You can use different sources of input data in your SAS program:
SAS data sets | can be one of two types: | |
SAS data files | store actual data values. A SAS data file consists of a descriptor portion that describes the data in the file, and a data portion. | |
SAS data views | contain references to data stored elsewhere. A SAS data view uses descriptor information and data from other files. It allow you to dynamically combine data from various sources, without using storage space to create a new data set. Data views consist of DATA step views, PROC SQL views, and SAS/ACCESS views. In most cases, you can use a SAS data view as if it were a SAS data file. | |
For more information, see Chapter 28, "SAS Data Files," on page 487, and Chapter 29, "SAS Data Views," on page 541. | ||
Raw data | specifies unprocessed data that have not been read into a SAS data set. You can read raw data from two sources: | |
External files | contain records comprised of formatted data (data are arranged in columns) or free-formatted data (data that are not arranged in columns ). | |
Instream data | is data included in your program. You use the DATALINES statement at the beginning of your data to identify the instream data. | |
For more information about raw data, see Chapter 21, "Reading Raw Data," on page 357. | ||
Remote access | allows you to read input data from nontraditional sources such as a TCP/IP socket or a URL. SAS treats this data as if it were coming from an external file. SAS allows you to access your input data remotely in the following ways: | |
SAS catalog | specifies the access method that enables you to reference a SAS catalog as an external file. | |
FTP | specifies the access method that enables you to use File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to read from or write to a file from any host machine that is connected to a network with an FTP server running. | |
TCP/IP socket | specifies the access method that enables you to read from or write to a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) socket. | |
URL | specifies the access method that enables you to use the Universal Resource Locator (URL) to read from and write to a file from any host machine that is connected to a network with a URL server running. | |
For more information about accessing data remotely, see FILENAME, CATALOG Access Method; FILENAME, FTP Access Method; FILENAME, SOCKET Access Method; and FILENAME, URL Access Method statements in the Statements section of SAS Language Reference: Dictionary . |