You can use different sources of input data in your
SAS program:
can be one of two types:
| SAS data files |
store actual data values. A SAS data file consists
of a descriptor portion that describes the data in the file, and a
data portion.
|
| SAS views |
contain references to data stored elsewhere. A SAS
view uses descriptor information and data from other files. It enables
you to dynamically combine data from various sources, without using
storage space to create a new data set. SAS views consist of DATA
step views, PROC SQL views, and SAS/ACCESS views. In most cases, you
can use a SAS view as if it were a SAS data file.
|
specifies unprocessed data that have not been read into
a SAS data set. You can read raw data from two sources:
| External files |
contain records comprised of formatted data (data
is arranged in columns) or free-formatted data (data that are not
arranged in columns).
|
| Instream data |
is data included in your program. You use the DATALINES
statement at the beginning of your data to identify the instream data.
|
enables you
to read input data from nontraditional sources such as a TCP/IP socket
or a URL. SAS treats this data as if it were coming from an external
file. SAS enables you to access your input data remotely in the following
ways:
| SAS catalog |
specifies the access method that enables you to
reference a SAS catalog as an external file.
|
| Clipboard |
specifies the access method that enables you to
read or write text data to the clipboard on the host computer.
|
| FTP |
specifies the access method that enables you to
use File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to read from or write to a file from
any host computer that is connected to a network with an FTP server running.
|
| SFTP |
specifies the access method that enables you to
use Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) to read from or write to
a file from any host computer that is connected to a network with
an Open SSH SSHD server running.
|
| TCP/IP socket |
specifies the access method that enables you to
read from or write to a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) socket.
|
| URL |
specifies the access method that enables you to
use the uniform resource locator (URL) to read from and write to a
file from any host computer that is connected to a network with a
URL server running.
|
| WebDAV |
specifies the access method that enables you to
use the WebDAV protocol to read from or write to a file from any host
computer that is connected to a network with a WebDAV server running.
|
For more information
about accessing data remotely,
see the following topics in
SAS Statements: Reference.