Chapter 7: Statements-Dictionary

ABORT Statement

Stops executing the current DATA step, SAS job, or SAS session

Valid: in a DATA step

Category: Action

Type: Executable

See: ABORT Statement in the documentation for your operating environment.

Syntax

ABORT <ABEND RETURN> < n >;

Without Arguments

If you specify no argument, the ABORT statement produces these results under the following methods of operation:

batch mode and noninteractive mode
- stops processing the current DATA step and writes an error message to the SAS log. Data sets can contain an incomplete number of observations or no observations, depending on when SAS encountered the ABORT statement.
- sets the OBS= system option to 0.
- continues limited processing of the remainder of the SAS job, including executing macro statements, executing system options statements, and syntax checking of program statements.
- creates output data sets for subsequent DATA and PROC steps with no observations.

windowing environment
- stops processing the current DATA step
- creates a data set that contains the observations that are processed before the ABORT statement is encountered
- prints a message to the log that an ABORT statement terminated the DATA step
- continues processing any DATA or PROC steps that follow the ABORT statement.

interactive line mode
- stops processing the current DATA step. Any further DATA steps or procedures execute normally.

Arguments

ABEND

causes abnormal termination of the current SAS job or session. Results depend on the method of operation:
- batch mode and noninteractive mode
  - stops processing immediately
  - sends an error message to the SAS log that states that execution was terminated by the ABEND option of the ABORT statement
  - does not execute any subsequent statements or check syntax
  - returns control to the operating environment; further action is based on how your operating environment and your site treat jobs that end abnormally.
- windowing environment and interactive line mode
  - causes your windowing environment and interactive line mode to stop processing immediately and return you to your operating environment.

RETURN

causes the immediate normal termination of the current SAS job or session. Results depend on the method of operation:
- batch mode and noninteractive mode
  - stops processing immediately
  - sends an error message to the SAS log stating that execution was terminated by the RETURN option of the ABORT statement
  - does not execute any subsequent statements or check syntax
  - returns control to your operating environment with a condition code indicating an error
- windowing environment and interactive line mode
  - causes your windowing environment and interactive line mode to stop processing immediately and return you to your operating environment.

is an integer value that enables you to specify a condition code that SAS returns to the operating environment when it stops executing.
Operating Environment Information: The range of values for n depends on your operating environment.

Details

The ABORT statement causes SAS to stop processing the current DATA step. What happens next depends on

the method you use to submit your SAS statements
the arguments you use with ABORT
your operating environment.

The ABORT statement usually appears in a clause of an IF-THEN statement or a SELECT statement that is designed to stop processing when an error condition occurs.

Note: The return code generated by the ABORT statement is ignored by SAS if the system option ERRORABEND is in effect.

Note: When you execute an ABORT statement in a DATA step, SAS does not use data sets that were created in the step to replace existing data sets with the same name .

Operating Environment Information: The only difference between the ABEND and RETURN options is that with ABEND further action is based on how your operating environment and site treat jobs that end abnormally. RETURN simply returns a condition code that indicates an error.

Comparisons

When you use the SAS windowing environment or interactive line mode, the ABORT statement and the STOP statement both stop processing. The ABORT statement sets the value of the automatic variable _ERROR_ to 1, and the STOP statement does not.
In batch or noninteractive mode, the ABORT and STOP statements also have different effects. Both stop processing, but only ABORT sets the value of the automatic variable _ERROR_ to 1. Use the STOP statement, therefore, when you want to stop only the current DATA step and continue processing with the next step.

Examples

This example uses the ABORT statement as part of an IF-THEN statement to stop execution of SAS when it encounters a data value that would otherwise cause a division-by-zero condition.

 if volume=0 then abort 255;     density=mass/volume;

The n value causes SAS to return the condition code 255 to the operating environment when the ABORT statement executes.