Section 3.2: Options to alter the Contents of the Log Window

When you submit commands that produce large quantities of messages to the log 
window or your want to run application that works on a regular basis without 
changes, you can suppress portions or nearly everything that is printed in the log 
file.

SAS system options enable you to suppress SAS statements and system messages. All options 
set with the OPTIONS statement remain in effect for the duration of a session or until a 
new OPTIONS statement is entered to change them.

And as a warning, do not suppress messages sent to the log window until you have 
successfully tested the sequence of commands to your satisfaction without errors.



OPTIONS to reduce the size of LOG files:

With SAS command files that run many DATA or PROC steps or an application that is 
run on a regular basis without changes, you may want to suppress portions or most 
of the contents typically written to the log window when you are certain the 
statements work as intended.  These options enable you not show SAS statements and 
system messages, as well as to limit the number of error messages reported of a 
particular type. Each option to reduce log file content begins with the two letters 
'No', e.g. NoSource, NoNotes, etc, for example:

OPTIONS Nosource Nonotes;

You can reinstate the function of these options with the 'No' removed from each 
option:

OPTIONS source notes;

Contrary to the options which help you detect errors, eliminating them when you are 
confident the program works may reduce the size of the log window output. For 
example, a simulation program repeated many times may generate 1000's of lines.


Options to Interpret Macros in the Log File

The SAS system options MPRINT, MTRACE, MLOGIC, MACROGEN, or SYMBOLGEN will help you 
during the development stage. These options show how macro variables resolve and 
how the macros have been executing. They include: 

OPTIONS mprint mtrace mlogic macrogen symbolgen ;

You can turn them off by adding NO at beginning:

OPTIONS NOmprint NOmtrace NOmlogic NOmacrogen NOsymbolgen ;



The following list describes a few of the SAS system options that affect what is 
written to the log window:

CPUID
NOCPUID        controls whether hardware information is written to the SAS log. 

ECHOAUTO
NOECHOAUTO     controls whether autoexec code in an input file is written
               to the log. 

ERRORS=n       specifies the maximum number of observations for which data
               error messages are printed.  For example, a message is delivered
               to the log file when SAS reads character data where it expects
               numercal data.  The default value ERRORS=20, the maximum number
               of observations for which complete error messages are printed
               to the log file.

MPRINT
NOMPRINT       controls whether SAS statements that are generated by macro
               execution are written to the SAS log. The MPRINT option should
               always be included when you test macros (see Chapter 9).

MSGLEVEL=
       N | I   controls the level of detail in messages that are written
               to the SAS log.
               If the MSGLEVEL system option is set to N, the log displays
               notes, warnings, and error messages only. If MSGLEVEL is 
               set to I, the log displays additional notes pertaining to
               index usage, merge processing, and sort utilities, along
               with standard notes, warnings, and error messages.

NOTES
NONOTES        specify whether notes (messages beginning with NOTE in the log
               window) are written to the SAS log. NoNotes does not suppress
               error or warning messages. Be SURE to turn Nonotes off when
               you're done with any program in which it is applied and be very
               sure that you don't have any bugs before turning it off.

OVP
NOOVP           controls whether output lines that are printed by SAS are
                overprinted. 

PRINTMSGLIST
NOPRINTMSGLIST  controls whether extended lists of messages are written to
                the SAS log. 

SOURCE
NOSOURCE        controls whether SAS writes source statements to the SAS log. 

SOURCE2
NOSOURCE2       controls whether SAS writes secondary source statements from
                files entered into the program with %INCLUDE statements to
                the SAS log. 

                May also be added as an option to an %INCLUDE statement which
                enters SAS statements or programs from external files:

%INCLUDE "c:\sas\PrgrmA.sas" / source2;   * show statements from this file;
%INCLUDE "c:\sas\PrgrmA.sas" / NOsource2; * suppress statements from this file;


SYMBOLGEN
NOSYMBOLGEN     controls whether the results of resolving macro variable
                references are written to the SAS log. 


For more information about when to enter these and other SAS system options, see 
"SAS System Options" in SAS Language Reference: Dictionary.