SAS Companion for the Microsoft Windows Environment

Overview of Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)

Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) is a method of dynamically exchanging information between Windows applications. DDE uses a client/server relationship to enable a client application to request information from a server application. In Version 8, the SAS System is always the client. In this role, the SAS System requests data from server applications, sends data to server applications, or sends commands to server applications.

You can use DDE with the DATA step, the SAS macro facility, SAS/AF applications, or any other portion of the SAS System that requests and generates data. DDE has many potential uses, one of which is to acquire data from a Windows spreadsheet or database application.

Note: Many Windows programs, including the SAS System, now support OLE to facilitate communication between applications. If you need to share data with an application that supports OLE, you might prefer to use the OLE support that is built into the SAS System. For more information, see About OLE. [cautionend]

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