Converting SAS to SPSS

From: j_weedon@escape.com (Jay Weedon)
Newsgroups: comp.soft-sys.sas
Subject: Re: Converting SAS to SPSS
Date: Wed, 08 May 1996 17:32:33 GMT
Organization: Zippo
Lines: 49

>I found several articles on this topic in the archives, but need
>further clarification. I want to convert a file created in SAS
>(v6.04 for DOS) to SPSS. I know DBMS/COPY can do this, but will
>it translate the formats to their SPSS equivalents? Alternatively,
>can this version of SAS translate data and format catalogues into
>something SPSS can use? I can create a transport file, but how
>can I translate the formats?

Reading PC SAS Data Files & Formats into SPSS for Windows

1. Under SAS, create a library defined as the output file for an export job, e.g.:

   		LIBNAME SPSS XPORT 'C:\SPSS\SASXPRT1.DAT';
   

   which creates a SAS export file called SASXPRT1.DAT in a directory called C:\SPSS, referred to under SAS as libname SPSS. Any of these names can be changed, except for the engine type XPORT. Note that the library is associated with a DOS file, rather than a DOS directory.
2. If you need user-defined formats to be copied with the data, associate a different libname with the XPORT engine, and copy your formats catalog to a scratch dataset (called, say, FORMTS) in the WORK directory, e.g.,

   		LIBNAME FORMT XPORT 'C:\SPSS\SASFORMT.DAT';
   		PROC FORMATS LIBRARY=LIBRARY CNTLOUT=FORMTS;
   

3. Use PROC COPY to put the relevant data into the empty file, e.g.,

   		PROC COPY IN=DATA OUT=SPSS; SELECT MYDSET;
   

   which puts dataset DATA.MYDSET into the export file. If you made a format file in step 2, then also execute the command:

   		PROC COPY IN=WORK OUT=FORMT; SELECT FORMTS;
   

4. Under SPSS, execute the command:

   GET SAS DATA='C:\SPSS\SASXPRT1.DAT' DSET(MYDSET)
       /FORMATS='C:\SPSS\SASFORMT.DAT' FSET(FORMTS).
   

   assuming the file name and location to be as specified in step 1; omit the /FORMATS switch if you didn't do the stuff in step 2.