Extract text from SAS format catalogs (SAS7BCAT)
To convert SAS7BCAT format catalogs to another format, you need SAS or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Statistical Metadata Catalog" file type, you need software like SAS or a similar tool.
A .sas7bcat file is a binary catalog generated by the SAS System to store user-defined formats and value labels. It accompanies sas7bdat database files to map raw numerical codes to human-readable text (e.g., mapping "1" to "Male").
This format is notoriously closed and proprietary. It cannot be opened by standard text editors, web browsers, or generic spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel. Without an expensive SAS license, reading these formatting labels is extremely difficult, making the associated dataset nearly impossible to accurately interpret.
Users typically need to convert .sas7bcat files to CSV, JSON, or TXT to extract the label dictionaries for use in open-source tools. Because it is a proprietary binary format, standard online converters usually fail. Often, only the original SAS software or specialized reverse-engineered libraries (like haven in R) can properly read or export the data. If our analysis detects a supported embedded structure, viewing or converting the metadata may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your SAS7BCAT file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted SAS7BDAT, SD2, JMP and XPT files.
If you want to convert SAS7BCAT file to SAS7BDAT, DB, SQLITE, SQLITE3, MDB, ACCDB, DBF, ODB, FDB, GDB, MYD or FRM, you can use SAS or similar software from the "Statistical Format Catalog" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert NDF, SQLITE3, BAK, RDB, SQL, DB4, MDF, MDB, LDF, DB, DB3 or SQLITE files to SAS7BCAT, try SAS or another comparable tool in the "Statistical Format Catalog" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our SAS7BCAT converter.