SAS to Spectrum Writer Conversion Helper

Instructions and Information
As mentioned in the SAS conversion FAQ, there is no program (that we know of) that converts an entire SAS program to Spectrum Writer. But this conversion helper will give you a headstart in your conversion process. Use this tool to convert all of your SAS input file definitions. That is a long, tedious process that we were able to automate. By letting this conversion helper perform this routine conversion work for you, you can save lots of time and effort.

How to Use this Tool
Simply paste your SAS file definitions in the left-hand box above. Then press the Convert button. The conversion helper will parse through the SAS code and create Spectrum Writer file definition statements code that will be useful in your conversion process.

Note: Be sure to paste only pure text data into the box. For example, paste SAS code copied from Notepad or something similar. Code copied from a word processor program (like Word) usually contains formatting codes and other non-text bytes that prevent the helper from properly parsing the SAS code.

Conversion Details
The current version of the Conversion Helper does the following:

• SAS INPUT statements are converted to Spectrum Writer file definitions. A Spectrum Writer file definition is one FILE statement, followed by one FIELD statement for each field in the input layout. Spectrum Writer chooses the closest match to the SAS INFORMAT for each field. Unsupported INFORMATS (such as FLOAT) are converted into character type place-holder fields. You should put these Spectrum Writer file definition statements in a member of your Spectrum Writer Copy Library PDS. Once there, you can request a report from that file with a simple Spectrum Writer "INPUT: filename" statement.

• SAS PROC SORTs can often be converted into an equivalent Spectrum Writer SORT statement.

• After processing all of the SAS code, Spectrum Writer shows a model or skeletal report request for each input file found in the SAS code. A Spectrum Writer report request always begins with an INPUT statement, naming the input file. (Spectrum Writer will look for the definition of that file in your Spectrum Writer Copy Library, using the filename as the member name.) After the INPUT statement, Spectrum Writer will show a SORT statement and a COLUMNS statement. If the conversion helper found corresponding PROCs in the SAS code, it will fill in the Sort fields and the Columns fields (the VAR list) for you. Otherwise, it will just list a few fields as a model for you to work with.

• We hope to add additional features to this utility in the future. Your feedback will be helpful. Let us know if you find errors in the conversion. Or, tell us if you can identify a portion of SAS code that can reliably be converted to specific Spectrum Writer code algorithmically. We would love to add that to the program.
Send your suggestions or comments here.

Need More Help?
We are also happy to work personally with you to convert an entire SAS program over to Spectrum Writer. Just contact us for personalized help.

Disclaimer
This free tool is offered "as is". If the results are helpful, feel free to use them. However, we make no guarantees or warranties about its operation or suitability for your use. This tool is for online use only. It is not available to download.