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- Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
- Path: sparky!uunet!uvaarpa!darwin.sura.net!paladin.american.edu!auvm!NIHCU.BITNET!HIS
- Message-ID: <SAS-L%92090311164584@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
- Newsgroups: bit.listserv.sas-l
- Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 11:14:54 EDT
- Reply-To: Howard Schreier <HIS@NIHCU.BITNET>
- Sender: "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@UGA.BITNET>
- From: Howard Schreier <HIS@NIHCU.BITNET>
- Subject: SQL & WHERE
- Lines: 39
-
- CONTENT: Correction
- SUMMARY: SQL WHERE may invoke global WHERE processing
- REL/PLTF: 6.06+
-
- >> In all procs WHERE and OBS/FIRSTOBS are mutually exclusive.
-
- I said earlier:
-
- >But, the SQL WHERE clause and the SAS WHERE feature
- >(implemented both as a statement and as a data set option)
- >are two different things which just happen to share a name.
-
- I have since been informed by a reliable source (actually,
- about the most reliable source imaginable), that this isn't
- quite so.
-
- I drew my conclusion from the fact that the SQL WHERE is far
- more powerful and general. The global SAS WHERE, as useful
- as it is, is restricted in terms of the expressions which
- can be coded; for example, functions cannot be used. As I
- understand it, this is because the processing is done by the
- data engine (which would also explain why the feature is
- global, not specific to the DATA step or to particular
- procedures).
-
- Anyway, it turns out that SQL is cleverly designed to
- examine the WHERE clauses it is fed and to hand the
- processing over to the data engine if possible (I'm not sure
- if this is an all-or-nothing decision, or if the processing
- might in some situations be shared). The consequence is
- that the restriction on combining WHERE processing with
- OBS/FIRSTOBS may take effect.
-
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- \ Howard Schreier, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Washington /
- / MVS 5.18 & 6.07 \
- \ Voice: (202) 377-4180 BITNET: HIS@NIHCU /
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