How to create folders using SAS?

To create folders in SAS, there are a variety of system options, functions, and commands that you can use. 

This article will demonstrate some options and functions you can use to create a folder using SAS. These functions can be automated to perform repetitive routine tasks, avoid manual work, and save a great deal of time.

DLCREATEDIR System option

DLCREATEDIR is a system option and can create folders when used with the libname statement.

options dlcreatedir;
libname newdir "/home/9to5sas/my_content/new";

Once you run the above statement, check the SAS log to see if the library assignment was successful or not.

SAS Log:

NOTE: Library NEWDIR was created.NOTE: Libref NEWDIR was successfully assigned as follows: Engine: V9 Physical Name: /home/9to5sas/my_content/new

To create subfolders, you can use multiple specifications in the LIBNAME statement.

options dlcreatedir;
libname newdir ("/home/9to5sas","/home/9to5sas/statistics");

Important! Make sure to turn off the DLCREATEDIR option after creating directories.

The NODLCREATEDIR specifies not to create a directory for a SAS library named in a LIBNAME statement.

DCREATE

DCREATE is a function that lets you create directories in your operating environment.

Syntax:

NewDirectory=DCREATE('Directory-name', 'parent-directory');

• Directory-name – It is the name of the directory to create. Do not include the path name here.
• Parent-directory is the complete pathname of the directory in which to create the new directory.

To create a new directory in the UNIX operating environment with the directory name ‘test’, follow this syntax:

NewDirectory=dcreate('test', '/home/test/abc/');

Follow this syntax to create a new directory in the Windows operating environment with the directory name ‘test’.

NewDirectory=dcreate('test', 'c:testdir');

X md (an X Statement)

With the help of X statements, you can give UNIX operating system commands directly from SAS.

md is a command in the Unix Operating system to make directories.

data _null_;
x 'md /home/9to5sas/test';
run;

Deleting a Directory

This example uses FDELETE to delete an empty directory to which you have to write access. If the directory is not empty, the optional SYSMSG function returns an error message stating that SAS is unable to delete the file.

filename testdir 'physical-filename';
data _null_;rc=fdelete('testdir');
put rc=;
msg=sysmsg();
put msg=;
run;

We hope this article helped you to create directories in SAS. Do you have any tips to add Let us know in the comments.

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