INFILE Statement: UNIX

Optional Arguments

ENCODING='encoding-value'

specifies the encoding to use when reading from the external file. The value for ENCODING= indicates that the external file has a different encoding from the current session encoding.

When you read data from an external file, SAS transcodes the data from the specified encoding to the session encoding.

For valid encoding values, see Overview to SAS Language Elements That Use Encoding Values in SAS National Language Support (NLS): Reference Guide.

host-options

are specific to UNIX environments. These options can be any of the following:

BLKSIZE=

BLK=

specifies the number of bytes that are physically read in one I/O operation. The default is 8K. The maximum is 1G–1.

TERMSTR=

controls the end of line or record delimiters in files formatted by UNIX or the PC. This option enables the sharing of these formatted files between the two hosts. The following are values for the TERMSTR= option:

CR	Carriage return. Use TERMSTR=CR to read files formatted by an Apple Macintosh.
CRLF	Carriage return line feed. Use CRLF to read files formatted by a PC.
LF	Line feed. This parameter is used to read files formatted by UNIX. LF is the default.

Use TERMSTR=CRLF to read a file that was created on the PC. If the PC-formatted file was created using TERMSTR=LF, then the TERMSTR= option is unnecessary.

LRECL=

specifies the logical record length. Its meaning depends on the record format in effect (RECFM). The default is 256. The maximum length is 1G.

• If RECFM=F, then the value for the LRECL= option determines the number of bytes to be read as one record.
• If RECFM=N, then the value for the LRECL= option must be at least 256.
• If RECFM=V, then the value for the LRECL= option determines the maximum record length. Records that are longer than the specified length are truncated.

RECFM=

specifies the record format. The following values are valid under UNIX:

D	default format (same as variable).
F	fixed format. That is, each record has the same length.
N	binary format. The file consists of a stream of bytes with no record boundaries. If you do not specify the LRECL option, then, by default, SAS reads 256 bytes at a time from the file.
P	print format.
V	variable format. Each record ends with a newline character.
S370V	variable S370 record format (V).
S370VB	variable block S370 record format (VB).
S370VBS	variable block with spanned records S370 record format (VBS).