ACCESS Procedure Reference

INFORMAT Statement (Optional)

Assigns a SAS informat to a SYSTEM 2000 item.

Applies to:

access descriptors and view descriptors

Syntax

INFORMAT variable-identifier = SAS-informat-name
<...variable-identifier-n= SAS-informat-name-n>;

Details

The INFORMAT statement changes a SAS variable informat from its default informat; the default informat is based on the database item's data type. You can enter as many informats as necessary using one INFORMAT statement.

variable-identifier can be one of the following:

the current SAS variable name for the item

Note: Any name on the left side of the equal sign (=) must be a SAS name, not a SYSTEM 2000 name. In an access descriptor, if the ASSIGN statement is omitted, you must enter the item number or component number (C-number) on the left side of the equal sign (=).
the positional equivalent, which is the number that represents the item, as specified in the LIST statement
the SYSTEM 2000 C-number of the database item

For example, if you want to associate the DATE7. informat with the second item in the access descriptor, submit the following statement:

informat 2 DATE7.;

You can use only the INFORMAT statement with a view descriptor if ASSIGN= NO in the access descriptor from which the view is derived. When used for a view descriptor, the INFORMAT statement automatically selects the re-formatted item. That is, if you change the informat associated with an item, you do not have to issue a SELECT statement for that item. INF is an alias.

Note: You cannot specify the INFORMAT statement for a record. [cautionend]

Top of Page