UNIQUE

UNIQUE

Generates unique SAS names based on item names

Optional statement

Applies to: view descriptor

Syntax
Details

Syntax

UNIQUE|UN<=> YES|NO|Y|N;

Details

The UNIQUE statement specifies whether the SAS/ACCESS interface should generate unique SAS variable names for items for which SAS variable names or variable attributes have not been entered.

Use of the UNIQUE statement is affected by whether you specified the ASSIGN statement when creating the access descriptor on which this view is based.

If you specified the ASSIGN statement with a YES value, you cannot specify the UNIQUE statement when creating a view. The YES value causes the SAS System to generate unique names, so the UNIQUE statement is not necessary.
If you omitted the ASSIGN statement or specified it with a NO value, you must resolve any duplicate SAS variable names in the view descriptor. You can use the UNIQUE statement to automatically generate unique names, or you can use the RENAME statement to resolve these duplicate names yourself. See the RENAME statement earlier in this chapter for information on it.

If duplicate SAS variable names exist in the access descriptor on which you are creating a view descriptor, you can specify the UNIQUE statement to resolve the duplication. You specify the YES (or Y) value to have the SAS/ACCESS interface append numbers to any duplicate SAS variable names, thus making each variable name unique.

If you specify a NO (or N) value for the UNIQUE statement, the SAS/ACCESS interface continues to allow duplicate SAS variable names to exist. You must resolve these duplicate names before saving (and thereby creating) the view descriptor.

If you are running your SAS/ACCESS job in noninteractive or batch mode, it is recommended that you use the UNIQUE statement. If you do not and the SAS System encounters duplicate SAS variable names in a view descriptor, your job will fail.

UN is the alias for this statement.

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