In SAS/AF 9.2, the Variable Values List Model class includes a new method named _close(). The _close() method enables SAS/AF programmers to explicitly close the data set that is associated with this class.

This method was added to address known problems with reusing data set IDs in previous SAS/AF releases. (See SAS Note 4276.) So, in SAS/AF 9.2, programmers should use the new _close() method in order to manually close the data set that is associated with the Variable Values List Model class.

If the new _close() method is not used in SAS/AF 9.2, then running SAS/AF applications that were developed using SAS 8.2 or SAS 9.1.3 might generate errors like the following:

   ERROR: Lock held by .

   ERROR: Lock held by <strange characters> 

   ERROR: You cannot open <table name>.DATA for output access with 
          member-level control because< table name>.DATA is in use by 
          you in resource environment DATASTEP.

An example of the _close() syntax is included below.

if variablevalueslist1.dataset ^= '' then variablevalueslist1._close();
variablevalueslist1.dataset = '';

... update data set ...
 
variablevalueslist1.dataset = '< your data set>';
variablevalueslist1.variable = '< your variable name >';

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