Output Delivery System: The Basics and Beyond

Understanding the Table Definition Used by the DATA Step

When you use the FILE PRINT ODS and PUT _ODS_ statements, you are actually using the default Base.Datastep.Table template, or table definition. This template defines just two generic columns: _NUMVAR_ and _CHARVAR_. These generic columns receive the variable values from the DATA step. Here is the complete definition of the Base.Datastep.Table template.

proc template; define table Base.Datastep.Table; notes "Default DATA Step Table Definition"; column _numvar_ _charvar_; define _numvar_; define header n_hdr; text _label_; just = c; end; header = n_hdr; generic; end; define _charvar_; define header c_hdr; text _label_; just = c; end; header = c_hdr; generic; end; justify; order_data; end; ...