topic Re: Creating a Variable in SAS Programming

Creating a Variable

spa5263 — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 21:52:35 GMT

I am trying to create a variable (RET2) that will give me the return (variable RET) of the month following the quarterly index (quart_index). I currently have the following:

data portfolio; set portfolio;
	RET2 = (ret(month(quart_index)) + 1);

The error that SAS is giving me is:

1607  data portfolio; set portfolio;
1608      RET2 = (ret(month(quart_index)) + 1);
                  ---
                  68
ERROR 68-185: The function RET is unknown, or cannot be accessed

Re: Creating a Variable

PaigeMiller — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 22:06:57 GMT

Please show us a portion of your data set.

Re: Creating a Variable

Doc_Duke — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 23:02:24 GMT

It appears that RET is a variable and you are using it as a function.

Re: Creating a Variable

Reeza — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 23:04:21 GMT

That isn't valid SAS code, so my question is what did you expect it to do, and how is your data structured?

Re: Creating a Variable

spa5263 — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 23:17:51 GMT

I need the code to create a new column in my result that shows the return of the stock for the month after the quarter.

Re: Creating a Variable

Reeza — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 23:22:12 GMT

Which depends on the structure of the data. For example, looking up a value within the same row is different than looking for a value in a different row. Therefore without your data structure we cannot help you.

Here are instructions on how to provide sample data as a data step:
https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Communities-Library/How-to-create-a-data-step-version-of-your-data-AKA-generate/ta-p/258712

@spa5263 wrote:

I need the code to create a new column in my result that shows the return of the stock for the month after the quarter.