PROC DS2 might display an empty string variable as "" instead of a blank when you run it against a Google BigQuery table. This issue occurs when the following is true:

• The variable is NULL in the BigQuery table.
• The original table was loaded with BULKLOAD=YES.
• You are running one of the following versions of SAS:
  • SAS^® 9.4M6 (TS1M6) with any SAS/ACCESS^® Interface to BigQuery hot fix
  • SAS^® 9.4M7 (TS1M7)
  • SAS^® 9.4M8 (TS1M8)
  • SAS^® Viya^® 3.5 with any SAS/ACCESS Interface to BigQuery hot fix
  • SAS^® Viya^® Platform Stable 2023.02 and earlier cadences

There is no workaround for this issue.