BUFNO= Data Set Option: UNIX

Specifies the number of buffers to be allocated for processing a SAS data set.
Valid in: DATA step and PROC steps
Category: Data Set Control
Default: 1
Engine: V9, V8, V6
UNIX specifics: default value
See: BUFNO= Data Set Option in SAS Data Set Options: Reference

Syntax

BUFNO=n | nK | hexX | MIN | MAX

Required Arguments

n | nK
specifies the number of buffers in multiples of 1 (bytes); 1,024 (kilobytes). For example, a value of 8 specifies 8 buffers, and a value of 1k specifies 1024 buffers.
hexX
specifies the number of buffers as a hexadecimal value. You must specify the value beginning with a number (0–9), followed by hexadecimal characters (0–9, A–F), and then followed by an X. For example the value 2dx specifies 45 buffers.
MIN
sets the minimum number of buffers to 0, which causes SAS to use the minimum optimal value for the operating environment.
MAX
sets the number of buffers to the maximum possible number in your operating environment, up to the largest four-byte signed integer, which is 231–1, or approximately 2 billion.

Details

The buffer number is not a permanent attribute of the data set; it is valid only for the current SAS step. BUFNO= applies to SAS data sets that are opened for input, output, or update.

See Also

System Options: