topic Re: Missing value for char variable-how to delete in SAS Programming

Missing value for char variable-how to delete

LanMin — Sun, 03 Nov 2013 02:19:29 GMT

Dear all,

I have a character variable SIC with some missing values. I used the script (see below) to eliminate those observations and the sas log says "Character values have been converted to numeric values at the places given by...:"

IF SIC=" " THEN DELETE;

My question: do I need to convert SIC into numeric before using IF SIC=" " THEN DELETE;

thanks,

Lan

Re: Missing value for char variable-how to delete

PGStats — Sun, 03 Nov 2013 03:13:01 GMT

If SIC really is a character variable then the note refers to another statement. - PG

Re: Missing value for char variable-how to delete

Jagadishkatam — Sun, 03 Nov 2013 05:08:24 GMT

i agree with PG,

The chances of note mentioned will arise when the sic variable data is character and you are considering it as numeric data while deleting. something like below

if sic=. then delete. However as per your post, it is a character and you have used the right statement.

Check if there are any other variable which is character and you are trying to delete those records considering the data is numeric.

Thanks,

Jagadish

Re: Missing value for char variable-how to delete

ballardw — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 15:29:10 GMT

The log should have reported line numbers and number of times. Look at the code with that line number in the log.

I'll bet you've done a numeric function such as adding, subtracting or mulitplying with a variable you thought was numeric but is actually character.

Re: Missing value for char variable-how to delete

jaredp — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 16:38:16 GMT

Could it also be that SAS is trying to convert the non-blank values in SIC?

Re: Missing value for char variable-how to delete

LanMin — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 17:00:32 GMT

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post !!!

SIC was numeric. my mistake. I changed the code IF SIC=. THEN DELETE; it works.

-Lan