topic Re: How to differentiate between blank space character & null value while reading from a file. in SAS Data Management https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-differentiate-between-blank-space-character-null-value/m-p/213952#M5091 <HTML><HEAD></HEAD><BODY><P>File format is important here and how the data set is read. When using list input blanks are delimiters and options control what may or may not be missing.</P><P>Is your data delimited or fixed column?</P><P>How are you reading it?</P><P>It may be helpful to provide some example rows of data with the issue you are having.</P><P></P><P>Some common options that address bits of this kind of issue are DLM (or Delimiter) , DSD, RECFM plus options on Input statements.</P></BODY></HTML> Thu, 25 Jun 2015 15:22:32 GMT ballardw 2015-06-25T15:22:32Z How to differentiate between blank space character & null value while reading from a file. https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-differentiate-between-blank-space-character-null-value/m-p/213950#M5089 <HTML><HEAD></HEAD><BODY><P>SAS treats Blank space as missing values . In order to distinguish between blank space character and null value while reading from job how to manage it.</P></BODY></HTML> Thu, 25 Jun 2015 15:14:00 GMT https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-differentiate-between-blank-space-character-null-value/m-p/213950#M5089 upadhi 2015-06-25T15:14:00Z Re: How to differentiate between blank space character & null value while reading from a file. https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-differentiate-between-blank-space-character-null-value/m-p/213951#M5090 <HTML><HEAD></HEAD><BODY><P>You said it yourself, SAS treats blank as missing/null, so basically, you can't (since there is no difference).</P><P>If your source data resides in a DBMS that distinguish between NULL and blank, you coud do a SQL pass-thru query where you test this in the source.</P><P>What's your issue?</P></BODY></HTML> Thu, 25 Jun 2015 15:18:52 GMT https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-differentiate-between-blank-space-character-null-value/m-p/213951#M5090 LinusH 2015-06-25T15:18:52Z Re: How to differentiate between blank space character & null value while reading from a file. https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-differentiate-between-blank-space-character-null-value/m-p/213952#M5091 <HTML><HEAD></HEAD><BODY><P>File format is important here and how the data set is read. When using list input blanks are delimiters and options control what may or may not be missing.</P><P>Is your data delimited or fixed column?</P><P>How are you reading it?</P><P>It may be helpful to provide some example rows of data with the issue you are having.</P><P></P><P>Some common options that address bits of this kind of issue are DLM (or Delimiter) , DSD, RECFM plus options on Input statements.</P></BODY></HTML> Thu, 25 Jun 2015 15:22:32 GMT https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-differentiate-between-blank-space-character-null-value/m-p/213952#M5091 ballardw 2015-06-25T15:22:32Z Re: How to differentiate between blank space character & null value while reading from a file. https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-differentiate-between-blank-space-character-null-value/m-p/213953#M5092 <HTML><HEAD></HEAD><BODY><P>the source is a fixed width file.</P></BODY></HTML> Thu, 25 Jun 2015 17:00:33 GMT https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-differentiate-between-blank-space-character-null-value/m-p/213953#M5092 upadhi 2015-06-25T17:00:33Z Re: How to differentiate between blank space character & null value while reading from a file. https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-differentiate-between-blank-space-character-null-value/m-p/213954#M5093 <HTML><HEAD></HEAD><BODY><P>no my source is a fixed width file</P></BODY></HTML> Thu, 25 Jun 2015 17:02:01 GMT https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-differentiate-between-blank-space-character-null-value/m-p/213954#M5093 upadhi 2015-06-25T17:02:01Z Re: How to differentiate between blank space character & null value while reading from a file. https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-differentiate-between-blank-space-character-null-value/m-p/213955#M5094 <HTML><HEAD></HEAD><BODY><P>So if you have a fixed width file how would it be possible to have an empty field?&nbsp; To make it fixed width there has to be some character in those columns of the file.</P><P>If you use $CHAR informat instead of the default $ informat for character variables then periods in the source file will not be translated to blanks.</P><P></P><P>data want;</P><P>&nbsp;&nbsp; input id 3. sex $char1. age 3. ;</P><P>cards;</P><P>001M010</P><P>002F012</P><P>003.011</P><P>004 013</P><P>;;;</P></BODY></HTML> Thu, 25 Jun 2015 17:03:14 GMT https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Data-Management/How-to-differentiate-between-blank-space-character-null-value/m-p/213955#M5094 Tom 2015-06-25T17:03:14Z