Strategies for Moving and Accessing SAS Files

This feature of SAS enables a SAS file that was created in any directory-based operating environment (for example, Solaris, Windows, HP-UX, OpenVMS) to be processed by a SAS session that is running in another directory-based environment. See Cross-Environment Data Access (CEDA).

In the source environment, you can use PROC CPORT to write data sets or catalogs to transport format. In the target environment, PROC CIMPORT can be used to translate the transport file into the target environment's native format. See PROC CPORT and PROC CIMPORT.

In the source environment, you can use the LIBNAME statement with the XPORT engine and either the DATA step or PROC COPY to create a transport file from a SAS data set. In the target environment, the same method can be used to translate the transport file into the target environment's native format. See XPORT Engine with DATA Step or PROC COPY.

In the source environment, you can use the LIBNAME statement with the XML engine and either the DATA step or PROC COPY to create an XML document from a SAS data set. In the target environment, the same method can be used to translate the XML document into the target environment's native format. See XML Engine with DATA Step or PROC COPY.

This feature enables you to transfer data sets and catalogs from the source environment to the target environment. DTS dynamically translates the data between operating environment representations and SAS versions, as necessary. The transfer is accomplished using the SIGNON statement to connect two SAS sessions and then PROC UPLOAD or PROC DOWNLOAD to move the data.

These features give you transparent access to remote data using the REMOTE engine and the LIBNAME statement.