To help you decide
between a DATA step view and a PROC SQL view, consider the characteristics
of each type of SAS view:
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DATA step views are versatile because
they use DATA step processing, including DO loops and IF-THEN/ELSE
statements.
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DATA step views do not have Update capability. That is, they cannot
directly change the data that they access.
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There is no way to qualify the
data in a DATA step view before using it. Therefore, even if you need
only part of the data in your SAS view, you must load into memory
the entire DATA step view and discard everything that you do not need.
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PROC SQL views can combine data
from many different file formats.
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PROC SQL views can both read and
update the data that they reference.
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PROC SQL supports more types of
WHERE clauses than are available in DATA step processing and has a
CONNECT TO component that enables you to easily send SQL statements
and pass data to a DBMS by using the pass-through facility.
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You can also use the SQL language
to subset your data before processing it. This capability saves memory
when you have a large SAS view, but need to select only a small portion
of the data contained in the view.
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PROC SQL views do not use DATA
step programming.