Using a DBCS Language with SAS

What You'll Need to Use DBCS Languages with the SAS System

You must have the following in order to display data sets containing DBCS characters on your computer system:

system support for local functions or for multiple code pages
DBCS fonts corresponding to the languages you intend to use.

If you need to generate your own Asian language characters for use with SAS software, you'll need a computer that supports DBCS. These computers are available on a limited basis in the US and Europe. These Asian language computer systems use various methods of creating the characters. In one popular method, the user types the phonic pronunciation of the character, often using English letters. The computer then pops up a menu of like-sounding characters and prompts the user to select one of them.

If you intend to use Asian language characters in your SAS session, you'll need to become familiar with turning on the DBCS capability and specifying which language and computer platform to use. See the SAS Language Reference: Dictionary for more information on these system options:

System Option Description

DBCS Turns on the capability to handle DBCS characters

DBCSLANG Specifies the language to use

DBCSTYPE Specifies the manufacturer's encoding system to use

Most of the time, you'll use all three of these system options together. Here is an example of how they are used in a SAS configuration file:

System Option	Description
DBCS	Turns on the capability to handle DBCS characters
DBCSLANG	Specifies the language to use
DBCSTYPE	Specifies the manufacturer's encoding system to use

options dbcs               /*turn on DBCS*/

        dbcstype=IBM       /*specify the IBM  mainframe
                             environment(encoding scheme)*/ 
        dbcslang=JAPANESE; /*specify the Japanese language 
                             (coded character set)*/

When You Can Use DBCS Features

Once you've set up your SAS session to recognize a specific DBCS language and computer platform, you'll be able to work with your specified language in these general areas:

the DATA step and batch-oriented procedures
windowing and interactive capabilities
cross-system connectivity and compatibility
access to databases
graphics.

In a DATA step and in batch-oriented procedures, you can use DBCS wherever a text string within quotation marks is allowed. Variable values, variable labels, and data set labels can all be in DBCS. DBCS can also be used as input data and with range and label specifications in the FORMAT procedure.

Note: Variable names cannot be in DBCS. They must conform to SAS naming conventions. [cautionend]
In WHERE expression processing, you can search for embedded DBCS text.

Using a DBCS with SAS on a Mainframe

Another type of DBCS encoding scheme exists on mainframe systems, which combine DBCS support with the 3270-style data stream. Each DBCS character string is surrounded by escape codes called shift out/shift in, or SO/SI. These codes originated from the need for the old-style printers to shift out from the EBCDIC character set, to the DBCS character set. The major manufacturers have different encoding schemes for SO/SI; some manufacturers pad DBCS code with one byte of shift code information while others pad the DBCS code with two bytes of shift code information. These differences can cause problems in reading DBCS information on mainframes.

PCs, minicomputers, and workstations do not have SO/SI but have their own types of DBCS encoding schemes that differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. SAS has several formats and informats that can handle DBCS on SO/SI systems:

Keyword Language
Element Description

$KANJI informat Removes SO/SI from Japanese Kanji DBCS

$KANJIX informat Adds SO/SI to Japanese Kanji DBCS

$KANJI format Adds SO/SI to Japanese Kanji DBCS

$KANJIX format Removes SO/SI from Japanese Kanji DBCS

Keyword	Language Element	Description
$KANJI	informat	Removes SO/SI from Japanese Kanji DBCS
$KANJIX	informat	Adds SO/SI to Japanese Kanji DBCS
$KANJI	format	Adds SO/SI to Japanese Kanji DBCS
$KANJIX	format	Removes SO/SI from Japanese Kanji DBCS

Converting Data from One DBCS Encoding Scheme to Another

Normally, DBCS data that is generated on one computer system is incompatible with data generated on another computer system, due to differences between manufacturers, mentioned earlier. SAS has features that allow conversion from one DBCS source to another, as shown in the following table.

Language Element

Type

Use

KVCT function Converts DBCS data from one operating environment to another

CPORT procedure Moves files from one environment to another

CIMPORT
procedure
Imports a transport file created by CPORT

Language Element	Type	Use
KVCT	function	Converts DBCS data from one operating environment to another
CPORT	procedure	Moves files from one environment to another
CIMPORT	procedure	Imports a transport file created by CPORT

Avoiding Problems with Split DBCS Character Strings

When working with DBCS characters, review your data to make sure that SAS recognizes the entire character string when data is imported or converted or used in a DATA or a PROC step.
On mainframe systems that employ shift out/shift in escape codes, DBCS character strings may become truncated during conversion across operating environments.
There is a possibility that DBCS character strings can be split when working with the PRINT, REPORT, TABULATE, and FREQ procedures. If undesirable splitting occurs, you may have to add spaces on either side of your DBCS character string to force the split to occur in a better place. The SPLIT= option may also be used with PROC REPORT and PROC PRINT to force string splitting in a better location.

DATA Step Functions Designed to Handle DBCS

Several DATA step functions, all beginning with the letter K, have been developed for working with DBCS:

KCOMPRESS: removes specific characters from a character string.
KCOUNT: returns the number of double-byte characters in a string.
KINDEX: searches a character expression for a string of characters.
KLEFT: left aligns a SAS character expression by removing unnecessary heading DBCS blanks and SO/SI.
KLENGTH: returns the length of an argument.
KLOWCASE: converts all letters in an argument to lowercase.
KREVERSE: reverses a character expression.
KRIGHT: right aligns a character expression by trimming trailing DBCS blanks and SO/SI.
KSCAN: selects a given word from an expression.
KSTRCAT: concatenates two or more character strings.
KSUBSTR: extracts a substring from an argument.
KSUBSTRB: extracts a substring from an argument based on byte position.
KTRANSLATE: replaces specific characters in a character expression.
KTRIM: removes trailing DBCS blanks and SO/SI from character expressions.
KTRUNCATE: truncates a numeric value to a specified length.
KUPCASE: converts all single-byte letters in an argument to uppercase.
KUPDATE: inserts, deletes and replaces character value constants.
KVERIFY: returns the position of the first character that is unique to an expression.

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