Getting Started with SAS under OpenVMS

Starting a SAS Session under OpenVMS

To run SAS, OpenVMS must be set up to process ODS-5 files. Use the following command before you start SAS:

SET PROCESS/PARSE_STYLE=EXTENDED

If you do not issue this command, SAS does not start.

Invoking SAS

Regardless of which mode of operation you use for running SAS, you will need to ask your system manager what the SAS command (the command that invokes SAS) is at your site. At many sites, the SAS command is simply SAS , but a different command could have been defined during the SAS installation process at your site.

Note: The examples in this section use SAS92 as the SAS command. [cautionend]

Also, ask your system manager which interface or mode of operation is the default when you enter the SAS command.

When you invoke SAS, you can specify system options either when you issue the SAS command or in a configuration file:

$ SAS92/FULLSTIMER/PRINT=SYS$LOGIN:TEST.OUT

For information, see Specifying System Options in the SAS Command and Configuration Files.

For more information about SAS system options, see System Options under OpenVMS.

If no system options are specified in the SAS command, a configuration file, an autoexec file, or the VMS_SAS_OPTIONS DCL symbol, then the default system options that are provided with SAS are in effect. However, your system manager might have overridden the default options; ask your system manager for information about the default options at your site.

What If SAS Does Not Start?

If SAS does not start, the SAS log might contain error messages that explain the failure. Error messages that SAS issues before the SAS log is initialized, however, are written to the SAS console log.

Under OpenVMS, the SYS$OUTPUT logical name specifies the location of the console log. This location depends on the user mode. If you are invoking SAS in interactive mode or using a command procedure, SAS displays the error messages at your terminal. If you are invoking SAS in batch mode, SAS writes the error messages to a batch log file.

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