topic Re: If is Numeric Convert to Numeric Else Character in SAS Programming

If is Numeric Convert to Numeric Else Character

User_Help — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 01:39:38 GMT

Hi all,

I have a listing comprises of Numeric and Character, currently SAS recognized listing as character.

How to produce as numeric.

Var

IF VTYPE(VAR)=’N’ THEN VAR1 = input(VAR,2.);
ELSE VAR1 = PUT(VAR,2.);

What's wrong with the code?

Re: If is Numeric Convert to Numeric Else Character

mkeintz — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 01:55:02 GMT

A variable can only be one type: numeric or character. This holds through every observation in the data set - otherwise how could you reliably code something like sumvar=var1+var2;?

It is most definitely NOT the same as a spreadsheet, where each cell can be of a different type than other cells in the same column (which is the analog of a variable). That is an attribute of spreadsheets that has to be abandoned in SAS (or STATA or SPSS or other statistical packages).

Re: If is Numeric Convert to Numeric Else Character

User_Help — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 02:05:23 GMT

If i would like to treat numeric as numeric, whereas character remains as character, can it be done?

Re: If is Numeric Convert to Numeric Else Character

ballardw — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 02:48:02 GMT

@User_Help wrote:

If i would like to treat numeric as numeric, whereas character remains as character, can it be done?

With two variables. Create a numeric variable for the values you want to treat as numeric.

If you do not need to do calculations, add, subtract, multiply and so on, with a variable then it should not be numeric at all.

Re: If is Numeric Convert to Numeric Else Character

User_Help — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 03:20:37 GMT

could share how is the formula likes? Thanks.

Re: If is Numeric Convert to Numeric Else Character

Ksharp — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 11:35:50 GMT

You want this ?

data have;
input Var $;
cards;
1
2
2A
2B
3
;

data want;
 set have;
 var_num=input(var,?? best.);
 if missing(var_num) then var_char=var;
run;

Re: If is Numeric Convert to Numeric Else Character

User_Help — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 00:47:45 GMT

Hi,

"Var" the list is in Text format.

Can i get the "Expected Result" as screenshot below?

1,2,3 is in General format, 2A, 2B is Character format. Result shown in single column.

Re: If is Numeric Convert to Numeric Else Character

SASKiwi — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 01:16:47 GMT

@User_Help - Text Format and General Format are Excel concepts and have no meaning in SAS. From what I can see Column A and Column D are identical and all you are doing is changing the Excel format. You don't need SAS to do that. It's a lot easier just using Excel to format columns A and D.

Re: If is Numeric Convert to Numeric Else Character

Ksharp — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 10:59:55 GMT

NO. You can't .As SASKiwi mentioned , in SAS a column could be either character or numeric ,you can't have both in a column .