcode tab
in the job's property window:
options
obs=<number>;
To specify the OBS=
system option for a transformation within a job, you can temporarily
add the option to the
System options field
on the
Options tab in the transformation's
property window. Alternatively, you can edit the code that is generated
for the transformation and execute the edited code. For more information
about this method, see
Specifying Options for Jobs.
Important considerations
when you are using the OBS= system option include the following:
-
All inputs into all subsequent
steps are limited to the specified number, until the option is reset.
-
Setting the number too low before
a join or merge step can result in few or no matches, depending on
the data.
-
In the SAS Data Integration Studio
Job Editor, this option stays in effect for all runs of the job until
it is reset or the Job Editor window is closed.
The syntax for resetting
the option is as follows:
options
obs=MAX;
Note: Removing the OBS= line of
code from the Job Editor does not reset the OBS= system option. You
must reset it as shown or by closing the Job Editor window.
The
Max
Input Rows option enables you to specify the number of
input rows to an SQL query within the Designer window of the SQL join
transformation. To access this option, click
SQL Join in
the Navigate pane of the window. Then, look for the option in the
SQL Join Properties pane. You can also specify the number of output
rows with the
Max Output Rows option. Note
that these options do not work when the query generates a view.