This chapter describes the NAMES and FORMAT commands that characterize the input data set and its format. The RECORDS and READ commands can be used to specify the number of records read from the input file. This is useful in testing to see if the data are being read correctly. The INPUT command instructs the program to begin reading the user's data. The USE and SAVE commands are used to read and write binary save format (BSF) files, respectively. All commands described in this chapter can be used in any of the EPICURE programs.