Using the SAS Windowing Environment

Getting Organized

The SAS windowing environment helps you to organize your data, and to locate and access your files easily. In this section, you learn how to use windows to do the following:

explore libraries and library members
assign a library reference

Exploring Libraries and Library Members

The SAS windowing environment opens to the Explorer window by default on many hosts. You can issue the EXPLORER command to invoke this window if it does not appear by default. You can use Explorer to view the libraries that are currently available, as well as to explore their contents.

To list available libraries, select the Libraries folder, and then select Open from the pop-up menu.
To explore the contents of a library, select a specific library, and then select Explore from Here from the pop-up menu.
To explore the contents of a library member, select a specific library member, and then select Open from the pop-up menu.

Note: If the Explorer Tree view is on, then you can explore libraries and library members by expanding and collapsing tree nodes. You can expand or collapse Tree nodes by selecting their expansion icons, which look like + and - symbols. You can toggle the Explorer Tree view by selecting View Show Tree from the Explorer window. [cautionend]

SAS Explorer Window with Tree View On

[SAS Explorer Window with Tree View On]

Assigning a Library Reference

Assign a library reference before continuing your work in a SAS session, so that you can have a permanent storage location for your working SAS files:

From the Explorer window, select the Libraries folder.
Select File New

The New Library window appears.
Enter a name for the library.
Select an engine type.
Enter an operating environment directory pathname or browse to select the directory.
Fill in any other fields as necessary for the engine, and enter any options that you want to specify.

If you are not sure which engine to choose, then use the Default engine (which is selected automatically).

The Default engine enables SAS to choose which engine to use for any data sets that exist at the given path of your new library. If no data sets exist, then the Base SAS engine is assigned.
Select OK. The new library will appear under the Libraries folder in the Explorer window.

Note: If you want SAS to assign the new library automatically at startup, then select the Enable at Startup check box in the New Library window. [cautionend]

You can use the following ways to assign a library, depending on your operating environment:

Menu	File New (from the Explorer window only)
Command	DMLIBASSIGN (from any window)
Pop-up	New (from the Explorer window only)
Toolbar	New Library (from any window)

Managing Library Assignment Problems

If any permanent library assignment that is stored in the SAS Registry fails at startup, then the following note appears in the SAS Log:

NOTE: One or more library startup assignments were not restored.

The following errors are common causes of library assignment problems:

library dependencies are missing
required field values for library assignment in the SAS Registry are missing
required field values for library assignment in the SAS Registry are invalid

For example, library names are limited to eight characters, and engine values must match actual engine names.
encrypted password data for a library reference has changed in the SAS Registry

CAUTION:: You can correct many library assignment errors in the SAS Registry Editor. If you are unfamiliar with library references or the SAS Registry Editor, ask for assistance. Errors can be made easily in the SAS Registry Editor, and can prevent your libraries from being assigned at startup.

To correct a library assignment error in the SAS Registry Editor:

Select Solutions Accessories Registry Editor or issue the REGEDIT command.
Select one of the following paths, depending on your operating system, and then make modifications to keys and key values as needed:
```
CORE\OPTIONS\LIBNAMES
```
or
```
CORE\OPTIONS\LIBNAMES\CONCATENATED
```
or
```
CORE\LIBNAMES
```

For example, if you determine that a key for a permanent concatenated library has been renamed to something other than a positive whole number, then you can rename that key again so that it is in compliance. Select the key, and then select Rename from the pop-up menu to begin the process.

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