Getting Started with SAS in UNIX Environments

Interactive Line Mode in UNIX Environments

If you are not using an X display, you can invoke SAS in interactive line mode by using the NODMS system option.

You enter SAS statements line by line in response to prompts issued by SAS. SAS reads the source statements from the terminal as you enter them. DATA and PROC steps execute when one of the following occurs:

a RUN, QUIT, or DATALINES statement is entered
another DATA or PROC statement is entered
the ENDSAS statement is entered

To use interactive line mode, you must run SAS in the foreground.

Invoking SAS in Interactive Line Mode

To start an interactive line mode session, invoke SAS with the NODMS or NODMSEXP system option:

sas -nodms
sas -nodmsexp

By default, SAS log and procedure output (if any) appear on your display as each step executes.

You can also invoke SAS in interactive line mode and pass parameters to it:

sas -sysparm 'A B C' progparm.sas

The value A B C is assigned to the SYSPARM macro variable, which can be read by the program progparm.sas .

After you invoke SAS, the 1? prompt appears, and you can begin entering SAS statements. After you enter each statement, a line number prompt appears.

Exiting SAS in Interactive Line Mode

You can end the session by pressing the EOF key (usually CTRL+D; see Using Control Keys) or by issuing the ENDSAS statement:

endsas;

The session ends after all SAS statements have executed.

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