What does the option DSD do in the context of data export?

The option DSD, which stands for Delimiter-Sensitive Data, plays a critical role in data export operations in SAS. When DSD is specified in a data step, particularly in conjunction with the INFILE statement for reading external files, it modifies how SAS treats delimiters in the data.

Specifically, DSD changes the default behavior regarding delimiters and handles quotes within data more effectively. For example, it allows SAS to recognize consecutive delimiters as representing missing values, rather than as valid characters in the data. This is particularly useful when dealing with CSV (Comma-Separated Values) files, where data fields may be enclosed in quotes and may include commas as part of the data itself. By activating DSD, SAS can properly parse these fields regardless of internal delimiters.

This feature enhances the robustness of data handling during export processes, ensuring that the resulting dataset reflects the intended structure and content without the risk of misinterpretation of delimiters or quote characters. Therefore, the option DSD is indeed aligned with specifying delimiter settings in the context of data export.