topic Re: Scanning multiple variables to create new variable in SAS Programming

Scanning multiple variables to create new variable

KathyD1 — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 20:05:27 GMT

Hi,

I need to assess whether data across multiple variables matches. At the same time I need to bypass missings (not take them into account when determining whether there's a match or non-matching data. For example, In the data below I would want to note in the first data row that data do not match. The second data row would be a 'match'. Thank you!

REF1 REF2 REF3 REF4 REF5

123 . 123 124 .

. 124 124 , ,

123 123 . . .

Re: Scanning multiple variables to create new variable

Astounding — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 20:22:25 GMT

With numeric variables, the comparison is easy:

if min(of ref1-ref5) ne max(of ref1-ref5) then result = 'no match';

else result='match';

Re: Scanning multiple variables to create new variable

PaigeMiller — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 20:22:57 GMT

If these are numeric then

data want;
     set have;
     nonmatches = var (of ref1 - ref5);
run;

If the variance is zero, then the non-missings are all equal, they all match. If the variance is greater than zero, then there is at least one mismatch among the non-missing values.

Re: Scanning multiple variables to create new variable

ballardw — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 21:42:41 GMT

@Astounding wrote:

With numeric variables, the comparison is easy:

if min(of ref1-ref5) ne max(of ref1-ref5) then result = 'no match';

else result='match';

Simpler

if range (of ref1-ref5) = 0 then result='match';

else result = 'no match'.

Though I find the though of using a character result cringeworthy:

result = range(of ref1-ref5) = 0;

Re: Scanning multiple variables to create new variable

KathyD1 — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 12:59:08 GMT

Thank you everyone!