Ways to Read Raw Data

You can read raw data by using one of the following items:

When you read raw data with a DATA step, you can use a combination of the INPUT, DATALINES, and INFILE statements. SAS automatically reads your data when you use these statements. For more information about these statements, see Reading Raw Data with the INPUT Statement.

You can also use SAS functions to manipulate external files and to read records of raw data. These functions provide more flexibility in handling raw data. For a description of available functions, see the SAS File I/O and External File categories in xisError - link not found - The element p0w6napahk6x0an0z2dzozh2ouzm was not found in the link database . For more information about how statements and functions manipulate files differently, see xisError - link not found - The element n0mpsdy5ldzhepn1heb0zsodu8or was not found in the link database .

If your operating environment supports a graphical user interface, you can use the EFI or the Import Wizard to read raw data. The EFI is a point-and-click graphical interface that you can use to read and write data that is not in SAS software's internal format. By using EFI, you can read data from an external file and write it to a SAS data set. You also can read data from a SAS data set and write it to an external file. See SAS/ACCESS Interface to PC Files: Reference for more information about EFI.

The Import Wizard guides you through the steps to read data from an external data source and write it to a SAS data set. As a wizard, it is a series of windows that present simple choices to guide you through a process. See SAS/ACCESS Interface to PC Files: Reference for more information about the wizard.