SAS Data Set Options

PW= Data Set Option

Assigns a READ, WRITE, and ALTER password to a SAS file, and enables access to a password-protected SAS file.

Valid in:	DATA step and PROC steps
Category:	Data Set Control
See:	under UNIX in the documentation for your operating environment.

Syntax
Syntax Description
Details
See Also

Syntax

PW=password

Syntax Description

password: must be a valid SAS name. See Rules for Words and Names in the SAS Language in SAS Language Reference: Concepts.

Details

The PW= option applies to all types of SAS files except catalogs. You can use this option to assign a password to a SAS file or to access a password-protected SAS file.

When replacing a SAS data set that is protected by an ALTER password, the new data set inherits the ALTER password. To change the ALTER password for the new data set, use the MODIFY statement in the DATASETS procedure.

Operating Environment Information: See the appropriate sections of the SAS documentation for your operating environment for more information about using passwords. [cautionend]

Note: A SAS password does not control access to a SAS file beyond the SAS system. You should use the operating system-supplied utilities and file-system security controls in order to control access to SAS files outside of SAS. [cautionend]