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OBS=

Valid in:	DATA step and PROC steps
Category:	Observation Control
Restriction:	Use with input data sets only.

Syntax Description

n

specifies a positive integer that is less than or equal to the number of observations in the data set or zero.

MAX

represents the total number of observations in the data set.

Details

This option specifies the number of the last observation to process, not how many observations should be processed. It is valid only when an existing SAS data set is read.

Use OBS=0 to create an empty data set that has the structure, but not the attributes, of another data set.

You cannot use the OBS= data set option when a WHERE statement or WHERE= data set option is specified in the same DATA or PROC step.

Comparisons

• The OBS= data set option overrides the OBS= system option for the individual data set.

• While the OBS= data set option specifies an ending point for processing, the FIRSTOBS= data set option specifies a starting point. The two options are often used together to define a range of observations to be processed.

• The OBS= data set option enables you to select observations from SAS data sets. You can select observations to be read from external data files by using the OBS= option in the INFILE statement.

Examples

In this example, the OBS= data set option in the SET statement reads in the first ten observations from data set OLD:

data new;
    set old(obs=10);
run;

This statement prints only observations 5 through 10 in data set STUDY:

proc print data=study(firstobs=5 obs=10);

	Data Set Options: FIRSTOBS=
	Statements: INFILE WHERE
	System Options: OBS=

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