When you use the %xpt2loc transport macro to convert SAS version 8 transport files to SAS data sets, it might generate zero observation data sets beginning with SAS 9.4M8. This issue occurs if you created the version 8 transport file without specifying the number of observations in the OBSV8 header record, as shown below. In this data set, within the transport file, there was 1 observation in the data set. If you do not add this observation count to the header record with SAS 9.4M8, or if there is a 0 observation count, the data set is created with zero observations.

HEADER RECORD*******OBSV8 HEADER RECORD!!!!!!! 1

For more information, see the layout of the SAS V8 transport file in SAS Help Center: Record Layout for a SAS Version 8 or 9 Data Set in SAS Transport Format.