Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:42:16 -0500
Reply-To: Mike Rhoads <RHOADSM1@WESTAT.COM>
Sender: "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From: Mike Rhoads <RHOADSM1@WESTAT.COM>
Subject: Re: NOFMTERR no longer needed when formats are unavailable?
In-Reply-To: <4B7D94293459DE418D902EFAF874C4A70873A03A7D@STPPEX.catmktg.com>
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There's really not a "master" format library with this job. The only accessible formats would have been those built into SAS, and anything in the work catalog (but I didn't create any).
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: Suzanne McCoy [mailto:Suzanne.McCoy@catalinamarketing.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 11:40 AM
To: Mike Rhoads; SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: RE: NOFMTERR no longer needed when formats are unavailable?
Did you look at the master format library to make sure the same format name doesn't already exist there?
-----Original Message-----
From: SAS(r) Discussion [mailto:SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Mike Rhoads
Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 11:34 AM
To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: NOFMTERR no longer needed when formats are unavailable?
Folks,
For many years now, I have been under the impression that the NOFMTERR system option was the only practical way to deal with situations where a SAS data set had user-created formats associated with some or all variables, and the corresponding format catalog was not available.
However, one of my Westat colleagues recently brought the following to my attention:
JOB 1 (create a data set and associate a user-written format with a variable)
libname library 'c:\junk\';
proc format library=library;
value $sexf
'M' = 'Male'
'F' = 'Female'
;
data library.class;
set sashelp.class;
format sex $sexf.;
run;
JOB 2
1 libname junk 'c:\junk\';
NOTE: Libref JUNK was successfully assigned as follows:
Engine: V9
Physical Name: c:\junk
2
3 %PUT Value of FMTERR option is %sysfunc(getoption(fmterr));
Value of FMTERR option is FMTERR
4 data tempclass;
5 set junk.class;
6 format _ALL_;
7 run;
NOTE: There were 19 observations read from the data set JUNK.CLASS.
NOTE: The data set WORK.TEMPCLASS has 19 observations and 5 variables.
As the saying might go, "Look, Ma, no errors or warnings!" format sex; also works.
Did this always work, meaning that I am losing brain cells much more rapidly than I had feared? Or is this a relatively new development? (This was run using SAS 9.1.3 under WinXP.)
Mike Rhoads
RhoadsM1@Westat.com
