Choosing the Right Procedure

Utility Procedures

The following table groups utility procedures according to task.

Utility Procedures by Task
Tasks	Procedure	Description
Supply information	COMPARE	compares the contents of two SAS data sets.
	CONTENTS	describes the contents of a SAS library or specific library members.
	JAVAINFO	conveys diagnostic information about the Java environment that SAS is using.
	OPTIONS	lists the current values of all SAS system options.
	SQL	supplies information through dictionary tables on an individual SAS data set as well as all SAS files active in the current SAS session. Dictionary tables can also provide information about macros, titles, indexes, external files, or SAS system options.
Manage SAS system options	OPTIONS	lists the current values of all SAS system options.
	OPTLOAD	reads SAS system option settings that are stored in the SAS registry or a SAS data set.
	OPTSAVE	saves SAS system option settings to the SAS registry or a SAS data set.
Affect printing and Output Delivery System output	DOCUMENT⁺	manipulates procedure output that is stored in ODS documents.
	FONTREG	adds system fonts to the SAS registry.
	FORMAT	creates user-defined formats to display and print data.
	PRINTTO	routes procedure output to a file, a SAS catalog entry, or a printer; can also redirect the SAS log to a file.
	PRTDEF	creates printer definitions.
	PRTEXP	exports printer definition attributes to a SAS data set.
	TEMPLATE⁺	customizes ODS output.
Create, browse, and edit data	FCMP	enables creation, testing, and storage of SAS functions and subroutines before they are used in other SAS procedures.
	FSLIST	browses external files such as files that contain SAS source lines or SAS procedure output.
	INFOMAPS⁺⁺	creates or updates a SAS Information Map.
	SQL	creates SAS data sets using Structured Query Language and SAS features.
Transform data	DBCSTAB^#	produces conversion tables for the double-byte character sets that SAS supports.
	FORMAT	creates user-defined informats to read data and user-defined formats to display data.
	SORT	sorts SAS data sets by one or more variables.
	SQL	sorts SAS data sets by one or more variables.
	TRANSPOSE	transforms SAS data sets so that observations become variables and variables become observations.
	TRANTAB^#	creates, edits, and displays customized translation tables.
	XSL	transforms an XML document into another format.
Manage SAS files	APPEND	appends one SAS data set to the end of another.
	BMDP^*	invokes a BMDP program to analyze data in a SAS data set.
	CATALOG	manages SAS catalog entries.
	CIMPORT	restores a transport sequential file that PROC CPORT creates (usually in another operating environment) to its original form as a SAS catalog, a SAS data set, or a SAS library.
	CONVERT^*	converts BMDP system files, OSIRIS system files, and SPSS portable files to SAS data sets.
	COPY	copies a SAS library or specific members of the library.
	CPORT	converts a SAS catalog, a SAS data set, or a SAS library to a transport sequential file that PROC CIMPORT can restore (usually in another operating environment) to its original form.
	CV2VIEW^@	converts SAS/ACCESS view descriptors to PROC SQL views.
	DATASETS	manages SAS files.
	EXPORT	reads data from a SAS data set and writes them to an external data source.
	IMPORT	reads data from an external data source and writes them to a SAS data set.
	MIGRATE	migrates members in a SAS library forward to the most current release of SAS.
	PDS^*	lists, deletes, and renames the members of a partitioned data set.
	PDSCOPY^*	copies partitioned data sets from disk to tape, disk to disk, tape to tape, or tape to disk.
	PROTO	enables registration, in batch mode, of external functions that are written in the C or C++ programming languages.
	REGISTRY	imports registry information to the USER portion of the SAS registry.
	RELEASE^*	releases unused space at the end of a disk data set under the z/OS environment.
	SOURCE^*	provides an easy way to back up and process source library data sets.
	SQL	concatenates SAS data sets.
	TAPECOPY^*	copies an entire tape volume or files from one or more tape volumes to one output tape volume.
	TAPELABEL^*	lists the label information of an IBM standard-labeled tape volume in the z/OS environment.
Control windows	PMENU	creates customized menus for SAS applications.
Miscellaneous	DISPLAY	executes SAS/AF applications.
	PWENCODE	encodes passwords for use in SAS programs.
Manage metadata in a SAS Metadata Repository	METADATA^@@	sends a method call, in the form of an XML string, to a SAS Metadata Server.
	METALIB^@@	updates metadata to match the tables in a library.
	METAOPERATE^@@	performs administrative tasks on a metadata server.
* See the SAS documentation for your operating environment for a description of these procedures. + See the SAS Output Delivery System: User's Guide for a description of this procedure. @ See the SAS/ACCESS for Relational Databases: Reference for a description of this procedure. # See the SAS National Language Support (NLS): Reference Guide for a description of this procedure. ** See the SAS/ACCESS Interface to PC Files: Reference for a description of this procedure. ++ See the Base SAS Guide to Information Maps for a description of this procedure. @@ See the SAS Language Interfaces to Metadata for a description of this procedure.

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