Profile Catalog

Profile catalog (Sasuser.Profile) is a catalog that is available for customizing how you work with SAS. SAS uses this catalog to store function key definitions, fonts for graphics applications, window attributes, and other information from interactive windowing procedures.

The information in the Sasuser.Profile catalog is accessed automatically by SAS when you need it for processing. For example, each time you enter the KEYS window and change the settings, SAS stores the new settings with the KEYS entry type. Similarly, if you change and save the attributes for interactive window procedures, the changes are stored under the appropriate entry name and type. When you use the window or procedure, SAS then looks for information in the Profile catalog.

SAS creates the Profile catalog the first time it tries to refer to it and discovers that it does not exist. If you are using an interactive windowing environment, this occurs during system initialization in your first SAS session. If you use one of the other modes of execution, the Profile catalog is created the first time you execute a SAS procedure that requires it.

At SAS start-up, SAS checks for an existing uncorrupted Sasuser.Profile catalog. If this catalog is found, then SAS copies the Sasuser.Profile catalog to SASUSER.PROFBAK. The backup is used if the Sasuser.Profile catalog becomes corrupted. For more information, see How to Recover Locked or Corrupt Profile Catalogs.

The default settings for your SAS session are stored in several catalogs in the Sashelp installation library. If you do not make any changes to key settings or other options, SAS uses the default settings. If you make changes, the new information is stored in your Sasuser.Profile catalog. To restore the original default settings, use the CATALOG procedure or the CATALOG window to delete the appropriate entries from your Profile catalog. By default, SAS then uses the corresponding entry from the Sashelp library.

During SAS sessions, you can make customizations, such as window resizing and positioning, and save them to Sasuser.Profile.

Occasionally, a Sasuser.Profile catalog becomes locked or corrupted. SAS uses SASHELP.PROFILE and SASUSER.PROFBAK to replace the locked or corrupted catalog.

If your Sasuser.Profile catalog is locked, SAS checks for SASHELP.PROFILE. If SASHELP.PROFILE exists, SAS copies it to WORK.PROFILE and then saves the customizations in Work.Profile instead of in Sasuser.Profile. The following notes appear in the SAS log:

  ERROR: Expecting page 1, got page -1 instead.
  ERROR: Page validation error while reading SASUSER.PROFILE.CATALOG.
  NOTE: Unable to open SASUSER.PROFILE. WORK.PROFILE will be opened instead.
  NOTE: SASHELP.PROFILE has been copied to WORK.PROFILE.
  NOTE: All profile changes will be lost at the end of the session.

If your Sasuser.Profile catalog is corrupted, SAS copies the corrupted catalog to SASUSER.BADPRO. SAS then checks for SASUSER.PROFBAK. If SASUSER.PROFBAK exists, SAS copies it to Sasuser.Profile. Any changes made to the Sasuser.Profile catalog during the previous session is lost. The following notes appear in the SAS log:

ERROR: Expecting page 1, got page -1 instead.                                   
ERROR: Page validation error while reading SASUSER.PROFILE.CATALOG.             
NOTE: A corrupt SASUSER.PROFILE has been detected. A PROFILE catalog can        
      become corrupt when a SAS session is prematurely terminated.              
NOTE: SASUSER.PROFILE.CATALOG has been renamed to SASUSER.BADPRO.CATALOG.       
NOTE: SASUSER.PROFILE.CATALOG has been restored from SASUSER.PROFBAK.CATALOG.   
NOTE: Changes made to SASUSER.PROFILE.CATALOG during the previous SAS session   
      have been lost. The type of data stored in the PROFILE catalog is         
      typically related to SAS session customizations such as key               
      definitions, fonts for graphics, and window attributes.

If your Sasuser.Profile catalog is corrupted and there is no SASUSER.PROFBAK, SAS checks for SASHELP.PROFILE. If SASHELP.PROFILE exists, SAS copies it to WORK.PROFILE and then saves the customizations in Work.Profile instead of in Sasuser.Profile. The following notes appear in the SAS log:

  ERROR: Expecting page 1, got page -1 instead.
  ERROR: Page validation error while reading SASUSER.PROFILE.CATALOG.
  NOTE: Unable to open SASUSER.PROFILE. WORK.PROFILE will be opened instead.
  NOTE: SASHELP.PROFILE has been copied to WORK.PROFILE.
  NOTE: All profile changes will be lost at the end of the session.