Chapter Contents

Previous

Next

BUFSIZE=

Language element:	system option
Default:	0
Valid in:	configuration file, SAS invocation, OPTIONS statement, System Options window, VMS_SAS_OPTIONS DCL symbol
OpenVMS specifics:	valid values for n

n | nK | nM | nG

specifies the buffer size in bytes (n), kilobytes (nK), megabytes (nM), or gigabytes (nG).

MIN

sets the number of buffers to 0 and requires SAS to use a default value. Under OpenVMS, the default value is 0. The minimum number is -2147483648.

MAX

sets the number of buffers to the largest signed, 4-byte integer representable in your operating environment. Under OpenVMS, the maximum number is +2147483647 or 2 gigabytes.

hexX

specifies the number of buffers as a hexadecimal number. This number must be followed by an X, as in hexadecimal-valueX.

Details

The BUFSIZE= system option specifies the permanent buffer size for output SAS data sets. Under OpenVMS, the size of the buffer can range from 0 to 2,147,483,647 (2 gigabytes). The value is always rounded up to the next multiple of 512 bytes. If the value is 0, the engine picks a value depending on the size of the observation. The default value is 0. The value of BUFSIZE is saved with the data set and be viewed with PROC CONTENTS or a similar window.

You may want to vary the value of the BUFSIZE= system option if you are trying to maximize memory usage or the number of observations per page.

Comparisons

The BUFSIZE= system option can be overridden by the BUFSIZE data set option.

See Also

• BUFSIZE= system option in SAS Language Reference: Dictionary

• Using the BUFSIZE= Option

• Data set option: BUFSIZE=

• System option: BUFNO=

Chapter Contents

Previous

Next

Top of Page

Copyright 1999 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.