BL_COLUMN_DELIMITER= Data Set Option

Specifies override of the default delimiter character for separating columns of data during data transfer or retrieval during bulk loading.

Valid in: DATA and PROC steps (when accessing DBMS data using SAS/ACCESS software)
Categories: Bulk Loading
Data Set Control
Alias: BL_DELIMITER=
Default: | (pipe symbol)
Data source: SAP IQ
See: BL_DELIMITER= data set option, BL_ROW_DELIMITER= data set option

Table of Contents

Syntax

BL_COLUMN_DELIMITER='any-single-character'

Required Argument

any-single-character

specifies a single character that is used to delimit columns in your data. You can specify the delimiter as a single printable character, or you can use hexadecimal notation to specify any single 8-bit hexadecimal ASCII code. Specify hexadecimal values in the format '\xHH', where HH can represent any value from 00 to FF. For example, you can specify BL_COLUMN_DELIMITER='\x09' to use the tab character as a delimiter.

Last updated: February 3, 2026