Date:         Fri, 5 Sep 2008 22:24:12 -0400
Reply-To:     Bucher Scott <SBucher@SCHOOLS.NYC.GOV>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Bucher Scott <SBucher@SCHOOLS.NYC.GOV>
Subject:      Re: proc datasets with many variables
Comments: To: art297@NETSCAPE.NET
In-Reply-To:  <200809060137.m85Jn9uV028474@malibu.cc.uga.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I see. This question came up previously, and no way around the limit was
identified then either
<http://www.listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0610b&L=sas-l&D=0&P=49531>
. Your macro does remove a great deal of the tedium of the statements,
but I am surprised there is no shorthand for applying a series of
formats to a series of variables.

Also noted in the older thread is that in some settings the error
message occurs a bit earlier than 4096. I encountered the same problem;
even when applying 4087 I received the "ERROR: Limit of 4096 formats or
informats in use in a single step has been exceeded" message. So it may
be prudent to set the macro loops to something less than that.

-Scott

-----Original Message-----
From: Arthur Tabachneck [mailto:art297@NETSCAPE.NET]
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 9:38 PM
To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU; Bucher Scott
Subject: Re: proc datasets with many variables

Scott,

Unless someone comes up with something better, I'll stick with my
original
suggestion.  Your proposal, as shown below in the macro %doit3 (below),
results in the same error the original requester was trying to overcome:

data have;
  array q(5000);
  do i=1 to 5000;
    q(i)=i;
  end;
run;

%macro doformat;
  %do i=1 %to 5000;
    proc format;
      value q&i._
       &i.=9
       other=0;
    run;
  %end;
%mend;
%doformat

%macro doformat;
  %do i=1 %to 5000;
    proc format;
      value q&i._
       &i.=9
       other=0;
    run;
  %end;
%mend;
%doformat

%macro doit1;
  proc datasets library = work;
    modify have;
    %do i=1 %to 4096;
      format q&i. q&i._.;
    %end;
  quit;
%mend;
%doit1

%macro doit2;
  proc datasets library = work;
    modify have;
    %do i=4097 %to 5000;
      format q&i. q&i._.;
    %end;
  quit;
%mend;
%doit2

%macro doit3;
  proc datasets library = work;
    modify have;
    format
    %do i=1 %to 5000;
      q&i. q&i._.
    %end;
    ;
  quit;
%mend;
%doit3

Art
---------
On Fri, 5 Sep 2008 19:02:56 -0400, Bucher Scott
<SBucher@SCHOOLS.NYC.GOV>
wrote:

>Try using a single format statement, i.e.
>
>proc datasets library = jack;
>modify data0204;
>format
>        q1 q1.
>        q2 q2.
>        q3 q3.
>      ;
>quit;
>run;
>
>Regards,
>Scott
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: SAS(r) Discussion [mailto:SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of M
D
>Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 6:52 PM
>To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject: proc datasets with many variables
>
>Hello,
>
>I am trying to modify the format of the variables of a dataset. First I
>run
>a proc format to set the format of the variables and then I run proc
>datasets.
>
>*
>
>proc **datasets* library = jack;
>
>modify data0204;
>
>format q1 q1.;
>
>format q2 q2.;
>
>.....
>quit;
>run;
>
>Unfortunately, I have more than 4096 format statements that are trying
>to
>process at the same time and thus, I am getting the following error
>message.
>
>
>119803 format q1 q1.;
>
>ERROR: Limit of 4096 formats or informats in use in a single step has
>been
>exceeded.
>
>What can I do to avoid this error.
>
>Many thanks in advance,
>
>Mike.