Problem Note 11764: Data sets created from SPSS portable files might generate errors when used
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In SAS 9 and SAS 9.1, PROC CONVERT and the SPSS engine will successfully create SAS data sets from SPSS portable files. However, subsequent steps, such as PROC PRINT, might generate errors like the following:
ERROR: Format name for variable __ was not a valid SAS name. Perhaps
the input data set is corrupted. The name in hex starts with
'A10CA10C20202020'.
The problem occurs because memory is being allocated for the format name, but no format name is copied into memory.
The example code below imports the SPSS portable file using PROC CONVERT. Assuming PROC PRINT generated the error above, we would then remove the format association in a second step. This is done using a null FORMAT statement referencing the variable name.
filename myfile 'c:\spss.por';
proc convert spss=myfile out=new;
run;
data new;
set new;
format varname;
run;
Operating System and Release Information
| Product Family | Product | System | SAS Release | |
| Reported | Fixed* | |||
| SAS System | Base SAS | Linux | 9 TS1B0 | 9.1 TS1M2 |
| z/OS | 9 TS1B0 | 9.1 TS1M2 | ||
| Solaris | 9 TS1B0 | 9.1 TS1M2 | ||
| 64-bit Enabled Solaris | 9 TS1B0 | 9.1 TS1M2 | ||
| HP-UX | 9 TS1B0 | 9.1 TS1M2 | ||
| HP-UX IPF | 9 TS1B0 | 9.1 TS1M2 | ||
| 64-bit Enabled HP-UX | 9 TS1B0 | 9.1 TS1M2 | ||
| OpenVMS Alpha | 9 TS1B0 | 9.1 TS1M2 | ||
| 64-bit Enabled AIX | 9 TS1B0 | 9.1 TS1M2 | ||
| Tru64 UNIX | 9 TS1B0 | 9.1 TS1M2 | ||
| AIX | 9 TS1B0 | 9.1 TS1M2 | ||
Data sets created from SPSS portable files might generate errors when used.
| Type: | Problem Note |
| Priority: | low |
| Topic: | SAS Reference ==> Procedures ==> CONVERT |
| Date Modified: | 2004-06-04 13:00:53 |
| Date Created: | 2004-02-10 14:34:20 |