Providing software solutions since 1976
Problem Note 34232: Incorrect results produced for numeric informats when reading extremely large numbers
 |  |  |  |  |  |
The maximum decimal numeric value that SAS can print contains 14 significant digits.
SAS can handle some numeric numbers with greater magnitude as demonstrated by the sample code.
When the number gets too large for double precision IEEE notation, the low-order bits are dropped.
Additional Information
Usage Note 20587: Numeric precision or magnitude can be lost when moving SAS data between client and server sessions that run on machines with different architectures
Usage Note 31437: Binary floating point data representation usage
Operating System and Release Information
| Product Family | Product | System | SAS Release | |
| Reported | Fixed* | |||
| SAS System | Base SAS | Microsoft® Windows® for 64-Bit Itanium-based Systems | 9.1 TS1M3 | |
| Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter 64-bit Edition | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise 64-bit Edition | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Microsoft Windows XP 64-bit Edition | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Microsoft® Windows® for x64 | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Microsoft Windows 2000 Server | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Microsoft Windows NT Workstation | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Microsoft Windows XP Professional | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Windows Vista | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| 64-bit Enabled AIX | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| 64-bit Enabled HP-UX | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| 64-bit Enabled Solaris | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| HP-UX IPF | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Linux | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| OpenVMS Alpha | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Solaris for x64 | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
| Tru64 UNIX | 9.1 TS1M3 | |||
This demonstrates the point at which SAS cannot hold all digits of a very large number.
options linesize=90;
data one;
input bigchr :$20.;
bignum = input(bigchr,32.); /* put into numeric variable */
hexnum = bignum;
format bignum comma32. hexnum hex16.;
datalines;
9007199254740981
9007199254740982
9007199254740983
9007199254740984
9007199254740985
9007199254740986
9007199254740987
9007199254740988
9007199254740989
9007199254740990
9007199254740991
9007199254740992
9007199254740993
9007199254740994
9007199254740995
9007199254740996
9007199254740997
9007199254740998
9007199254740999
90071992547409869
90071992547409870
90071992547409871
90071992547409872
90071992547409873
90071992547409874
90071992547409875
90071992547409876
90071992547409877
90071992547409878
90071992547409879
90071992547409880
90071992547409881
90071992547409882
90071992547409883
90071992547409884
90071992547409885
90071992547409886
90071992547409887
90071992547409888
90071992547409889
90071992547409890
90071992547409890
90071992547409891
90071992547409892
90071992547409893
90071992547409894
90071992547409895
90071992547409896
90071992547409897
90071992547409898
90071992547409899
90071992547409900
90071992547409901
90071992547409902
90071992547409903
90071992547409904
90071992547409905
90071992547409906
90071992547409907
90071992547409908
90071992547409909
90071992547409910
90071992547409911
90071992547409912
90071992547409913
90071992547409914
90071992547409915
90071992547409916
90071992547409917
90071992547409918
90071992547409919
90071992547409920
90071992547409921
90071992547409922
;
proc print data=one noobs; run;
bigchr bignum hexnum
9007199254740981 9,007,199,254,740,981 433FFFFFFFFFFFF5
9007199254740982 9,007,199,254,740,982 433FFFFFFFFFFFF6
9007199254740983 9,007,199,254,740,983 433FFFFFFFFFFFF7
9007199254740984 9,007,199,254,740,984 433FFFFFFFFFFFF8
9007199254740985 9,007,199,254,740,985 433FFFFFFFFFFFF9
9007199254740986 9,007,199,254,740,986 433FFFFFFFFFFFFA
9007199254740987 9,007,199,254,740,987 433FFFFFFFFFFFFB
9007199254740988 9,007,199,254,740,988 433FFFFFFFFFFFFC
9007199254740989 9,007,199,254,740,989 433FFFFFFFFFFFFD
9007199254740990 9,007,199,254,740,990 433FFFFFFFFFFFFE
9007199254740991 9,007,199,254,740,991 433FFFFFFFFFFFFF
9007199254740992 9,007,199,254,740,992 4340000000000000
9007199254740993 9,007,199,254,740,992 4340000000000000
9007199254740994 9,007,199,254,740,994 4340000000000001
9007199254740995 9,007,199,254,740,996 4340000000000002
9007199254740996 9,007,199,254,740,996 4340000000000002
9007199254740997 9,007,199,254,740,996 4340000000000002
9007199254740998 9,007,199,254,740,998 4340000000000003
9007199254740999 9,007,199,254,741,000 4340000000000004
90071992547409869 90,071,992,547,409,872 4373FFFFFFFFFFFD
90071992547409870 90,071,992,547,409,872 4373FFFFFFFFFFFD
90071992547409871 90,071,992,547,409,872 4373FFFFFFFFFFFD
90071992547409872 90,071,992,547,409,872 4373FFFFFFFFFFFD
90071992547409873 90,071,992,547,409,872 4373FFFFFFFFFFFD
90071992547409874 90,071,992,547,409,872 4373FFFFFFFFFFFD
90071992547409875 90,071,992,547,409,872 4373FFFFFFFFFFFD
90071992547409876 90,071,992,547,409,872 4373FFFFFFFFFFFD
90071992547409877 90,071,992,547,409,872 4373FFFFFFFFFFFD
90071992547409878 90,071,992,547,409,872 4373FFFFFFFFFFFD
90071992547409879 90,071,992,547,409,872 4373FFFFFFFFFFFD
90071992547409880 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409881 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409882 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409883 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409884 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409885 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409886 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409887 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409888 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409889 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409890 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409890 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409891 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409892 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409893 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409894 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409895 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409896 90,071,992,547,409,888 4373FFFFFFFFFFFE
90071992547409897 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409898 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409899 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409900 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409901 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409902 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409903 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409904 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409905 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409906 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409907 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409908 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409909 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409910 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409911 90,071,992,547,409,904 4373FFFFFFFFFFFF
90071992547409912 90,071,992,547,409,920 4374000000000000
90071992547409913 90,071,992,547,409,920 4374000000000000
90071992547409914 90,071,992,547,409,920 4374000000000000
90071992547409915 90,071,992,547,409,920 4374000000000000
90071992547409916 90,071,992,547,409,920 4374000000000000
90071992547409917 90,071,992,547,409,920 4374000000000000
90071992547409918 90,071,992,547,409,920 4374000000000000
90071992547409919 90,071,992,547,409,920 4374000000000000
90071992547409920 90,071,992,547,409,920 4374000000000000
90071992547409921 90,071,992,547,409,920 4374000000000000
90071992547409922 90,071,992,547,409,920 4374000000000000
When reading a decimal number larger than will fit in a double-precision binary floating point variable, the resulting numeric field does not conform to IEEE standards for truncation in all cases.
| Type: | Problem Note |
| Priority: | medium |
| Topic: | Analytics Common Programming Tasks ==> Debugging Common Programming Tasks ==> Reading and Writing SAS Data SAS Reference ==> Informats ==> Numeric |
| Date Modified: | 2009-09-16 11:40:36 |
| Date Created: | 2008-12-16 16:13:32 |
