topic Re: SAS error message in SAS Programming

SAS error message

jeremy4 — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 16:37:13 GMT

Hi,

Please can someone help to resolve the error in my Log? Thanks!

Code

data test;
set RA.DATA_V_&START_yyyy.;
if date = &month_end.;
run;

Log

data test;
27 set RA.DATA_V_&START_yyyy.;
28 if date = &month_end.;
NOTE: Line generated by the macro variable "MONTH_END".
28 30NOV2018
_______
22
ERROR 22-322: Syntax error, expecting one of the following: !, !!, &, *, **, +, -, /, <, <=, <>, =, >, ><, >=, AND, EQ, GE, GT, IN,
LE, LT, MAX, MIN, NE, NG, NL, NOTIN, OR, ^=, |, ||, ~=.

29 run;

Re: SAS error message

novinosrin — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 16:40:57 GMT

data test;
   set RA.DATA_V_&START_yyyy.;
   if date = "&month_end.";
run;

enclose in double quotes. This assumes your data is character.

If numeric, you need a date constant like

data test;
   set RA.DATA_V_&START_yyyy.;
   if date = "&month_end."d;
run;

Re: SAS error message

Kurt_Bremser — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 16:42:44 GMT

I take it that "date" is a SAS date variable, so you need to make a SAS date literal out of your string:

data test;
   set RA.DATA_V_&START_yyyy.;
   if date = "&month_end."d;
run;

You would not need this if you had stored the raw value in your macro variable, see Maxim 28.

Re: SAS error message

Tom — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 16:44:35 GMT

You tried to run this statement:

if date = 30NOV2018 ;

That is not valid syntax. SAS is expecting a valid expression on the right of the equal sign. What you gave it is not a valie varaible name nor a number nor a character string.

Most likely you intended to run this statement.

if date = "30NOV2018"d ;

Which will compare DATE to a date literal.

So change your code to generate that.

if date = "&month_end"d ;