System Options under OpenVMS

BUFSIZE= System Option: OpenVMS

Specifies the permanent buffer page size for processing output SAS data sets.

Default:	0
Valid in:	configuration file, SAS invocation, OPTIONS statement, SAS System Options window, VMS_SAS_OPTIONS DCL symbol
Category:	Files: SAS Files
PROC OPTIONS GROUP=	SASFILES, PERFORMANCE
OpenVMS specifics:	valid values for n
See:	BUFSIZE= System Option in SAS Language Reference: Dictionary

Syntax
Details
	Comparisons
See Also

Syntax

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

n | nK | nM | nG: specifies the buffer page size in multiples of 1 (bytes); 1,024 (kilobytes); 1,048,576 (megabytes); or 1,073,741,824 (gigabytes). You can specify decimal values for the number of kilobytes, megabytes, or gigabytes. For example, a value of 8 specifies 8 bytes, a value of .782k specifies 801 bytes, and a value of 3m specifies 3,145,728 bytes.
hexX: specifies the buffer 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, the value 2dx sets the buffer page size to 45 bytes.
MAX: sets the buffer page size to 2,147,483,647 bytes.

Details

The BUFSIZE= system option enables you to specify the permanent buffer page size for output SAS data sets. Under OpenVMS, the buffer page size can range from 0 to 2,147,483,647 (2 gigabytes). The value is always rounded up to the next multiple of 512 bytes. If the value is 0, the engine picks a value depending on the size of the observation. The default value is 0. The value of BUFSIZE is saved with the data set and can be viewed with PROC CONTENTS or a similar window.

You might want to vary the value of the BUFSIZE= system option if you are trying to maximize memory usage or the number of observations per page.

Comparisons

The BUFSIZE= system option can be overridden by the BUFSIZE= data set option.