STEPCHKPTLIB= System Option

Specifies the libref of the library where checkpoint-restart data for DATA and PROC steps is saved.
Valid in: Configuration file, SAS invocation
Category: Environment control: Error handling
PROC OPTIONS GROUP= ERRORHANDLING
Restriction: The STEPCHKPTLIB system option can be specified only if the LABELCHKPT system option is not specified when SAS starts.
Requirement: This option can be used only in batch mode.
Note: This option can be restricted by a site administrator. For more information, see Restricted Options.

Syntax

STEPCHKPTLIB=libref

Syntax Description

libref
specifies the libref that identifies the library where the checkpoint-restart data for DATA and PROC steps is saved.
Default:Work
Requirement:The LIBNAME statement that identifies the checkpoint-restart library must use the BASE engine and be the first statement in the batch program.

Details

When the STEPCHKPT system option is specified, checkpoint-restart data for batch programs is saved in the libref that is specified in the STEPCHKPTLIB= system option. If no libref is specified, SAS uses the Work library to save checkpoint data. The LIBNAME statement that defines the libref must be the first statement in the batch program.
If the Work library is used to save checkpoint data, the NOWORKTERM and NOWORKINIT system options must be specified so that the checkpoint-restart data is available when the batch program is resubmitted. These two options ensure that the Work library is saved when SAS ends and is restored when SAS starts. If the NOWORKTERM option is not specified, the Work library is deleted at the end of the SAS session and the checkpoint-restart data is lost. If the NOWORKINIT option is not specified, a new Work library is created when SAS starts, and again the checkpoint-restart data is lost.
The STEPCHKPTLIB= option must be specified for any SAS session that accesses checkpoint-restart data that is not saved to the Work library.
Operating Environment Information: When the Work library resides in a UNIX directory in UNIX or z/OS operating environments and you want to run the CLEANWORK utility, the Work library directory and its contents are deleted when the utility is run after the SAS session ends. When you run SAS in batch mode in the z/OS operating environment, the Work library is usually assigned to a temporary data set that is deleted at the end of the SAS job. To preserve the checkpoint-restart data in these cases, specify a permanent library as the value for the STEPCHKPTLIB option.

Comparisons

When the STEPCHKPT system option is set, the library specified by the STEPCHKPTLIB system option names the library where checkpoint-restart data is saved for DATA and PROC steps. When the STEPRESTART system option is set, the library specified by the STEPCHKPTLIB system option names the library where checkpoint-restart data is used to resume execution of DATA and PROC steps.
When the LABELCKPT system option is set, the library specified by the LABELCHKPTLIB system option names the library where checkpoint-restart data is saved for labeled code sections. When the LABELRESTART system option is set, the library specified by the LABELCHKPTLIB system option names the library where checkpoint-restart data is used to resume execution of labeled code sections.