Date:         Fri, 24 Mar 2006 07:25:48 -0500
Reply-To:     Jim Groeneveld <jim2stat@YAHOO.CO.UK>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Jim Groeneveld <jim2stat@YAHOO.CO.UK>
Subject:      SAS viewer v9 not fully compatible

Hi friends,

While the SAS viewers of the different SAS versions do not use user
specified formats for presentation, they allow datasets to be shown with
either unformatted values or formatted values, where those formats only
apply to internal SAS formats, not user defined formats. It just ignores
the stored references to associated user defined formats.

Since SAS vs. 9 (which subversion???) its docs clearly indicate that the
maximum length of the format names has increased:
- from 8 to 32 for a numeric format
- from 7 to 31 for a numeric informat
- from 7 to 31 for a character format
- from 6 to 30 for a character informat
Could anyone of you indicate which subversion of 9 was the first one to
allow for langer format names?

And indeed SAS vs. 9.1.3 allows to process my numeric format with a name of
9 characters. And so does Enterprise Guide vs. 3.0{.2.414}. But the SAS
viewer vs. 9.130.0.30 aborts on that format with an "Unknown error"; it
refuses to load the dataset. The SAS viewer vs. 8.2.1.0 shows the same
error message, while it displays other SAS9 datasets correctly.

So, in order to be able to use the SAS viewer for quick dataset display,
also in cases where there is no other SAS software, one has to stick to the
previous limited user format names. I know one should never look a gift
horse in the mouth and half a loaf is better than none, but one should
reckon with this limitation. Gradually I am wondering what the extra value
of the SAS9 viewer is over the SAS8 one, except for a smaller installation
package.

Regards - Jim.
--
Jim Groeneveld, Netherlands
Statistician, SAS consultant
home.hccnet.nl/jim.groeneveld

P.S. Could anyone of you indicate which subversion of 9 was the first one
to allow for langer format names?

P.P.S. For those of you going to SUGI tomorrow: have a very nice time
meeting each other. I wished I would be there, but I can't. Enjoy it!