SUPPORT / SAMPLES & SAS NOTES
Problem Note 63334: Adding the FLOW= suboption for an ODS EXCEL statement will store numbers as text in a worksheet after you use the TABULATE procedure
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Using the FLOW= suboption in a SAS® Output Delivery System (ODS) statement for Microsoft Excel along with PROC TABULATE causes numbers to be stored as text.
When numbers are stored as text in an Excel worksheet, the values cannot be used in calculations. Starting with SAS® 9.4M5, the FLOW= ODS suboption can cause numbers to be stored as text.
Here is an example of the code that creates this issue in SAS 9.4M5:
ods excel file="c:\test.xlsx" options(flow="tables");
proc tabulate data=sashelp.class;
class sex;
var age height weight;
table sex, age height weight;
run;
class sex;
var age height weight;
table sex, age height weight;
run;
ods excel close;
The affected cells have green triangles at the top left of each cell, indicating that the numbers are stored as text. The following image shows an example of these triangles:
Click the Hot Fix tab in this note to access the hot fix for this issue.
Operating System and Release Information
| Product Family | Product | System | SAS Release | |
| Reported | Fixed* | |||
| SAS System | N/A | z/OS | 9.4 TS1M5 | |
| z/OS 64-bit | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows 8 Enterprise 32-bit | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows 8 Enterprise x64 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 32-bit | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows 8 Pro x64 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Std | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft® Windows® for x64 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows 8.1 Enterprise 32-bit | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows 8.1 Enterprise x64 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 32-bit | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro x64 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows 10 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2008 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2008 for x64 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Datacenter | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Std | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2016 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Windows 7 Enterprise 32 bit | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Windows 7 Enterprise x64 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Windows 7 Home Premium x64 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Windows 7 Professional 32 bit | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Windows 7 Professional x64 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Windows 7 Ultimate x64 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| 64-bit Enabled AIX | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| 64-bit Enabled Solaris | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| HP-UX IPF | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Linux for x64 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||
| Solaris for x64 | 9.4 TS1M5 | |||