Using SAS Files

Sasuser Library

The Sasuser library contains the customizations (such as window size and positioning, colors, fonts, and printer entries) that you specified for your SAS session. When you invoke SAS, it looks for the Sasuser directory to find these customizations. If this directory does not exist, SAS uses the SASUSER system option to create it. The default directory is set in the system configuration file (sasv9.cfg) and is usually similar to the following:

-sasuser ~/sasuser.v91

This specification tells SAS to create a directory for the Sasuser libref in your home directory. To determine the value of this directory for your system, use PROC OPTIONS or libname sasuser LIST .

You can permit read-only access to the Sasuser library by using the RSASUSER system option. See System Options under UNIX for information about the SASUSER and RSASUSER system options.

After the Sasuser library has been created, SAS automatically assigns the same Sasuser libref to it each time you start a SAS session. It cannot be cleared or reassigned during a SAS session. If you delete the library, SAS re-creates it the next time you start a session. Because SAS assigns the libref for you, you do not need to use a LIBNAME statement before referencing this library.

Contents of the Sasuser Library

Your customizations are stored in one of the following locations in the Sasuser library:

Sasuser.Profile catalog
Sasuser.Registry catalog
Sasuser.Prefs file

Sasuser.Profile Catalog

Overview of the Sasuser.Profile Catalog

The Sasuser.Profile catalog is the profile.sas7bcat file in your Sasuser library. This catalog enables you to customize the way you work with SAS. SAS uses this catalog to store function key definitions, fonts for graphics applications, window attributes, and other information from interactive windowing procedures. SAS saves changes that you make to function key definitions, window attributes (such as size, color, and position), PMENU settings, and so on, in the Sasuser.Profile catalog. The information in the Sasuser.Profile catalog is accessed automatically by SAS when you need it for processing.

How SAS Accesses the Sasuser.Profile Catalog

SAS creates the Sasuser.Profile catalog the first time it tries to find it and it does not exist. If you are using an interactive windowing environment, then creating the Sasuser.Profile catalog occurs during system initialization in your first SAS session. If you are using one of the other modes of execution, the Sasuser.Profile catalog is created the first time you execute a SAS procedure that requires it.

When the Sasuser.Profile Catalog Does Not Exist

If the Sasuser.Profile catalog does not exist, then, at invocation, SAS checks for the Sashelp.Profile catalog. (This catalog will exist only if you have copied your Sasuser.Profile catalog to the Sashelp library.) If the Sashelp.Profile catalog exists, then SAS copies it to the Sasuser library, and this catalog becomes your new Sasuser.Profile catalog. If the Sashelp.Profile catalog does not exist, then SAS creates Sasuser.Profile using the default settings for a SAS session. The default settings for your SAS session are stored in several catalogs in the Sashelp library. If you make changes to key settings or other options, then the new information is stored in your Sasuser.Profile catalog. To restore the original default settings to the Sasuser.Profile catalog, use the CATALOG procedure or the CATALOG window to delete entries from your Sasuser.Profile catalog. By default, SAS then uses the corresponding entry from the Sashelp library.

Checking for an Uncorrupted Sasuser.Profile Catalog

When you invoke SAS, SAS checks for an existing, uncorrupted Sasuser.Profile catalog. If the catalog is found, SAS copies the Sasuser.Profile catalog to Sasuser.Profback. This backup catalog is used if Sasuser.Profile becomes corrupted.

If you invoke SAS and determine that your customizations have been lost, then your Sasuser.Profile catalog is either corrupted or locked by another SAS session that was started with the same user ID. If either of these conditions are true, then SAS uses Sashelp.Profile or Sasuser.Profback to replace the locked or corrupted Sasuser.Profile catalog.

If Your Sasuser.Profile Catalog Is Locked or Corrupted

If your Sasuser.Profile catalog is locked, then SAS checks for Sashelp.Profile. If Sashelp.Profile exists, SAS copies it to Work.Profile, and then saves the customizations to the Work.Profile catalog instead of the Sasuser.Profile catalog. This Work.Profile catalog is used for the duration of the SAS session. Because the contents of the Work directory are temporary, any customizations that you save to the Work.Profile catalog will be lost at the end of the SAS session.

If your Sasuser.Profile catalog is corrupted, SAS copies the corrupted catalog to Sasuser.Badpro.SAS, and then checks for Sasuser.Profback. If Sasuser.Profback exists, then SAS copies it to Sasuser.Profile. Any changes that you made to the Sasuser.Profile catalog during the previous session will be lost. If your Sasuser.Profile catalog is being used by multiple SAS sessions, then you can specify the RSASUSER system option to permit read-only access to the Sasuser library. Because this permission is read-only, you will not be able to save any customizations to your Sasuser.Profile catalog during that SAS session.

For more information about the Sasuser.Profile catalog and its related catalogs, as well as information about recovering locked or corrupted profile catalogs, see SAS Language Reference: Concepts.

Sasuser.Registry Catalog

Overview of the Sasuser.Registry Catalog

The Sasuser.Registry catalog is the regstry.sas7bitm file in your Sasuser library. If you change any Universal Printing entries or libref assignments during a SAS session, then SAS saves the changes in the Sasuser.Registry catalog.

How SAS Accesses the Sasuser.Registry Catalog

At invocation, SAS looks in the Sasuser directory to see whether it can write to the Sasuser.Registry catalog. If SAS cannot write to this catalog, then the following warning appears in the SAS log:

WARNING:  Unable to open SASUSER.REGISTRY.  WORK.REGISTRY will be used instead.
NOTE:  All registry changes will be lost at the end of the session.

If SAS can read the Sasuser.Registry catalog, then SAS copies the Sasuser.Registry catalog to create a Work.Registry catalog (in the Work library). This Work.Registry catalog will be used for the duration of the SAS session. Because the contents of the Work library are temporary, then any customizations that you save to the Work.Registry catalog will be lost at the end of the SAS session. However, the customizations saved in the Sasuser.Registry catalog will still exist.

If SAS cannot read the Sasuser.Registry catalog, then SAS creates the Work.Registry catalog using the default settings for a SAS session. In this case, SAS issues an additional warning to the SAS log:

WARNING:  Unable to copy SASUSER.REGISTRY to WORK.REGISTRY.

Sasuser.Prefs File

The settings that you specify in the Preferences dialog box (with the exception of resources on the General tab) are saved in the Sasuser.Prefs file. For more information about these resources, see Modifying X Resources Through the Preferences Dialog Box.

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