topic Re: %let macro date as date value in SAS Programming

%let macro date as date value

Ronein — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 08:36:35 GMT

Hello,

What is the way to define a macro variable with a numerical date value?

In this case I need that SAS define macro variable start_SAS as value 22152 (Because 22152 is the numerical value of 25AUG2020)

What is the way to define it via %let please?

%let start_SAS='25AUG2020';
%put &start_SAS;

data ttt;
input x : date9.;
cards;
'20AUG2020'
'30AUG2020'
;
Run;

PROC SQL;
	create table tbl  as
	select * 	   
	from ttt 
	where x>&start_SAS.
;
QUIT;

Re: %let macro date as date value

Ronein — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 08:48:24 GMT

I know that I can write

%let start_SAS="25AUG2020"d;

But I prefer to see the real numeric value of the sas date .

Re: %let macro date as date value

FreelanceReinh — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 09:09:19 GMT

Hello @Ronein,

Use the %SYSEVALF macro function:

%let start_SAS=%sysevalf('25AUG2020'd);

Re: %let macro date as date value

ChrisNZ — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 09:30:56 GMT

> But I prefer to see the real numeric value of the sas date

Your log will be more legible with a human-friendly value such as '12AUG2020'd .

Re: %let macro date as date value

ChrisNZ — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 09:35:35 GMT

I know that I can write
%let start_SAS="25AUG2020"d;
But I prefer to see the real numeric value of the sas date .

Ideally, you'd use

%let start_dte=25AUG2020; ... where DATE > "&start_dte"d;

Re: %let macro date as date value

Ksharp — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 10:01:35 GMT

Or inpun() function.

%let start_SAS=%sysfunc(inputn(25AUG2020,date9.));

%put &start_sas ;

Re: %let macro date as date value

mkeintz — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 16:08:04 GMT

@ChrisNZ wrote:

I know that I can write
%let start_SAS="25AUG2020"d;
But I prefer to see the real numeric value of the sas date .

@FreelanceReinh has shown you how to get the numeric value.

But, there is almost no reason to generate the numeric value, which of course is uninterpretable to human eyes.

Lets say you have

%let mydate=25aug2020;

(note no quotes or other attributes of a date-literal).

Now you have a human-readable date which can always be used as a date literal by using double quotes, as in

data mysubset:
   set mymaster;
   where date>="&mydate"d;
   ...
run;

The point here is that when you surround a macrovar with double quotes SAS will not mask interpretation of the macrovar, i.e. the where statement becomes:

   where date>="25aug2020"d;

But if you used the single quotes, (i.e. where date>='&mydate'd; ), there would be no resolution of the MYDATE macrovar.

Single quotes prevent macrovar resolution, double quotes don't.

Re: %let macro date as date value

Kurt_Bremser — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 18:41:33 GMT

%let start_SAS=%sysfunc(inputn(25AUG2020,date9.));