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When an informat is specified on the ATTRIB statement, the width of the data value should not exceed the width the informat can handle. When this occurs, an error is produced.

   ERROR:  Read Access Violation In Task [ DATASTEP )

Under the Full Code tab, the informat specified is NUMX. This informat expects to read numeric data and the width maximum is 32. Since the data value being passed to the informat is 63 characters, which exceeds 32, the above error is produced.

Under normal conditions, reading character data with a numeric informat should produce an 'invalid data' message in the log. This will occur if you specify the informat on the INPUT statement after the variable for which it applies.

Operating System and Release Information

Run this code to write to a file:

data _null_;
file 'c:\myfile.txt';
put 'Reads numeric values with a comma in place of the decimal point ' '09'x;
run;

Read the data assigning the informat with the ATRRIB statement.

data a;
  infile 'c:\myfile.txt' dlm='09'x truncover dsd ;
  attrib numerf informat=numx12.;
  input numerf;
run;

One workaround is to use the COMMAX informat on the ATTRIB statement instead
of NUMX. 

data a;
   infile 'c:\myfile.txt' dlm='09'x truncover dsd ;
   attrib numerf informat=commax12.;
   input numerf;
run;


Another workaround is to specify the informat on the INPUT statement 
rather than on the ATRRIB statement.

data a;
  infile 'c:\myfile.txt' dlm='09'x truncover dsd ;
  input numerf  numx12.;
run ;


An "invalid data" message is produced in both cases because a numeric informat is reading 
character data.

ERROR:  Read Access Violation In Task [ DATASTEP )
Exception occurred at (5EFA1151)
Task Traceback