PC Data Server FAQs

PC Data Server FAQs

Why download files and run research on my PC?

• Users can stay in their familiar PC windows environment.  The research servers (e.g., GRACIE) use UNIX which could be inconvenient to users who are not familiar with it
• Some PC workstations perform faster than the research servers.  The servers can have heavy workloads from time to time, resulting in reduced resources and slower processing speed.

How do I download files from the PC Data Server?

1. You should use a secure FTP program, such as WinSCP, to connect to the PC Data Server. If you are unsure whether you have the correct program, please contact your faculty support specialist, or call the main line at 212 854-6097.  You can install WinSCP by clicking here.
2. Launch your secure FTP program and use the following information to connect:

Note: A large SAS dataset can consist of two sub-files, a data file and an index file. The two files share the same filename, but have different file extensions.  The data file has file extension “sas7bdat” and the index file has extension “sas7bndx.” For example, CRSP daily stock file consists of the following two files: "dsf.sas7bdat" and "dsf.sas7bndx."  Make sure you download the index file, if it exists, together with the data file.

The files are downloaded, but how do I use them?

The files are in SAS format and you need to use SAS version 9.13 for Windows to read them. The following examples shows how you can use these files in PC SAS:

Example program 1:
    libname dataf "c:\datafolder";
    Data newdata;
        set dataf.dsf(keep=cusip date ret prc obs=500);
        proc print; var cusip date ret prc; ...

Example program 2:
    libname dataf "c:\datafolder";
    proc univariate data=dataf.dsf(keep=ret prc);
        var ret prc; ...