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LENGTH

LENGTH



Specifies the number of bytes the SAS System uses to store variables

Valid: in a DATA step
OS/2 specifics: Valid numeric variable lengths; valid values for length; valid values for n


Syntax
Details
See Also

Syntax

LENGTH <variable-1><...variable-n> <$> <length> <DEFAULT=n>;

length
under OS/2, can range from 3 to 8 bytes for numeric variables.

DEFAULT=n
changes the default number of bytes used for storing the values of newly created numeric variables from 8 to the value of n. Under OS/2, the value of n can range from 3 to 8 bytes.


Details

The LENGTH statement specifies the number of bytes the SAS System is to use for storing values of variables in each data set being created.

CAUTION:
Any length less than 8 bytes may result in a loss of precision for the value of the variable.   [cautionend]

See Also


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