Determining How a SAS System Option Was Set

Interactions between SAS options can lead to unintended consequences. For example, if you set both the FULLSTIMER system option and the NONOTES system option, the result will be that no FULLSTIMER information is written to the SAS log. Because it is possible to set one option in a configuration file and the other option in an OPTIONS statement, the reason for such a problem might not be readily apparent.
When you issue a PROC OPTIONS statement with the VALUE option to query the value of an option, the value of the option appears in the SAS log, along with the method (or location) that was used to set that option. If the option was set in a configuration file, then the Config file name field lists the name of the file. For example, the following output is displayed in the SAS log when you query the value of the MEMSIZE system option:
proc options option=MEMSIZE value;
run;
Option Value Information for SAS Option MEMSIZE
   Value: 100663296
   Scope: SAS Session
   How option value set: Config file
   Config file name: /usr/local/SAS/SASFoundation/9.3/sasv9_local.cfg
You can issue a PROC OPTIONS statement to query the value of the WORK system option. The WORK value can be set form a server configuration file, and environment setting, or a command line setting. The WORK path is generated by combining the initial server-specified WORK path with a host-specific value and an executive suffix. The following example shows the information that is written to the SAS log:
proc options option=WORK value;
run;
Option Value Information for SAS Option WORK
   Value: /sastemp/SAS_workA1234567_bcd89
   Scope: SAS Session
   How option value set: Config file
   Config file name: /usr/local/SAS/SASFoundation/9.3/sasv9_local.cfg