Hack 3.9 Determining Whether a SAS Transport File was Created by PROC CPORT or PROC COPY

SAS Programming Professionals,

Did you know that you can easily tell the difference between a SAS transport file created by PROC COPY and one created by PROC CPORT?

SAS has two types of transport files:  those created with PROC COPY and those created with PROC CPORT.  Transport files are linear SAS files used to transport SAS data sets between operating systems or between versions of SAS.  You must use PROC COPY to recreate SAS data sets from transport files created by PROC COPY and you must use PROC CIMPORT to recreate SAS data sets created by PROC CIMPORT.  But, what do you do if you are not sure which SAS procedure was used to create a particular transport file?

PROC COPY creates a file whose first 40 characters contain this ASCII text:

        HEADER RECORD*******LIBRARY HEADER RECORD!!!!!!!00

PROC CPORT creates a file whose first 40 characters contain this ASCII text:

**COMPRESSED** **COMPRESSED** **COMPRESSED** **COM

…so you can either peek at the file using a text editor, or run a simple SAS program that dumps the first record of the file.  Consider this example:

/*Create transport file with PROC CPORT*/

filename cportfil "c:\temp\class_cport.xpt" ;

proc cport data=sashelp.class file=cportfil;

run;

/*Create transport file with PROC COPY*/

libname xportout xport "c:\temp\class_copy.xpt";

proc copy in=sashelp out=xportout;

    select class;

run;

/*Dump CPORT transport file */

data _null_;

if _n_ = 1 then do;

    put ;

    put "dump of CPORT transport file";

    put ;

end;

infile cportfil obs=1;

   input theline $ascii80. ;

   put theline;

run;

/*Dump PROC COPY transport file */

filename copyfil "c:\temp\class_copy.xpt";

data _null_;

   if _n_ = 1 then do;

    put ;

    put "dump of COPY transport file";

    put ;

end;

infile copyfil obs=1;

   input theline $ascii80. ;

   put theline;

run;

We first create a SAS transport file using PROC CPORT and then create one with PROC COPY.  Then, we use a DATA _NULL_ step to dump the first observation of the CPORT transport file, followed by one that dumps the first record of the COPY transport file.  The log for the two DATA _NULL_ steps looks in part like this:

20   /*Dump CPORT transport file */

21   data _null_;

22   if _n_ = 1 then do;

23       put ;

24       put "dump of CPORT transport file";

25       put ;

26   end;

27   infile cportfil obs=1;

28      input theline $ascii80. ;

29      put theline;

30   run;

NOTE: The infile CPORTFIL is:

      Filename=c:\temp\class_cport.xpt,

      RECFM=V,LRECL=256,File Size (bytes)=1920,

      Last Modified=04Dec2011:20:43:55,

      Create Time=04Dec2011:20:27:58

dump of CPORT transport file

**COMPRESSED** **COMPRESSED** **COMPRESSED** **COMPRESSED** **COMPRESSED********

32   /*Dump PROC COPY transport file */

33   filename copyfil "c:\temp\class_copy.xpt";

34   data _null_;

35      if _n_ = 1 then do;

36       put ;

37       put "dump of COPY transport file";

38       put ;

39   end;

40   infile copyfil obs=1;

41      input theline $ascii80. ;

42      put theline;

43   run;

NOTE: The infile COPYFIL is:

      Filename=c:\temp\class_copy.xpt,

      RECFM=V,LRECL=256,File Size (bytes)=2080,

      Last Modified=04Dec2011:20:43:55,

      Create Time=04Dec2011:20:27:59

dump of COPY transport file

HEADER RECORD*******LIBRARY HEADER RECORD!!!!!!!000000000000000000000000000000

Note the difference!

Best of luck in all your SAS endeavors!

----MMMMIIIIKKKKEEEE

(aka Michael A. Raithel)

Excerpt from the book:  Did You Know That?  Essential Hacks for Clever SAS Programmers

http://www.amazon.com/Michael-A.-Raithel/e/B001K8GG90/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

I plan to post each and every one of the hacks in the book to social media on a weekly basis.  Please pass them along to colleagues who you know would benefit.