Data Set Options under UNIX

BUFSIZE= Data Set Option: UNIX

Specifies the size of a permanent buffer page for an output SAS data set.

Default:	0
Valid in:	DATA step and PROC steps
Category:	Data Set Control
Engines:	V9, V8, V9TAPE, V8TAPE, V7TAPE, V6TAPE
UNIX specifics:	valid range
See:	BUFSIZE= Data Set Option in SAS Language Reference: Dictionary

Syntax
Details
See Also

Syntax

BUFSIZE=n | nK | nM | nG | hexX | MAX

n | nK | nM | nG

specifies the buffer size in multiples of 1 (bytes); 1,024 (kilobytes); 1,048,576 (megabytes); or 1,073,741,824 (gigabytes). For example, a value of 8 specifies 8 bytes, and a value of 3m specifies 3,145,728 bytes.

The buffer size can range from 1K to 2G-1. For values greater than 1G, use the nM option.

hexX

specifies the page size as a hexadecimal value. You must specify the value beginning with a number (0-9), followed by hexadecimal characters (0-9, A-F), and then followed by an X. For example, 2dx sets the page size to 45 bytes.

MAX

sets the buffer page size to the maximum possible number in your operating environment, up to the largest four-byte, signed integer, which is 2³¹-1, or approximately 2 billion bytes.

Details

The BUFSIZE= data set option specifies the buffer size for data sets you are creating. This option is valid only for output data sets.

If you use the default value (0) when you create a SAS data set, the engine calculates a buffer size to optimize CPU and I/O use. This size is the smallest multiple of 8K that can hold 80 observations, but is not larger than 64K.

If you specify a nonzero value when you create a SAS data set, the engine uses that value. If that value cannot hold at least one observation or is not a valid buffer size, the engine rounds the value up to a multiple of 1K.