LOCATION= Data Set Option

Lets you specify exactly where data resides.

Valid in: DATA and PROC steps (when accessing DBMS data using SAS/ACCESS software)
Category: Data Access
Alias: LOC=
Default: LIBNAME option value
Requirement: If you specify LOCATION=, you must also specify the AUTHID= data set option.
Data source: DB2 under z/OS
See: AUTHID= data set option, LOCATION= LIBNAME option

Table of Contents

Syntax

LOCATION=location-name

Details

The location name maps to the location in the SYSIBM.LOCATIONS catalog in the communication database.

In SAS/ACCESS Interface to DB2 under z/OS, the location is converted to the first level of a three-level table name: location-name.AUTHID.TABLE. The DB2 Distributed Data Facility (DDF) makes the connection implicitly to the remote DB2 subsystem when DB2 receives a three-level name in an SQL statement.

Last updated: February 3, 2026