You encounter an error under the following conditions:
- You specify DATA step options on a DATA = option in PROC MDC statement, such as the KEEP= or DROP= options.
- You also specify a CLASS statement or MDCDATA statement.
In this scenario, one of the following messages might appear in the log:
Error: Variable number xxxxxxxxxx is not on file
ERROR: An exception has been encountered.
Error: Read Access Violation In Task [ MDC ]
To circumvent the problem, perform the DATA step options in a DATA step prior to entering the PROC MDC step.