topic Re: subtract date macro with numeric macro in SAS Programming

subtract date macro with numeric macro

Klakola — Sat, 15 Feb 2020 00:42:11 GMT

I have a program that has user input fields to create certain parameters throughout the code, in this case, a lookback period for a date/date range, and formatting is applied several times so that it works in various queries. I am getting an error at the calculation, however. Please help!

This is the error:

215 /**********************************************************************************************************************************************/

216 **macro to calculate lookback for staging based on incident start date;

217

218 data temp;

219 DTL = &date1. - &Days.;

200

WARNING: Apparent symbolic reference DAYS not resolved.

ERROR 22-322: Syntax error, expecting one of the following: a name, a quoted string, a numeric constant, a datetime constant, a missing value, arrayname, (, +, -, INPUT, NOT, PUT, ^, _NEW_, ~.

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

220 format DTL yymmdd10.;

221 run;

I've included below the relevant pieces of code.

"
/*SAS FORMATTED INCIDENT START DATE*/

%let date1 = '06Dec2019'd;

/**lookback x days**/

%let Days = 35; /*no lookback for staging, input "0"*/

/**********************************************************************************************************************************************/

**macro to calculate lookback for staging based on incident start date;

data temp;

DTL = &date1. - &Days.;

format DTL yymmdd10.;

run;

proc sql noprint;

select DTL into :DTLa

Re: subtract date macro with numeric macro

jmhorstman — Sat, 15 Feb 2020 14:37:32 GMT

When I copied your code (excluding the final proc sql), it worked fine on SAS 9.4 on my PC. I ended up with a data set called TEMP containing one observation with one variable called DTL having a numeric date value corresponding to Nov 1, 2019. I did not receive the warning, because the macro variable Days resolved as expected. I'm not sure why this isn't working for you. Have you tried restarting your SAS session and just running this little bit of code?

Re: subtract date macro with numeric macro

Tom — Sat, 15 Feb 2020 15:09:15 GMT

Are you just talking about the two macro variables that your code is defining and then using?

Show the line from the log with the error (before line number 215) where the macro variable DAYS was assigned a value.

Do you actually have a macro? Is it possible you defined a local macro variable named DAYS in a macro that has now finished? Once a macro stops running its local macro scope disappears.

Re: subtract date macro with numeric macro

PaigeMiller — Sun, 16 Feb 2020 00:45:18 GMT

Despite the code you showed, it seems as if &DAYS has not been defined. So I conclude you didn't run the code you showed.

So, place this command at the start of your code

options mprint symbolgen mlogic;

and run it again.

Then copy the log (the entire log, not just the error messages) as text and paste it into the window that appears when you click on the {i} icon. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. This helps keep the formatting of the log readable. Please help us out, and help us help you, by following these instructions.