Using Tape Data Sets in UNIX SAS

Data on tape may be used in SAS, though it is not really straightforward and convenient. There is a tape system in the ITS Customer Support Center in LVL Lower Commons that customers may use when their data are on 9-track or 8mm tapes. Use of this tape system is by appointment. For more information, please visit:
http://www.usc.edu/its/doc/statistics/policies/

The pertient section there is "Tape and Other Media Transfers".

For other tape formats or non-tape media, or in any situation where users are willing to pay the ITS file-transfer charges, they may take their tapes (or other media) to the Consultants and request that files be moved from tape (or other media) to disk (for use in SAS sessions or programs) or from disk to tape (after being used or generated in SAS).

Data that may be stored on, or used from, tape include raw data, SAS programs and SAS transport files (i.e., SAS data data sets in transport format), but not actual SAS data sets.

For help in copying files from tape to UNIX disk, contact the UNIX consultants (see the last page of this document). There is a nominal charge for each tape that is mounted and processed by the consultants (unless special handling is required, which is charged at a higher rate). Users will need to take the tapes to the ITS Customer Support Center (LVL Lower Commons) and will need to provide the consultant with all pertinent information, including the tape name or number, the number of files on the tape, the label type (if any) of the tape, and the record length, block size, record format and encoding language (e.g., ASCII, EBCDIC) of the files on the tape. For information on tape-handling (and other media), visit the Statistics Help Page on the Web:

http://www.usc.edu/its/doc/statistics/

and choose "Tape Processing".