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RENAME |
Optional statement | |
Applies to: | access descriptor or view descriptor |
Interacts with: | ASSIGN, RESET |
Syntax | |
Details |
Syntax |
RENAME
<'>column-identifier-1<'><=>
SAS-variable-name-1 <...<'>column-identifier-n<'><=> SAS-variable-name-n>; |
Details |
The RENAME statement enters or modifies the SAS variable name that is associated with a column in a PC file. Use the RENAME statement when creating an access descriptor or a view descriptor.
An editing statement, such as RENAME, must follow the CREATE statement and the database-description statements when you create a descriptor. See CREATE for more information on the order of statements.
Two factors affect the use of the RENAME statement: whether you specify the ASSIGN statement when you are creating an access descriptor, and the kind of descriptor you are creating.
When creating a view descriptor that is based on this access descriptor, you can specify the RESET statement or another RENAME statement to rename the variable again, but the new name applies only in that view. When you create other view descriptors, the SAS variable names are derived from the access descriptor variable names.
The column-identifier argument can be either the PC file column name or the positional equivalent from the LIST statement, which is the number that represents the column's place in the descriptor. For example, to rename the SAS variable names that are associated with the seventh column and the nine-character FIRSTNAME column in a descriptor, submit the following statement:
rename 7 birthdy 'firstname'=fname;
The column name (or positional equivalent) is specified on the left side of the expression, with the SAS variable name on the right side. The equal sign (=) is optional. If the column name contains lowercase characters, special characters, or national characters, enclose the name in quotes. You can rename as many columns as you want in one RENAME statement.
When you are creating a view descriptor, the RENAME statement automatically selects the renamed column for the view. That is, if you rename the SAS variable associated with a column, you do not have to issue a SELECT statement for that column.
When you are creating an access descriptor, the RENAME statement also reselects columns that were previously dropped with the DROP statement.
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Copyright 1999 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.