topic Re: Expression understanding in SAS Programming

Expression understanding

David_Billa — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 09:54:28 GMT

Could you please help me understand the meaning of the expression below?

REPORTING_DATE <= CASHFLOW_DT  >= ACCOUNT_DT

Re: Expression understanding

Kurt_Bremser — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 10:19:06 GMT

It is a logical expression that is true (1) when CASHFLOW_DT is larger than (or equal to) both of the other variables. Otherwise it is false (0).

Re: Expression understanding

ChrisNZ — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 11:38:59 GMT

It's the same as

REPORTING_DATE <= CASHFLOW_DT and CASHFLOW_DT >= ACCOUNT_DT

Re: Expression understanding

Tom — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 13:08:15 GMT

@David_Billa wrote:

Could you please help me understand the meaning of the expression below?
REPORTING_DATE <= CASHFLOW_DT  >= ACCOUNT_DT

Use it in a WHERE clause and SAS will show you in the LOG how it is interpreted.

1906  data test2;
1907    set test;
1908    where REPORTING_DATE <= CASHFLOW_DT  >= ACCOUNT_DT ;
1909  run;

NOTE: There were 1 observations read from the data set WORK.TEST.
      WHERE (REPORTING_DATE<=CASHFLOW_DT) and (CASHFLOW_DT>=ACCOUNT_DT);

It is a little unusual to see this construct used when the inequalities point in different directions. Another way to get the same would be something like:

max(REPORTING_DATE,ACCOUNT_DT) <= CASHFLOW_DT