ACCESS Procedure

Overview: ACCESS Procedure

Accessing DBMS Data

The ACCESS procedure is still supported for the database systems and environments on which it was available in SAS 6. However, it is no longer the recommended method for accessing relational DBMS data. It is recommended that you access your DBMS data more directly, using the SAS/ACCESS LIBNAME statement or the SQL pass-through facility.
Not all SAS/ACCESS interfaces support this feature. See features by host to determine whether this feature is available in your environment.
Along with the DBLOAD procedure and an interface view engine, the ACCESS procedure creates an interface between SAS and data in other vendors' databases. You can use the ACCESS procedure to create and update descriptors

About ACCESS Procedure Statements

The ACCESS procedure has several types of statements:
This table summarizes PROC ACCESS options and statements that are required to accomplish common tasks.
Statement Sequence for Accomplishing Tasks with the ACCESS Procedure
Task
Statements and Options to Use
Create an access descriptor
PROC ACCESS statement-options;
CREATE libref.member-name.ACCESS;
database-connection-statements;
editing-statements;
RUN;
Create an access descriptor and a view descriptor
PROC ACCESS statement-options;
CREATE libref.member-name.ACCESS;
database-connection-statements;
editing-statements;
CREATE libref.member-name.VIEW;
SELECT column-list;
editing-statements;
RUN;
Create a view descriptor from an existing access descriptor
PROC ACCESS statement-options, including ACCDESC=libref.access-descriptor;
CREATE libref.member-name.VIEW;
SELECT column-list;
editing-statements;
RUN;
Update an access descriptor
PROC ACCESS statement-options;
UPDATE libref.member-name.ACCESS;
database-connection-statements;
editing-statements;
RUN;
Update an access descriptor and a view descriptor
PROC ACCESS statement-options;
UPDATE libref.member-name.ACCESS;
database-connection-statements;
editing-statements;
UPDATE libref.member-name.VIEW;
editing-statements;
RUN;
Update an access descriptor and create a view descriptor
PROC ACCESS statement-options;
UPDATE libref.member-name.ACCESS;
database-connection-statements;
editing-statements;
CREATE libref.member-name.VIEW;
SELECT column-list;
editing-statements;
RUN;
Update a view descriptor from an existing access descriptor
PROC ACCESS statement-options, including ACCDESC=libref.access-descriptor;
UPDATE libref.member-name.VIEW;
editing-statements;
RUN;
Create a SAS data set from a view descriptor
PROC ACCESS statement-options, including DBMS=dbms-name;
VIEWDESC=libref.member; OUT=libref.member;
RUN;