The DATASETS Procedure

DELETE Statement

Deletes SAS files from a SAS data library.

Featured in: Manipulating SAS Files

DELETESAS-file(s)
</ <ALTER=alter-password>
<GENNUM=ALL|HIST|REVERT|integer>
<MEMTYPE=mtype>>;

Required Arguments

SAS-file(s): specifies one or more SAS files that you want to delete.

Options

ALTER=alter-password

provides the alter password for any alter-protected SAS files that you want to delete. You can use the ALTER= option in parentheses after the name of each SAS file or after a forward slash.

GENNUM=ALL|HIST|REVERT|integer

restricts processing to the specified generation files. Valid values for GENNUM= are

ALL: refers to the base name and all generations.
HIST: refers to all generations (excludes the base name).
REVERT: refers to deleting the base name and changing the most current generation file, if it exists, to the base name.
postive integer: refers to an explicit generation file.
negative integer: refers to a relative generation file.

MEMTYPE=mtype

restricts processing to one member type (mtype).

Aliases:	MT=, MTYPE=
Default:	DATA
See also:	Restricting Member Types Available for Processing
Featured in:	Manipulating SAS Files

Details

The SAS System immediately deletes SAS files when the RUN group executes. You do not have an opportunity to verify the delete operation before it begins.
If you attempt to delete a SAS file that does not exist in the procedure input library, PROC DATASETS issues a message and continues processing.
When you use the DELETE statement to delete a data set that has indexes associated with it, the statement also deletes the indexes.
You cannot use the DELETE statement to delete a data file that has a foreign key integrity constraint or a primary key with foreign key references. For data files that have foreign keys, you must remove the foreign keys before you delete the data file. For data files that have primary keys with foreign key references, you must remove the foreign keys that reference the primary key before you delete the data file.

Working with Generation Groups
When you are working with generation groups, you can use the DELETE statement to

delete the base name and all generations
delete the base name and rename the youngest generation to the base name
delete a specific generation
delete a relative generation
delete all generations and leave the base name.

Delete the Base Name and All Generations

The following statements delete the base name and all generations where the base name is A:

proc datasets;
   delete A(gennum=all);

proc datasets;
   delete A / gennum=all;

proc datasets gennum=all;
   delete A;

The following statements delete the base name and all generations where the base name begins with the letter A:

proc datasets;
   delete A:(gennum=all);

proc datasets;
   delete A: / gennum=all;

proc datasets gennum=all;
   delete A:;

Delete the Base Name and Rename Youngest Generation to the Base Name

The following statements delete the base name and rename the youngest generation to the base name, where the base name is A:

proc datasets;
   delete A(gennum=revert);

proc datasets;
   delete A / gennum=revert;

proc datasets gennum=revert;
   delete A;

The following statements delete the base name and rename the youngest generation to the base name, where the base name begins with the letter "A":
```
proc datasets;
   delete A:(gennum=revert);

proc datasets;
   delete A: / gennum=revert;

proc datasets gennum=revert;
   delete A:;
```

Delete a Specific Generation

The following statements delete the first generation that uses an absolute number:

proc datasets;
   delete A(gennum=1);

proc datasets;
   delete A / gennum=1;

proc datasets gennum=1;
   delete A;

The following statements delete a specific generation, where the base name begins with the letter A:

proc datasets;
   delete A:(gennum=1);

proc datasets;
   delete A: / gennum=1;

proc datasets gennum=1;
   delete A:;

Delete a Relative Generation

The following statements delete the youngest version, where the base name is A, using a relative number:

proc datasets;
   delete A(gennum=-1);

proc datasets;
   delete A / gennum=-1;

proc datasets gennum=-1;
   delete A;

The following statements delete a relative generation, where the base name begins with the letter A:

proc datasets;
   delete A:(gennum=-1);

proc datasets;
   delete A: / gennum=-1;

proc datasets gennum=-1;
   delete A:;

Delete all Generations and Leave the Base Name

The following statements delete all generations and leave the base name, where the base name is A:

proc datasets;
   delete A(gennum=hist);

proc datasets;
   delete A / gennum=hist;

proc datasets gennum=hist;
   delete A;

The following statements delete all generations and leave the base name, where the base name begins with the letter A:

proc datasets;
   delete A:(gennum=hist);

proc datasets;
   delete A: / gennum=hist;

proc datasets gennum=hist;
   delete A:;

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