used to read data originally written with the corresponding native mode formats on an
IBM mainframe.
Note: Anytime a text file originates from anywhere other than the local encoding
environment, it might be necessary to specify the ENCODING= option on either
EBCDIC or ASCII systems. When you read an EBCDIC text file on an ASCII
platform, it is recommended that you specify the ENCODING= option in the
FILENAME or INFILE statement. However, if you use the DSD and the DLM= or
DLMSTR= options on the FILENAME or INFILE statement, the ENCODING=
option is a requirement because these options require certain characters in the session
encoding (such as quotation marks, commas, and blanks). Reserve encoding-specific
informats for use with true binary files that contain both character and non-character
fields.
For complete descriptions of all SAS formats and informats, including how numeric
binary data is written, see SAS Formats and Informats: Reference.
Reading Column-Binary Data
Definition
column-binary data storage
is an older form of data storage that is no longer widely used and is not needed by
most SAS users. Column-binary data storage compresses data so that more than 80
items of data can be stored on a single “virtual” punched card. The advantage is that
this method enables you to store more data in the same amount of space. Because
card-image data sets remain in existence, SAS provides informats for reading
column-binary data. See “Description of Column-Binary Data Storage” on page 446
for a more detailed explanation of column-binary data storage.
How to Read Column-Binary Data
To read column-binary data with SAS, you need to know:
• how to select the appropriate SAS column-binary informat
• how to set the RECFM= and LRECL= options in the INFILE statement
• how to use pointer controls
The following table lists and describes SAS column-binary informats.
Table 19.7 SAS Informats for Reading Column-Binary Data
Informat Name Description
$CBw. reads standard character data from column-binary files
CBw. reads standard numeric data from column-binary files
PUNCH.d reads whether a row is punched
ROWw.d reads a column-binary field down a card column
Reading Column-Binary Data 445