SAS System Options

UTILLOC= System Option

Specifies one or more file system locations in which applications can store utility files.

Valid in:	configuration file and SAS invocation
Category:	Files: SAS Files
PROC OPTIONS GROUP=	SASFILES
See:	UTILLOC= System Option under z/OS

Syntax
Syntax Description
Details
See Also

Syntax

UTILLOC= WORK | location | (location-1... location-n)

Syntax Description

WORK

specifies that SAS creates utility files in the same directory as the Work library.

This is the default.

location

specifies the location of an existing directory for utility files that are created by applications. Enclose location in single or double quotation marks when the location contains spaces.

Operating Environment Information: On z/OS each location is a list of DCB and SMS options to be used when creating utility files. [cautionend]

(location-1 ... location-n)

specifies a list of existing directories that can be accessed in parallel for utility files that are created by applications. A single utility file cannot span locations. Enclose a location in single or double quotation marks when the location contains spaces. Any location that does not exist is deleted from the value of the UTILLOC= system option.

Operating Environment Information: On z/OS, each location is a list of DCB and SMS options to be used when creating utility files. [cautionend]

Requirement:

If you have more than one location, then you must enclose the list of locations in parentheses.

Details

Thread-enabled SAS applications are able to create temporary utility files that can be accessed in parallel by separate threads.

For the SORT procedure, the UTILLOC= system option affects the placement of the utility files only if the multi-threaded SAS sort is used. The multi-threaded SAS sort can be invoked when the THREAD system option is specified and the value of the CPUCOUNT= system option is greater than 1. The multi-threaded SAS sort can also be invoked when you specify the THREADS option in the PROC SORT statement. The multi-threaded sort stores all temporary data in a single utility file within one of the locations that are specified by the UTILLOC= system option. The size of this utility file is proportional to the amount of data that is read from the input data set. A second utility file of the same size can be created in another of these locations when the amount of data that is read from the input data set is large or the amount of memory that is available to the SORT procedure is small.