Definition of Reading Raw Data

raw data
is unprocessed data that has not been read into a SAS data set. You can use a DATA step to read raw data into a SAS data set from two sources:
  • instream data
  • an external file
Note: Raw data does not include Database Management System (DBMS) files. You must license SAS/ACCESS software to access data stored in DBMS files. See for more information about SAS/ACCESS features.