Date:         Mon, 28 Dec 1998 15:43:24 -0600
Reply-To:     Jack Hamilton <jack_hamilton@FIRSTHEALTH.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
From:         Jack Hamilton <jack_hamilton@FIRSTHEALTH.COM>
Subject:      Re: tranferring data files from VMS (6.09) to UNIX (6.12)
Comments: To: paulette@fiu.edu
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Paulette Johnson <paulette@fiu.edu> wrote:
 
>I have tried to use cport and cimport to tranfer SAS data files from the
>VAX to our new machine.  I am just an amateur with UNIX and although I
>have many manuals, I don't have the correct tech report (P-195?).
>
>Here's what I've done so far.
>
>(1) ********Used cport to save a transport datafile***********************
 
I have had more consistent luck using transport datasets created with
the XPORT engine with PROC COPY than I have had using CPORT and CIMPORT.
 
Also, PROC COPY lets you selectively import datasets, whereas PROC CIMPORT
requires you to import all the datasets.
 
[...]
 
>VMS called the new file bothbin.dat.
>
>(2) I ftped this file using a binary transfer to the UNIX machine which I
>believed worked (IMAGE retrieve of file).
 
This might also be a problem.  Make sure that the file on the VMS side
has the proper attributes (probably fixed records length=80).  There
might be some kind of carriage control attribute you have to set; check
the online usage notes.
 
>Any help would be greatly appreciated.  I have a lot of files that need to
>be transported this week before the VAX goes down.
>Thanks in advance.
 
If you have SAS/CONNECT on both machines, you could use PROC UPLOAD (or
PROC DOWNLOAD) to transfer the datasets without transport-format
intermediaries.
 
You might be able to use the SASFFIO (I think) experimental engine on the
Unix machine to read the VMS datasets directly (I haven't had any luck
with that from Windows, but I don't know if it's a Windows bug or an
engine bug).
 
You might also take a look at DBMS/COPY (www.conceptual.com), but it
might not fit your schedule.