topic If 0 then set statement in SAS Programming

If 0 then set statement

V_R — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 03:38:16 GMT

Hi All,

I have came across following expression.

IF 0 then set abc;

how does this if 0 then set statement works

request you to explain with examples

Re: If 0 then set statement

Astounding — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 03:43:25 GMT

Well, 0 is false so the SET statement never executes. You would get the same result by coding:

if 5=4 then set abc;

However, the statement still has an effect over the results of the DATA step. SAS executes DATA steps in two phases. During the first phase, it looks through all the statements, checks for syntax errors, and sets up storage space for all the variables that the DATA step will process. Just the presence of the SET statement (even if it never executes) forces SAS to define all the variables that are part of ABC. All the variable names, lengths, types, etc. will become part of the new data set being constructed.

Re: If 0 then set statement

V_R — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 04:33:58 GMT

Thanks a lot for quick response

Re: If 0 then set statement

AndrewHowell — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 05:16:26 GMT

The "if 0 then set" logic ensures that the code compiles (prepares variables, etc), but it never executes.

It's a very effective way of ensuring the structure of your target data set mimics the structure of your source data set, even if your source data set structure changes over time.