The following error message might be generated when you write to a format library:

ERROR: Library SASLIB is not in a valid format for access method SASE7

Check the RECFM for the failing format library. If it is allocated with a RECFM=U, it was created in SAS^® Version 5. In SAS^® 6.09 and above, you cannot write to a format library that was created in SAS Version 5 because the format library in SAS Version 5 was a partitioned data set (PDS). In SAS 6.09 and above, it is a catalog.

You can convert the format library in SAS Version 6 using the V5TOV6 procedure. See the example code below.

/* INLIB is a DD that points to the version 5 format library */

libname outlib 'specify the version 6 format library';
proc v5tov6 format=inlib out=outlib;
run;

The V5TOV6 procedure is the correct procedure to use to convert a SAS Version 5 format library to SAS 6.09. Then, you can use SAS 6.09 to create a transport file that can be imported into any release of SAS^®.

To work around the need to load SAS 6.09 and run the V5TOV6 procedure, you can convert your SAS Version 5 format library directly from SAS 8 or SAS 9 using the CONVERT_FMTLIB macro written for this purpose. This program can be found on the Downloads tab of Usage Note 41499 , "Attempting to use PROC CPORT to convert a SAS^® Version 5 format generates "ERROR: Library SASLIB is not in a valid format for access method SASE7."

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