When you apply a maintenance release of SAS, it is possible to receive an error similar to the following that indicates that a format cannot be found:

ERROR: Format $ATE not found or couldn't be loaded for variable NEWVAR.

This problem can occur when you use a data set or a view that is created when you add a format to a newly created, null (missing) numeric variable, as shown in the following example:

In this example, the table is created with the new variable that is defined as a character variable with a format of $ATE9. When you query a database, the problem can occur because the new variable that is sent to the database is defined as a character variable by the database rather than as a numeric variable (as intended).

Click the Hot Fix tab in this note to access the hot fix for this issue.

Operating System and Release Information

A fix for SAS 9.1.3 (9.1 TS1M3) for this issue is available at:

A fix for SAS 9.1.3 (9.1 TS1M3) with Asian Language Support (DBCS) for this issue is available at:

A fix for this issue for Base SAS 9.21_M3 is available at: