I suspect, although I am not sure, that coding the delimiter option (DLM=',') overrides the default delimiter list, so that the embedded space is no longer a delimiter. I think the only problem is defaulting the length of COMMENT. Tim Berryhill - Contract Programmer and General Wizard TWB2@PGE.COM or http://www.aartwolf.com/twb.html Frequently at Pacific Gas & Electric Co., San Francisco The correlation coefficient between their views and my postings is slightly less than 0

> ---------- > From: GORRELP1[SMTP:GORRELP1@WESTAT.COM] > Reply To: GORRELP1 > Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 1999 2:20 PM > To: SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU > Subject: Re: Delimited text file fields longer than 8 characters > > Use the colon format modifier, as described on pp. 47,48 of SAS Language > and > Procedures, Usage, Version 6. > > Paul Gorrell > gorrelp1@westat.com > > ____________________Reply Separator____________________ > Subject: Delimited text file fields longer than 8 characters > Author: "Boylan; Dave" <dboylan@UTILICORP.COM> > Date: 1/27/99 1:52 PM > > I'm having trouble reading a delimited text file with varying length > fields > longer than 8 characters. It seems that SAS truncates the character field > after the 8th character. For example, a text file record like: > > 100,9999,bill,hello world,755 > > read with the following SAS program: > > Data Junk; > infile raw dlm=','; > input num1 num2 name $ comment $ num3; > run; > > Gives the following results: > > num1 num2 name comment num3; > 100 9999 bill hello w orld755 > > I'm sure that I am missing something simple here. > > Thanks > -------------------------------------- > David Boylan > Corporate Forecasting > UtiliCorp United, Inc. > 816.467.3062 > -------------------------------------- >