Data Set Options under UNIX

BUFNO= Data Set Option: UNIX

Specifies the number of buffers to be allocated for processing a SAS data set.

Default:	1
Valid in:	DATA step and PROC steps
Category:	Data Set Control
Engines:	V9, V8, V6, V9TAPE, V8TAPE, V7TAPE, V6TAPE
UNIX specifics:	default value
See:	BUFNO= Data Set Option in SAS Language Reference: Dictionary

Syntax
Details
See Also

Syntax

BUFNO=n | nK | hexX | MIN | MAX

n | nK: specifies the number of buffers in multiples of 1 (bytes); 1,024 (kilobytes). For example, a value of 8 specifies 8 buffers, and a value of 1k specifies 1024 buffers.
hexX: specifies the number of buffers as a hexadecimal value. You must specify the value beginning with a number (0-9), followed by hexadecimal characters (0-9, A-F), and then followed by an X. For example the value 2dx specifies 45 buffers.
MIN: sets the minimum number of buffers to 0, which causes SAS to use the minimum optimal value for the operating environment.
MAX: sets the number of buffers to the maximum possible number in your operating environment, up to the largest four-byte signed integer, which is 2³¹-1, or approximately 2 billion.

Details

The buffer number is not a permanent attribute of the data set; it is valid only for the current SAS step. BUFNO= applies to SAS data sets that are opened for input, output, or update.