All SAS Version 6 files created on UNIX platforms end with a two-character code (nn) that identifies sets of compatible SAS files. To identify the extensions and UNIX operating system groups in which they can be read, see the table UNIX Operating Environment Filename Extensions.

If you have access to SAS running in the hardware environment group in which it was created, you can use the V6 engine for data compatibility to access the file for read-only processing in a 64-bit environment.

A file extension of .ssd means the file was either created under VMS or PC DOS.

To read a .ssd file created under PC DOS, try the V604 engine as shown in this example. To convert a PC DOS file to Windows 64-bit prior to the third maintenance release of SAS^® 9.4 (TS1M3), see SAS Note 34196, "Errors are received when reading a SAS® 6.03/6.04 data set in a 64-bit SAS® session."

Keep in mind that SAS Version 6 files were created before Cross-Environment Data Access (CEDA), which enables any directory-based operating system to read a file created in any other directory-based operating environment, with some processing restrictions.

If you attempt to use operating system commands to change the UNIX file extension from .ssd01 to .sas7bdat in an effort to access the file using CEDA, SAS generates errors when trying to read the file.

If you cannot use the V6 engine to successfully read the file, the following workarounds have been known to help SAS customers access their legacy data.

1. If the hardware is still accessible at your site but SAS is no longer running on it, contact SAS Technical Support. We can usually provide you with a short-term setinit for conversion purposes.
2. If you have a large number of files to convert, you might consider contracting SAS Consulting, a SAS Partner, or a third-party vendor.
3. For single files, you might try to open the .ssdnn file with the SAS System Viewer and export it to an intermediary file format that can be read into SAS, such as a text or Microsoft Excel file.
4. Use an old copy of DBMS/COPY software to read the file and convert it to a higher SAS release.
5. You can try using Stat/Transfer to read the file.
6. SAS Technical Support has been known to convert legacy files for customers to help them through what otherwise might be a difficult and costly procedure to arrange. Sometimes accessing older SAS releases on a different operating system is time consuming, so we are unable to provide customers with a specific turn-around time. In addition, we might be unable to assist with large numbers of files or very large files. Other circumstances can prevail such as finding that the data is corrupt. If the files were moved using a communications protocol such as FTP in ASCII rather than BINARY mode, the files are usually found to be corrupt.

Operating System and Release Information

Product Family	Product	System	SAS Release
			Reported	Fixed*
SAS System	N/A	z/OS	9.2 TS1M0
		Microsoft® Windows® for 64-Bit Itanium-based Systems	9.2 TS1M0
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter 64-bit Edition	9.2 TS1M0
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise 64-bit Edition	9.2 TS1M0
		Microsoft Windows XP 64-bit Edition	9.2 TS1M0
		Microsoft® Windows® for x64	9.2 TS1M0
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition	9.2 TS1M0
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition	9.2 TS1M0
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition	9.2 TS1M0
		Microsoft Windows XP Professional	9.2 TS1M0
		Windows Vista	9.2 TS1M0
		Windows Vista for x64	9.2 TS1M0
		64-bit Enabled AIX	9.2 TS1M0
		64-bit Enabled HP-UX	9.2 TS1M0
		64-bit Enabled Solaris	9.2 TS1M0
		HP-UX IPF	9.2 TS1M0
		Linux	9.2 TS1M0
		Linux for x64	9.2 TS1M0
		OpenVMS on HP Integrity	9.2 TS1M0
		Solaris for x64	9.2 TS1M0

* 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.

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In SAS Version 6, SAS on UNIX appended numeric suffixes to its file names such as .ssd01. If no suffix is found and the file extension is .ssd, the file was created on VMS or in SAS Version 6.04 under PC DOS. These file types are system dependent.

Type:	Usage Note
Priority:

Date Modified:	2012-01-31 09:04:31
Date Created:	2011-10-03 10:42:57