Ways to Read Raw Data

You can read raw data by using:

• SAS statements

• SAS functions

• External File Interface (EFI)

• Import Wizard.

When you read raw data with a DATA step, you can use a combination of the INPUT, DATALINES, and INFILE statements. SAS automatically reads your data when you use these statements. For more information on these statements, see "Reading Raw Data with the INPUT Statement" on page 362.

You can also use SAS functions to manipulate external files and to read records of raw data. These functions provide more flexibility in handling raw data. For a description of available functions, see the External File and SAS File I/O categories in "Functions and CALL Routines by Category" in SAS Language Reference: Dictionary . For further information about how statements and functions manipulate files differently, see "Functions and CALL Routines" on page 38.

If your operating environment supports a graphical user interface, you can use the EFI or the Import Wizard to read raw data. The EFI is a point-and-click graphical interface that you can use to read and write data that is not in SAS software's internal format. By using EFI, you can read data from an external file and write it to a SAS data set, and you can read data from a SAS data set and write it to an external file. See SAS/ACCESS for PC Files: Reference for more information about EFI.

The Import Wizard guides you through the steps to read data from an external data source and write it to a SAS data set. As a wizard, it is a series of windows that present simple choices to guide you through a process. See SAS/ACCESS for PC Files: Reference for more information on the wizard.

Operating Environment Information: Using external files with your SAS jobs requires that you specify file names with syntax that is appropriate to your operating environment. See the SAS documentation for your operating environment for more information.