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FORMAT |
Optional statement | |
Applies to: | access descriptor or view descriptor |
Interacts with: | ASSIGN, DROP, RESET |
Syntax | |
Details |
Syntax |
FORMAT|FMT
<'>column-identifier-1<'><=>
SAS-format-name-1 <...<'>column-identifier-n<'><=> SAS-format-name-n>; |
Details |
The FORMAT statement changes a SAS variable format from its default format; the default SAS variable format is based on the data type and format of the PC file column. (See your PC file format chapter for information on the default data types and formats that the SAS System assigns to PC file data.)
An editing statement, such as FORMAT, must follow the CREATE statement and the database-description statements when you create a descriptor. See CREATE for more information on the order of statements.
The column-identifier argument can be either the column name or the positional equivalent from the LIST statement, which is the number that represents the column's place in the access descriptor. For example, to associate the DATE9. format with the BIRTHDATE column and with the second column in the access descriptor, submit the following statement:
format 2=date9. birthdate=date9.;
The column identifier is specified on the left and the SAS format is specified on the right of the expression. The equal sign (=) is optional. If the column name contains lowercase characters, special characters, or national characters, enclose the name in quotes. You can enter formats for as many columns as you want in one FORMAT statement.
You can use the FORMAT statement with a view descriptor
only if the ASSIGN statement that was used when creating the access descriptor
was specified with the
NO
value.
Note: When you use the FORMAT statement with access descriptors, the FORMAT statement
also reselects columns that were previously dropped with the DROP statement.
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Copyright 1999 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.