BL_DISCARDFILE= Data Set Option

Identifies the file that contains records that were filtered from bulk loading because they did not match the criteria as specified in the CONTROL file.

Valid in: DATA and PROC steps (when accessing DBMS data using SAS/ACCESS software)
Categories: Bulk Loading
Data Set Control
Default: Unless you specify the BL_DEFAULT_DIR= data set option, the BL_DISCARDFILE= option creates a file in the temporary file directory that is specified by the UTILLOC= system option (or in another directory that is based on your default file specifications).
Requirement: To specify this option, you must first specify BULKLOAD=YES.
Data source: Oracle
See: BL_BADFILE= data set option [to specify the name and location of the file that contains rejected rows], BULKLOAD= data set option

Table of Contents

Syntax

Syntax Description

path-and-discard-file-name

an SQL*Loader discard file containing rows that did not meet the specified criteria. On most platforms, the default file name takes the form BL_<table>_<unique-ID>.dsc:

table

specifies the table name

unique-ID

specifies a number that is used to prevent collisions in the event of two or more simultaneous bulk loadings of a particular table. The SAS/ACCESS engine generates the number.

Details

The SQL*Loader creates a file of discarded rows whenever rows are discarded during the load. If you do not explicitly specify a discard file, SQL*Loader creates one in the default UTILLOC location. You can tell SQL*Loader to use a discard file of your choice. In this case, if SQL*Loader generates discarded rows, the contents of the file are overwritten.

On most operating systems, the discard file has the same format as the data file, so discarded records can be loaded after corrections are made.

Operating Environment Information: On z/OS operating systems, the discard file is created with default DCB attributes. For information about how to overcome such a case, see the section about SQL*Loader file attributes in the SQL*Loader chapter in the Oracle user's guide for z/OS.
Last updated: February 3, 2026