Input can be from either
fixed-length or variable-length records. Both fixed-length and variable-length
records can be sequenced or unsequenced. The location of the sequence
numbers is determined by whether the file record format is fixed-length
or variable-length.
SAS uses the value of
S to determine whether to look for sequence numbers in the input,
and to determine how to read the input:
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SAS Looks for Sequence
Numbers
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The value of S is used
as the length of the source or data to be scanned and ignores everything
beyond that length on each line.
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Yes, at the end of the
line of input.
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SAS inspects the last n columns
(where n is the value of the SEQ= system option) of the first sequence
field.
If those columns contain
numbers, they are assumed to be sequence numbers and SAS ignores the
last eight columns of each line.
If the n columns
contain non-digit characters, SAS reads the last eight columns as
data columns.
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The value of S is used
as the starting column of the source or data to be scanned and ignores
everything before that length on each line.
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Yes, at the beginning
of each line of input.
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SAS inspects the last n columns
(where n is the value of the SEQ= system option) of the first sequence
field.
If those columns contain
numbers, they are assumed to be sequence numbers and SAS ignores the
first eight columns of each line.
If the n columns
contain non-digit characters, SAS reads the first eight columns as
data columns.
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