Re: SAS Data Set Name Restrictions when it is really a SQL Server

data aidsdb.'8-2007'n;

just guessing.


On 10/8/07, Jack Clark <JClark@chpdm.umbc.edu> wrote:
>
>
> Hello,
>
>
>
> As a side project, I have been revising our center's production SAS
> programs to replace the DBLOAD procedure with data step logic (using
> LIBNAME with the ODBC parameter). We had been using DBLOAD to move data
> processed with SAS over to SQL Server databases. The new approach has
> been relatively easy to implement and has dramatically decreased
> transfer times. Below is an example of how we move a SAS dataset HAVE
> to a SQL Server table TREATMENT in the AIDS database.
>
>
>
>
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> libname aidsdb odbc noprompt="dsn=aids;" bulkload=yes;
>
>
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> proc sql;
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> drop table aidsdb.treatment
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> ;
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> quit;
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>
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>
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> data aidsdb.treatment;
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> set have;
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> run;
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>
>
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> The problem I ran into this morning is that some of the SQL Server
> tables have names that start with a number. For example, there are a
> set of monthly tables with a naming convention of MM-YYYY (8-2007,
> 9-2007, 10-2007, 11-2007, etc.). I know that SAS data set names can not
> start with a number, and when I use the following code, I get an error
> (the actual production code is a macro program with &dsname holding the
> SQL Server table name).
>
>
>
> data aidsdb.8-2007;
>
> set have;
>
> run;
>
>
>
>
>
> NOTE: Line generated by the macro variable "DSNAME".
>
> 1 aidsdb.8-2007
>
> -
>
> 22
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> 76
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>
>
> ERROR 22-322: Expecting a name.
>
>
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> ERROR 76-322: Syntax error, statement will be ignored.
>
>
>
>
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> I know I am asking for the best of both worlds. I want to be able to
> use the data step to create/write to SQL Server tables, but without the
> limitations of SAS data set names (since I am not really creating a SAS
> data set). Any suggestions? Has anyone else had to work around this
> issue?
>
>
>
> Suggestions to change the names of the SQL Server tables to valid SAS
> names are expected, but I wanted to know if I can work with what I have
> before trying to modify several table names which would have an impact
> on the programming logic within the web applications that use the SQL
> Server tables.
>
>
>
> Thank you.
>
>
>
> Jack Clark
>
> Research Analyst
>
> Center for Health Program Development and Management
>
> University of Maryland, Baltimore County
>
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