In the context of DATA step processing, the terms reading, combining
and modifying have these meanings:
- Reading a SAS data set
- refers
to opening a SAS data set and bringing an observation into the
program data vector for processing.
- Combining SAS data sets
- refers to reading data from two or more SAS data sets and
processing them by
- concatenating
- interleaving
- one-to-one
reading
- one-to-one merging
- match-merging
- updating a master data set with a
transaction data set.
The methods for combining SAS data sets are defined in
Combining SAS Data Sets: Methods.
- Modifying SAS data sets
- refers to using the MODIFY statement to update information
in a SAS data set in place. The MODIFY statement can save disk space because
it modifies data in place, without creating a copy of the data set. You can
modify a SAS data set with programming statements or with information that
is stored in another data set.
Copyright 1999 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.
