1. Dictionary Tables and Views, obtain information about SAS files4
Dictionary Tables and Views, obtain information about SAS files

2. Dictionary Tables: Overview
Dictionary tables are read-only SAS views that contain session metadata, such as information about SAS libraries, data sets, and external files in use or available in the current SAS session.
Created at SAS session initialization
Updated automatically by SAS
Limited to read-only access.
You can query dictionary tables with PROC SQL.

3. Dictionary Tables: Overview
The metadata available in dictionary tables includes information about : SAS data sets and other SAS files available in SAS libraries Any allocated external files SAS session metadata: System option names and settings Macro variable names and values Title text Footnote text

4. proc sql;
describe table dictionary.dictionaries;
reset outobs=1;
select * from dictionary.dictionaries;
reset outobs=;
describe table dictionary.libnames;
select libname
from dictionary.libnames;
describe table dictionary.tables;
select memname from dictionary.tables
where libname="NH9";
quit;

5. Metadata about SAS Libraries
DICTIONARY.LIBNAMES
general information about SAS libraries
DICTIONARY.MEMBERS
general information about SAS library members
DICTIONARY.TABLES
detailed information about tables
DICTIONARY.VIEWS
detailed information about all data views
DICTIONARY.CATALOGS
information about catalog entries
DICTIONARY.COLUMNS
detailed information about all columns in all tables
continued...

6. Metadata about Indexes and Constraints
DICTIONARY.INDEXES
indexes defined for tables
DICTIONARY.TABLE_CONSTRAINTS
integrity constraints in all tables
DICTIONARY.CHECK_CONSTRAINTS
check constraints in all tables
DICTIONARY.REFERENTIAL_CONSTRAINTS
referential constraints in all tables
DICTIONARY.CONSTRAINT_COLUMN_USAGE
columns that are referenced by integrity constraints
DICTIONARY.CONSTRAINT_TABLE_USAGE
tables that use integrity constraints
continued...

7. Metadata about the SAS Session
DICTIONARY.MACROS
macro variables names and values
DICTIONARY.OPTIONS
current settings of SAS system options
DICTIONARY.TITLES
text currently assigned to titles and footnotes
DICTIONARY.EXTFILES
currently assigned filerefs

8. proc sql;
select *
from dictionary.libnames;
quit;

9. Exploring Dictionary Information
proc sql;
select memname,nobs,nvar,crdate
from dictionary.tables
where libname='ORION';
quit;
Library names are stored in uppercase in dictionary tables.

10. Exploring Dictionary Information
proc sql;
select Name,Type,Length
from dictionary.columns
where libname='ORION'
and memname='EMPLOYEE_ADDRESSES' ;
quit;
Table names (memnames) are also stored in uppercase in dictionary tables.

11. Using Dictionary Information, Which tables contain the Employee_ID column?
proc sql;
select memname, name
from dictionary.columns
where libname='ORION' and
upcase(name)='EMPLOYEE_ID';
quit;
Because different tables might use different cases for same-named columns, you can use the UPCASE function for comparisons, but this significantly degrades the performance of the query.

12. Dictionary Information in Other SAS Processes
To use dictionary table metadata in other procedures or in a DATA step: use the SAS-provided views based on the dictionary tables in the Sashelp library create a PROC SQL view based on a dictionary table Most of the Sashelp library metadata view names are similar to dictionary table names, but are shortened to eight characters or less. They begin with the letter v and do not end in s. For example: dictionary.tables = sashelp.vtable

13. proc contents data=sashelp.vtable;run;
proc print data=sashelp.vtable(obs=5);
where libname="ORION";
run;

14. proc sql;
select memname, name
from dictionary.columns
where libname="FRAM" and
upcase(name) contains upcase("chol");
quit;

15. proc sql;
select memname, name
from dictionary.columns
where libname="FRAM" and
upcase(label) contains upcase("chol");
quit;