If you attempt to create an index on a data set and there is an existing index by the same name with the same definition, you get the following error.

   ERROR: An index named X with the same definition already exists for file
   LIB.DSET.DATA.                                                          

If you attempt to create an index on a data set that matches the name of an existing index but has a different definition, you get the following error.

   ERROR: An existing index named X has a different definition. 

If you want to recreate an index that already exists, you must first delete the existing index of the same name.

See sample 43637 for code that illustrates how to determine whether an index exists on a data set.

Operating System and Release Information

Product Family	Product	System	SAS Release
			Reported	Fixed*
SAS System	Base SAS	z/OS
		Z64
		OpenVMS VAX
		Microsoft® Windows® for 64-Bit Itanium-based Systems
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter 64-bit Edition
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise 64-bit Edition
		Microsoft Windows XP 64-bit Edition
		Microsoft® Windows® for x64
		OS/2
		Microsoft Windows 95/98
		Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
		Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
		Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
		Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
		Microsoft Windows NT Workstation
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for x64
		Microsoft Windows Server 2008
		Microsoft Windows Server 2008 for x64
		Microsoft Windows XP Professional
		Windows 7 Enterprise 32 bit
		Windows 7 Enterprise x64
		Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit
		Windows 7 Home Premium x64
		Windows 7 Professional 32 bit
		Windows 7 Professional x64
		Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit
		Windows 7 Ultimate x64
		Windows Millennium Edition (Me)
		Windows Vista
		Windows Vista for x64
		64-bit Enabled AIX
		64-bit Enabled HP-UX
		64-bit Enabled Solaris
		ABI+ for Intel Architecture
		AIX
		HP-UX
		HP-UX IPF
		IRIX
		Linux
		Linux for x64
		Linux on Itanium
		OpenVMS Alpha
		OpenVMS on HP Integrity
		Solaris
		Solaris for x64
		Tru64 UNIX

* For software releases that are not yet generally available, the Fixed Release is the software release in which the problem is planned to be fixed.

A composite index named COMP is created on data set TEST. PROC DATASETS attempts to create a composite index named COMP on the same data set with same variables, X, and Y. The second PROC DATASETS attempts to create a composite index named COMP on the same data set but with a different definition (different variables in index).

---

/* Data set TEST created with a composite index called COMP that includes */
/* variables X and Y                                                      */

data test(index=(comp=(x y)));
input x y z;
datalines;
1 2 3
;
run;

/* Attempt to create the same composite index on data set TEST */
                                                   
proc datasets lib=work ;
   modify test;
   index create comp=(x y);
   quit;



/* Attempt to create an index with the same name but change the definition */

proc datasets lib=work ;
   modify test;
   index create comp=(x z);
quit;

/* This error occurs when an attempt is made to create the same index that has */
/* already been created on the data set.

ERROR: An index named comp with the same definition already exists for file WORK.TEST2.DATA.



/* This error occurs when an attempt is made to create the same named index that */
/* is already created on the data set but the variables in the index are different. */

ERROR: An existing index named comp has a different definition.

Type:	Usage Note
Priority:
Topic:	SAS Reference ==> DATA Step SAS Reference ==> Data Set Options ==> Miscellaneous

Date Modified:	2011-06-08 15:45:25
Date Created:	2011-06-08 10:34:44