topic Re: Macro symbolic reference is not resolved? in SAS Programming

Macro symbolic reference is not resolved?

ybz12003 — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 18:34:07 GMT

Hello:

I have the following macro program. However, I got error message in Log. Please help. Thank you.

%let site1=PA;
%let site2=GA;
%let site3=OH;

%macro format;

%do i=1 %to 3; 

data RR_&&site&i._format;
	set RR_&&site&i;
    format      caseid   $9.   
		County   $50.
	        consent   $3.;
run;

%end;

%mend; 

%format;

The error message was shown below.

MPRINT(FORMAT): ods rtf close;

SYMBOLGEN: && resolves to &.

SYMBOLGEN: Macro variable I resolves to 1

WARNING: Apparent symbolic reference SITE not resolved.

NOTE: Line generated by the macro variable "I".

1 RR_&site.1

200

MPRINT(FORMAT): data RR_&site.1_format;

SYMBOLGEN: && resolves to &.

SYMBOLGEN: Macro variable I resolves to 1

SYMBOLGEN: Macro variable SITE1 resolves to PA

MPRINT(FORMAT): set RR_;

MPRINT(FORMAT): format caseid $9. County $50. consent $3.;

MPRINT(FORMAT): run;

ERROR 22-322: Syntax error, expecting one of the following: a name, a quoted string, (, /, ;,

_DATA_, _LAST_, _NULL_.

ERROR 200-322: The symbol is not recognized and will be ignored.

Re: Macro symbolic reference is not resolved?

sidpesar — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 18:44:31 GMT

can you try this by keeping 2 dots after i instead of 1 dot

RR_&&site&i.._format;

Re: Macro symbolic reference is not resolved?

ballardw — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 19:45:41 GMT

If the purpose of this exercise is to add or change the formats for variables in a data set you might look at proc datasets instead. Changing formats is one of the things that procedure is designed for.

Re: Macro symbolic reference is not resolved?

ybz12003 — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 20:21:52 GMT

Thanks, it works.

Re: Macro symbolic reference is not resolved?

ybz12003 — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 20:22:29 GMT

Thank you, Ballardw. That was great suggestion.