Chapter 27: SAS Data Sets

Definition of a SAS Data Set

A SAS data set is a SAS file stored in a SAS data library that SAS creates and processes. A SAS data set contains data values that are organized as a table of observations (rows) and variables ( columns ) that can be processed by SAS software. A SAS data set also contains descriptor information such as the data types and lengths of the variables, as well as which engine was used to create the data.

A SAS data set can be one of the following:

SAS data file	contains both the data and the descriptor information. SAS data files have a member type of DATA. For specific information, see Chapter 28, "SAS Data Files," on page 487
SAS data view	is a virtual data set that points to data from other sources. SAS data views have a member type of VIEW. For specific information, see Chapter 29, "SAS Data Views," on page 541.

Note  

The term SAS data set is used when a SAS data view and a SAS data file can be used in the same manner.