Catalog Names

Parts of a Catalog Name

SAS catalog entries are fully identified by a four-level name in the following form:

libref.catalog.entry-name.entry-type

You commonly specify the two-level name for an entire catalog, as follows:

libref.catalog

libref: is the logical name of the SAS data library to which the catalog belongs.
catalog: is a valid SAS name for the file.

The entry name and entry type are required by some SAS procedures. If the entry type has been specified elsewhere or if it can be determined from context, you can use the entry name alone. To specify entry names and entry types, use this form:

entry-name.entry-type

entry-name: is a valid SAS name for the catalog entry.
entry-type: is assigned by SAS when the entry is created.

Accessing Information in Catalogs

In base SAS software, SAS catalog entries are generally accessed automatically by SAS when the information stored in them is required for processing. In other SAS software products, you must specify the catalog entry in various procedures. Because the requirements differ with the SAS procedure or software product, refer to the appropriate procedure or product documentation for details.

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