topic SAS DO Loop with values and symbols in SAS Programming

SAS DO Loop with values and symbols

belboy — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 17:31:49 GMT

Hi,

I'm running a DO LOOP but SAS keeps deleting two observations that I need to keep in my results. For example, this is my dataset:

RACF GROUPS

USDISEF MKZ;admin;FF

EOR_E47 ACCT %

USI43_SK RETSIPX;dba

UT_ACCT C47 %

%let folder = work.IMG;
%let loop = GROUPS;

/*STEP 1 - Creates DO Loop necessary for possible combined columns in complex files.*/

data Do_&appname;
set &folder;

x = countw(&loop);
do i = 1 to x;
&loop.1 = scan(&loop, i, ";");
output;
END;
run;

I get the results as needed with the exception of EOR_E47 ACCT and UT_ACCT C47 . SAS excludes these from the results. How can I get them included with a value of "%"?

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks,

Re: SAS DO Loop with values and symbols

Reeza — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 17:40:49 GMT

What do you mean excludes them from the results? What are you getting, versus, what do you expect?

Re: SAS DO Loop with values and symbols

ballardw — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 17:53:22 GMT

First I think you need to describe a bit more of what this is supposed to do.

The issue is documented in the documentation for the Countw function of "what is a word":

"word" refers to a substring that has one of the following characteristics: 
• is bounded on the left by a delimiter or the beginning of the string 
 
•is bounded on the right by a delimiter or the end of the string 
 
•contains no delimiters, except if you use the Q modifier and the delimiters are within substrings that have quotation marks

The last one is the cause of your problem as delimiters for countw are:

If your computer uses ASCII characters, then the default delimiters are as follows: 
 
blank ! $ % & ( ) * + , - . / ; < ^ |

So since your value is % that is a delimiter and countw("%",1) returns 0. And the do loop becomes:

do I = 1 to 0; so it never actually loops.

Since that, hopefully, would be a special case you could use something like

data Do_&appname;
   set &folder;
   x = countw(&loop);
   if x>0 then    do i = 1 to x;
   &loop.1 = scan(&loop, i, ";");
      output;
   END;
   else do;
      &loop.1=&loop;
      output;
   end;
run;

Re: SAS DO Loop with values and symbols

belboy — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 18:27:38 GMT

THanks!!