SAS System Options

REUSE= System Option

Specifies whether SAS reuses space when observations are added to a compressed SAS data set.

Valid in:	configuration file, SAS invocation, OPTIONS statement, SAS System Options window
Category:	Files: SAS Files
PROC OPTIONS GROUP=	SASFILES

Syntax
Syntax Description
Details
Comparisons
See Also

Syntax

REUSE=YES | NO

Syntax Description

YES: specifies to track free space and reuses it whenever observations are added to an existing compressed data set.
NO: specifies not to track free space. This is the default.

Details

If space is reused, observations that are added to the SAS data set are inserted wherever enough free space exists, instead of at the end of the SAS data set.

Specifying REUSE=NO results in less efficient usage of space if you delete or update many observations in a SAS data set. However, the APPEND procedure, the FSEDIT procedure, and other procedures that add observations to the SAS data set continue to add observations to the end of the data set, as they do for uncompressed SAS data sets.

You cannot change the REUSE= attribute of a compressed SAS data set after it is created. Space is tracked and reused in the compressed SAS data set according to the REUSE= value that was specified when the SAS data set was created, not when you add and delete observations. Even with REUSE=YES, the APPEND procedure will add observations at the end.

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 details, see the SAS documentation for your operating environment. [cautionend]

Comparisons

The REUSE= data set option overrides the REUSE= system option.

PERFORMANCE NOTE: When using COMPRESS=YES and REUSE=YES system options settings, observations cannot be addressed by observation number.

Note that REUSE=YES takes precedence over the POINTOBS=YES data set option setting.