Preparing ICPSR Data for Use with SAS
(by Amy Yuen)

Most of the time, the datasets that the ICPSR makes available for download need at least some processing from users before they are in an electronic format that is usable with statistical packages. Fortunately for SAS users, most of the ICPSR's holdings have either syntax files to read the raw data into SAS or SAS "transport files" that can be "restored" into SAS data files. And, even if SAS is not your preferred statistical package, SAS data files can also be converted into other formats using StatTransfer very easily. [If SPSS is your stats package of choice, you can read how to get ICPSR data directly into SPSS here. If you are a Stata user, you can read how to get ICPSR data directly into Stata here.]

This guide is designed for users who want to use ICPSR data in SAS. For the purposes of this guide, we will be using ICPSR #3966 and ICPSR #4293 as examples. The guide is broken into two sections - one is for working with SAS syntax files to read raw ASCII data into SAS, while the other is for working with SAS "transport" files.

Converting ICPSR Data in ASCII Format into SAS Data Files

Restoring ICPSR SAS XPORT Files into SAS Data Files

This guide is not an exhaustive review of how to get data from the ICPSR into SAS. It is more a general introduction using a relatively representative ICPSR study as an example. As you work with more ICPSR data files, you will encounter a fair amount of variation in the SAS syntax files, since many studies in the ICPSR's archive have syntax files written for earlier versions of the program. If you want additional assistance, please feel free to contact the Data Center staff.

Home | Analyze Data Online | Help Resources | Contacts & Hours | Emory General Libraries