_all_;

If your friend uses option EXTENDSN= NO in cimport will stop 'advance the length'. The length change may bomb existing programs. For example, proc append without force option.

Hope it helps!

data t1; length x1 3 x2 4 x3 5 x4 6 x5 7 x6 8; retain x1-x6 0; run;

proc contents data=t1;run; proc cport data=t1 file='c:\temp\test.cpt'; run;

libname s 'd:\temp'; proc cimport lib=s infile='c:\temp\test.cpt';* EXTENDSN= NO ; run;

proc contents data=s.t1;run;

proc append base=t1 data=s.t1;run;

Douglas Dame wrote:

> Prasad Ravi wrote: > > > ... he did was created the SAS Transport file of a SAS > > Library using PROC COPY (version SAS 6.12, host UNIX), > > to check to make sure this was done right, he recreated > > back the SAS Library from this Transport file and > > compared all the datasets before and after, for some > > variables in few datasets it turned out that attributes > > changed. > > > > There's three steps of this process: > (1) write the SASdata in "transport" (i.e., platform-independent) format > (2) move it from machine A to machine B (e.g., with FTP) > (3) write the data out onto the new machine in platform-specific format. > > Obviously, you hope that the data is NOT changed during step 2. That would > be called a transmission error. > > So the introduction of additional bits in the numeric varbles to ensure they > don't lose significant digits on a different platform/OS can only happen > during the "wax on" or the "wax off" phase. SAS probably flipped a coin and > chose "wax on." > > How does this create "a problem" for your friend? He still has the dataset > in its original form if the carefully crafted "width" is desperately > critical, and the test is somewhat unrealistic .... the reason you create a > transport dataset in the first place is because you need to move > cross-platform. > > (You could conceivably use a transport format to send SASdata to someone > using the same OS, but having an older version of SAS, e.g., from V7 to V6. > But in that case, it'd be more efficient to create a copy of the dataset > using the V6 engine, rather than the transport one.) > > HTH > > Douglas Dame > Shands HealthCare > Gainesville FL > > (with all due apologies to Karate Kid fans, > I know you're both out there somewhere)