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The SAS Migration Utility analyzes and prepares your SAS 9.1.3 deployment for migration. See SAS Intelligence Platform: 9.1.3 to 9.2 Migration Guide for a complete guide to planning and execution.
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Read about running multiple versions of SAS on one computer. - Sample Validation SOP
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SAS®9 Compatibility
SAS strives whenever possible to support compatibility. This means that many file types from earlier releases can be processed in a SAS®9 session without migrating the files to SAS®9 format.
This topic helps you determine whether the compatibility you need is supported, or whether you must migrate a file. If these details seem overwhelming and you need a quick answer, then try the easy, interactive Compatibility Calculator.
Before you read our tables, stop and take a moment to understand the concepts:
Understanding Input, Output, Update
You need to understand three types of SAS processing modes: input, output, and update. You might not be aware that you output a new file; you might think you are updating a file. To be sure which type of processing your job is running, try using the new SCAPROC procedure. see The SCAPROC Procedure in the Base SAS Procedures Guide.
Understanding Native and Foreign
A native file is entirely compatible with the current environment. A foreign file is not compatible with the current environment. Although foreign processing is more limited than native processing, it might meet your needs. First, read the simple list at Are My Files Foreign in SAS®9? to see whether you should consult the foreign or native column in the tables below.
After you read the tables on this page, refer to the following documents to be certain the processing you need is fully supported. CEDA, for example, has a few significant restrictions.
- Foreign Version 7 and 8 files are automatically processed via CEDA.
- All Version 6 files are automatically processed via the V6 engine.
- For both native and foreign files, see whether you want to use a few new file features that are not supported for earlier files.
- See also the links to additional compatibility information a the bottom of this topic.
- If the compatibility is not sufficient for your needs, see the PROC MIGRATE Calculator.
| File Type | Supported Processing, Native File | Supported Processing, Foreign File |
|---|---|---|
| SAS data file | input, update, output | input, output1 |
| DATA step view | input | not supported |
| SAS/ACCESS access or view descriptor for Oracle or SYBASE | input, update | input |
| SAS/ACCESS access or view descriptor other than for Oracle or SYBASE | input, update | not supported |
| PROC SQL view | input, update | input |
| SAS catalog | input, update, output2 3 | not supported |
| stored compiled DATA step program | input | not supported |
| item store | input, update, output | not supported |
| MDDB file | input4 | input4 |
| DMDB file | input, output | not supported |
| files with short extensions5 | input | not supported |
1 In a 64-bit SAS®9 session, when you output a Version 7 or 8 file, be aware of the default behavior. If you can create a new file from an existing 32-bit file, then the default is generally a 64-bit file.
2 SAS 7 and 8 catalogs from OpenVMS Alpha are not supported in SAS®9. Use PROC MIGRATE with the SLIBREF option.
3 See Are My Files Foreign in SASŪ9? for support of catalogs between Solaris for x64, Linux for x64, Linux for Itanium-based systems, and Tru64 UNIX.
4 Version 7 MDDBs are not supported in SAS®9.
5 Supported in SAS 9.1.3 and later. Three-character extensions were assigned by the SHORTFILEEXT option on the LIBNAME statement. See a special topic for more compatibility information and migration instructions.
| File Type | Supported Processing, Native File | Supported Processing, Foreign File |
|---|---|---|
| SAS data file | input, update, output | input4 |
| DATA step view | input | not supported |
| SAS/ACCESS access or view descriptor | input, update | not supported |
| PROC SQL view | input | not supported |
| SAS catalog5 | input | not supported |
| stored compiled DATA step program | input | not supported |
| MDDB file | input | not supported |
4 Input of a foreign Version 6 data file is supported under limited circumstances.
5 Version 6 catalogs from AIX are not supported in any other version.
File types are defined in the glossary.
Need More Answers?
- Best Practices for Compatibility
- points you to documentation and coding practices that facilitate compatibility.
- Maintaining Files from Different Releases
- offers helpful tips about storing files together that were created
under different releases of SAS.
- Updating Base SAS Code
- helps you determine whether any existing SAS or SCL code needs to be updated for SAS®9.
- Software
- lists cross-release compatibility issues, changes to requirements, and changes to
syntax for several different SAS products.
- Using a SAS®9 Data File under a Previous Version of SAS
- explains compatibility and regression for using SAS®9 files in a
SAS 6, 7, or 8 session.
- Cross-Environment Compatibility in SASŪ9
- explains compatibility for SAS®9 files under a different SAS®9 operating environment.