SAS System Options

YEARCUTOFF= System Option

Specifies the first year of a 100-year span that is used by date informats and functions to read a two-digit year.

Valid in:	configuration file, SAS invocation, OPTIONS statement, SAS System Options window
Category:	Input control: Data Processing
PROC OPTIONS GROUP=	INPUTCONTROL

Syntax
Syntax Description
Details
See Also

Syntax

YEARCUTOFF= nnnn | nnnnn

Syntax Description

nnnn | nnnnn

specifies the first year of the 100-year span.

Range:	1582-19900
Default:	1920

Details

The YEARCUTOFF= value is the default that is used by various date and datetime informats and functions.

If the default value of nnnn (1920) is in effect, the 100-year span begins with 1920 and ends with 2019. Therefore, any informat or function that uses a two-digit year value that ranges from 20 to 99 assumes a prefix of 19. For example, the value 92 refers to the year 1992.

The value that you specify in YEARCUTOFF= can result in a range of years that span two centuries. For example, if you specify YEARCUTOFF=1950, any two-digit value between 50 and 99 inclusive refers to the first half of the 100-year span, which is in the 1900s. Any two-digit value between 00 and 49, inclusive, refers to the second half of the 100-year span, which is in the 2000s. The following figure illustrates the relationship between the 100-year span and the two centuries if YEARCUTOFF=1950.

A 100-Year Span with Values in Two Centuries

[A 100-Year Span with Values in Two Centuries]

Note: YEARCUTOFF= has no effect on existing SAS dates or dates that are read from input data that include a four-digit year, except years with leading zeros. For example, 0076 with yearcutoff=1990 indicates 2076. [cautionend]

Operating Environment Information: The syntax that is shown here applies to the OPTIONS statement. On the command line or in a configuration file, the syntax is specific to your operating environment. For more information, see the SAS documentation for your operating environment. [cautionend]