The SAS system options WORK=, WORKINIT, and WORKTERM affect how you work with temporary and permanent libraries. See SAS Language Reference: Dictionary for complete documentation.

Typically, two-level names represent permanent SAS data sets. A two-level name takes the form libref.SAS-data-set . The libref is a name that is temporarily associated with a SAS data library . A SAS data library is an external storage location that stores SAS data sets in your operating environment. A LIBNAME statement associates the libref with the SAS data library. In the following PROC PRINT step, PROCLIB is the libref and EMP is the SAS data set within the library:

libname proclib '

SAS-data-library

'; 
proc print data=proclib.emp; 
run;

USER Data Library

You can use one-level names for permanent SAS data sets by specifying a USER data library. You can assign a USER data library with a LIBNAME statement or with the SAS system option USER=. After you specify a USER data library, the procedure assumes that data sets with one-level names are in the USER data library instead of the WORK data library. For example, the following PROC PRINT step assumes that DEBATE is in the USER data library:

options user='

SAS-data-library

'; 
proc print data=debate; 
run;

Note: If you have a USER data library defined, then you can still use the WORK data library by specifying WORK. SAS-data-set .

SAS System Options

Some SAS system option settings affect procedure output. The following are the SAS system options that you are most likely to use with SAS procedures:

• BYLINENOBYLINE

• DATENODATE

• DETAILSNODETAILS

• FMTERRNOFMTERR

• FORMCHAR=

• FORMDLIM=

• LABELNOLABEL

• LINESIZE=

• NUMBERNONUMBER

• PAGENO=

• PAGESIZE=

• REPLACENOREPLACE

• SOURCENOSOURCE

For a complete description of SAS system options, see SAS Language Reference: Dictionary .

Data Set Options

Most of the procedures that read data sets or create output data sets accept data set options. SAS data set options appear in parentheses after the data set specification. Here is an example:

proc print data=stocks(obs=25 pw=green);

The individual procedure chapters contain reminders that you can use data set options where it is appropriate.

SAS data set options are

• ALTER=

• BUFNO=

• BUFSIZE=

• CNTLLEV=

• COMPRESS=

• DLDMGACTION=

• DROP=

• ENCODING=

• ENCRYPT=

• FILECLOSE=

• FIRSTOBS=

• GENMAX=

• GENNUM=

• IDXNAME=

• IDXWHERE=

• IN=

• INDEX=

• KEEP=

• LABEL=

• OBS=

• OBSBUF=

• OUTREP=

• POINTOBS=

• PW=

• PWREQ=

• READ=

• RENAME=

• REPEMPTY=

• REPLACE=

• REUSE=

• SORTEDBY=

• SORTSEQ=

• SPILL=

• TOBSNO=

• TYPE=

• WHERE=

• WHEREUP=

• WRITE=

For a complete description of SAS data set options, see SAS Language Reference: Dictionary .

Global Statements

You can use these global statements anywhere in SAS programs except after a DATALINES, CARDS, or PARMCARDS statement: