How can we call REXX from SAS?

[Ranveer Singh]

Hi,

Can we call REXX routine from SAS, does anyone can share some example of doing it?

Please consider the following snippets:

Code: Select all

/* REXX */ 
  Arg userprm
  Say 'Parameter passed is' userprm
  Return 0 

JCL for SAS:

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//SAS      EXEC SAS 
//SYSTSPRT DD SYSOUT=* 
//SASREXX  DD  DISP=SHR, 
//             DSN=AB1234.EXEC  
//FILES    DD  * 
AB1234.COBOL                        PQ 
AB1234.EXEC                         ST 
//SYSIN    DD * 
OPTIONS REXXMAC; 
DATA FILES; 
   INFILE FILES; 
   INPUT @2  FILENAME $12. 
         @23 SYSNAME  $4. 
; 
DATA _NULL_; 
SET FILES; 
DO; 
  PUTLOG FILENAME; 
  SASHELLO FILENAME, SYSNAME; 
END; 
PROC PRINT DATA = FILES; 

I expected two messages like this:

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Parameter passed is AB1234.COBOL, PQ 
Parameter passed is AB1234.EXEC,  ST 

But what I get is:

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Parameter passed is FILENAME, SYSNAME 

Please guide.

[Robert Sample]

If you are using the interpreted REXX, then I don't see any way you could call REXX from SAS since there's nothing to call. If your site has the optional REXX compiler (which costs money), you can compile your REXX code and then call the compiled code just like SAS calls a COBOL program or any other compiled load module.

[enrico-sorichetti]

unless I am completely wrong the REXX gets called,

what is wrong is just the way of passing the parameters

[Ranveer Singh]

I had been looking for examples for this. If I find one will post here.

[vasanthz]

Hello,

I can see the topic is pretty old, but I don't see straight forward technique on how to do this.
Here is a method as a proof of concept of calling REXX from SAS and passing parameters.
We can call REXX from SAS then do some REXX functions like check the existence of dataset or issue console commands and then pass the control back to SAS.

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//STEP1    EXEC SAS                             
//SASREXX  DD DISP=SHR,DSN=WELLS.REXX.PDS      
//SYSTSPRT DD SYSOUT=*                          
//SYSTSIN  DD DUMMY                             
//SYSIN    DD   *                               
 OPTIONS REXXMAC;                               
 %LET LOLZ_PARMZ = WELLS.LOLZ.PARAMETER;                 
 REXXLOLZ;                                      
/*             

Contents of WELLS.REXX.PDS(REXXLOLZ)

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/*REXX*/                                                    
ADDRESS SAS "DATA _NULL_; "                                 
"LOLZ_PARMZ = SYMGET('LOLZ_PARMZ');"                            
"CALL PUTEXEC('LOLZ_PARMZ',LOLZ_PARMZ);"                        
"RUN;"                                                                   
SAY 'THE PARAMETER BEING PASSED IS ' LOLZ_PARMZ;     
EXIT 

Output:

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THE PARAMETER BEING PASSED IS  WELLS.LOLZ.PARAMETER 

Hope it helps someone in the future.

[Ranveer Singh]

I can see the topic is pretty old, but I don't see straight forward technique on how to do this.
Here is a method as a proof of concept of calling REXX from SAS and passing parameters.
We can call REXX from SAS then do some REXX functions like check the existence of dataset or issue console commands and then pass the control back to SAS.

Thanks for the example vasanthz. This is helpful.