SAS System Options

STEPCHKPT System Option

Specifies whether checkpoint-restart data is to be recorded for a batch program.

Valid in:	configuration file, SAS invocation
Category:	Environment control: Error handling
Requirement:	can be used only in batch mode
PROC OPTIONS GROUP=	ERRORHANDLING

Syntax
Syntax Description
Details
See Also

Syntax

STEPCHKPT | NOSTEPCHKPT

Syntax Description

STEPCHKPT: enables checkpoint mode, which specifies to record checkpoint-restart data.
NOSTEPCHKPT: disables checkpoint mode, which specifies not to record checkpoint-restart data. This is the default.

Details

Using the STEPCHKPT system option puts SAS in checkpoint mode for SAS programs that run in batch. Each time a DATA step or PROC step executes, SAS records data in a checkpoint-restart library. If a program terminates without completing, the program can be resubmitted, beginning with the step that was executing when the program terminated.

To ensure that the checkpoint-restart data is accurate, when you specify the STEPCHKPT option, also specify the ERRORCHECK STRICT option and set the ERRORABEND option so that SAS terminates for most errors.

Checkpoint mode is not valid for batch programs that contain the DM statement, which submits commands to SAS. If checkpoint mode is enabled and SAS encounters a DM statement, checkpoint mode is disabled and the checkpoint catalog entry is deleted.