topic Re: How to read .Z in SAS in New SAS User

How to read .Z in SAS

hjjijkkl — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 18:40:50 GMT

I have a code that is coded in .Z character and I would like to know what .Z means.

if .z < LD <= 80 then Test = 1;

Re: How to read .Z in SAS

Reeza — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 18:46:58 GMT

It's called a special missing values and allows you the ability to have different types of missing, for example missing due to someone not answering a question is different than someone not answering a question because it's not applicable. Special missing allow you the ability to consider these separately or group them as needed.

You would have to understand how the data was collected for your specific data to know why it was used.
https://documentation.sas.com/?cdcId=pgmsascdc&cdcVersion=9.4_3.5&docsetId=lrcon&docsetTarget=p1xr9fm7y8kek5n1hpj008tnu1a1.htm&locale=en

Re: How to read .Z in SAS

PaigeMiller — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 18:47:05 GMT

.z is a special missing value. There are 28 different missing values in SAS, the one you are probably familiar is represent by a dot. However, there is also .a, .b, ... ,.z and also ._

So whoever created this code intended .z to indicate missing with a special meaning.

Re: How to read .Z in SAS

FreelanceReinh — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 19:10:28 GMT

Hi @hjjijkkl,

Since .z is the largest of all (numeric) missing values in SAS (._ < . < .a < .b < ... < .z), the condition .z < LD is a convenient way to abbreviate not missing(LD), i.e., numeric variable LD has a non-missing value.

So your IF/THEN statement could also be written as

if not missing(LD) and LD le 80 then Test = 1;

Re: How to read .Z in SAS

hjjijkkl — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 19:02:52 GMT

Thanks! Now i know that .Z is a missing value but, what I dont get is what the person who created the code trying to say by (.z< LD). I am having hard time understanding "missing value < LD". its confusing