What's New in SAS 9.3 System Options
Overview
The SAS system options
documentation is no longer part of
SAS Language Reference:
Dictionary. See Changes to SAS Language Reference: Dictionary. The SAS system options that were previously documented
in
SAS Language Reference: Dictionary are now
documented here, in
SAS System Options: Reference.
For easy access to all
system options documentation,
SAS System Options: Reference also
contains the GETOPTION function, the system option procedures OPTIONS,
OPTLOAD, and OPTSAVE, and links to system options that are documented
in other publications.
New and enhanced features
enable you to do the following:
-
use checkpoint mode and restart
mode for labeled code sections
-
reset system options to their start-up
or default values
-
create a directory that is named
in a LIBNAME statement
-
use expanded rules for naming SAS
data sets, SAS data views, and item store names
-
change the page orientation (portrait
or landscape) within a file using the ODS PRINTER destination
-
control the autocorrection of SAS
names
-
specify the UTC offset in e-mail
-
specify the encoding for the URLENCODE
and URLDECODE functions
-
use enhancements to the GETOPTION
function, system options, and the OPTIONS procedure
-
specify the size of the View buffer
-
in the second maintenance release
for SAS 9.3, the EVENTDS= option is new. The EVENTDS= option enables
you to specify event data sets.
.
Use Checkpoint Mode and Restart Mode for Labeled Code Sections
Batch programs that
terminate before completing can be resubmitted starting at labeled
code sections if checkpoint mode and restart mode for labeled code
sections is enabled.
If the CHKPTCLEAN system
option is set and your batch program completes successfully, the contents
of the Work library are erased.
Reset System Options to Their Start-up or Default Values
You can reset a system
option to the default shipped value or to the start-up value by using
the GETOPTION function.
You can use the DEFAULTVALUE
option to obtain the default shipped value for a system option if
you want to reset a system option to its default value.
You can use the STARTUPVALUE
option to obtain the value of a system option that was used to start
SAS either on the command line or in a configuration file.
Create a Directory That Is Named in a LIBNAME Statement
When
you specify the DLCREATEDIR system option, SAS creates a directory
for the SAS library that is named in a LIBNAME statement if the directory
does not exist.
See DLCREATEDIR System Option.
Use Expanded Rules for Naming SAS Data Sets, SAS Data Views,
and Item Store Names
When
you run SAS in any execution mode other than the windowing environment,
the rules for naming SAS data sets, data views, and item store names
have been expanded to accommodate special and national characters.
See Names in the SAS Language in SAS Language Reference: Concepts and VALIDMEMNAME= System Option.
Change the Orientation of Pages within a File Using ODS PRINTER
The
ODS PRINTER destination now supports using the ORIENTATION= system
option to change the page orientation within a file. The page orientation
can be changed to portrait or landscape.
See ORIENTATION= System Option.
Control Autocorrection of SAS Names
Prior
to SAS 9.3, SAS automatically attempted to correct misspelled procedure
names, procedure keywords, and global statement names. You can use
the NOAUTOCORRECT system option to specify that SAS is not to automatically
correct these names.
See AUTOCORRECT System Option.
Specify the UTC Offset in E-mail
For
e-mail that is sent using the FILENAME statement EMAIL (SMTP) access
method, specifies a UTC offset that is used in the Date header field
of the e-mail message.
See EMAILUTCOFFSET= System Option.
Specify the Encoding for the URLENCODE and URLDECODE Functions
Use the URLENCODING=
system option to specify whether the argument to the URLENCODE function
and to the URLDECODE function is interpreted using the SAS session
encoding or UTF-8 encoding.
See URLENCODING= System Option.
Specify the Size of the View Buffer
Use the VBUFSIZE= system
option to set a global value for the size of the view buffer based
on the number of bytes.
See VBUFSIZE= System Option.
Specify an Event Data Set
In the second maintenance
release for SAS 9.3, the EVENTDS= option is new. The EVENTDS= option
enables you to specify event data sets.
See EVENTDS= System Option.
Enhancements to the GETOPTION Function
Use the HEXVALUE option
to return a system option value as a hexadecimal value.
Use the LOGNUMBERFORMAT
option to return a system option numeric value with the punctuation
appropriate for a locale, such as a comma or a period.
Enhancements to SAS System Options
The following system
options have been enhanced:
The APPEND= system
option cannot be restricted. Also, you can now specify the AUTOEXEC=
system option as a value to the APPEND= system option.
These options are now
part of the Error handling system options group as well as the SAS
Files group.
If you specify the
LOCALE option for a catalog specification, SAS searches the catalog
that is associated with the current SAS locale.
The INSERT= system
option cannot be restricted. Also, you can now specify the AUTOEXEC=
system option as a value to the INSERT= system option.
You can modify the
page orientation for different documents in an output file whose destination
is an ODS destination or a universal printer.
When VALIDVARNAME=V7
and the variable name is an n literal in a procedure step, the variable
name is left-justified and trailing blanks are ignored.
The VARLENCHK= system
option indicates that BY variables are not affected by this system
option.
Enhancements to the OPTIONS Procedure
For more information
about new and enhanced options for the PROC OPTIONS statement, see PROC OPTIONS Statement.
These PROC OPTIONS statement
options are new:
This option lists the
system options whose value can be modified by the INSERT and APPEND
system options.
This option lists the
system options that can be restricted by your site administrator.
These PROC OPTIONS statement
options have been enhanced:
Valid values for an
option now display in the SAS log when you specify the DEFINE option.
The OPTION= option
now accepts one or more options.
If the option was set
by a configuration file, the name of the configuration file that set
the option now displays in the SAS log when you specify the VALUE option.
System Options That Have Moved to Other Documentation
The UNIVERSALPRINT system
option is now documented in the
SAS Companion for Windows.
Changes to SAS Language Reference: Dictionary
Prior to SAS 9.3, this
document was part of
SAS Language Reference: Dictionary.
Starting with SAS 9.3,
SAS Language Reference: Dictionary has
been divided into seven documents:
Copyright © SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.