topic Re: Rename variable using macro and do loop in SAS Programming

Rename variable using macro and do loop

gahlot1999 — Tue, 10 May 2022 07:24:14 GMT

I want to create a macro to rename all variables in sashelp.cars with suffix 1.

For eg. MODEL will be MODEL1.

PS: I Don't want to use renaming (eg. rename model = model1). I want to find count of variable in the dataset sashelp.cars and use do loop and then rename inside macro (also don't want to use variable name directly while renaming).

Any easy approach to do this?

Re: Rename variable using macro and do loop

ChrisNZ — Tue, 10 May 2022 08:55:39 GMT

You want to rename with using the RENAME statement or option? And without using the variable name?

This makes no sense at all.

I want to create a macro to rename all variables in sashelp.cars with suffix 1.

For eg. MODEL will be MODEL1.

PS: I Don't want to use renaming (eg. rename model = model1). I want to find count of variable in the dataset sashelp.cars and use do loop and then rename inside macro (also don't want to use variable name directly while renaming).

Any easy approach to do this?

Re: Rename variable using macro and do loop

PaigeMiller — Tue, 10 May 2022 11:50:27 GMT

@gahlot1999 wrote:

PS: I Don't want to use renaming (eg. rename model = model1). I want to find count of variable in the dataset sashelp.cars and use do loop and then rename inside macro (also don't want to use variable name directly while renaming).

Any easy approach to do this?

Why this restriction? Why are you saying I can only use certain parts of SAS to do this and not other parts of SAS?

You realize that you can't rename variables in SASHELP.CARS because users do not have WRITE permission to any SASHELP data sets. You could copy the data set into the WORK library.

Anyway, this is easily done without a macro and without specifying an explicit loop, but with the RENAME statement and with a single macro variable.

Re: Rename variable using macro and do loop

Kurt_Bremser — Tue, 10 May 2022 11:49:18 GMT

No macro needed, only a macro variable.

proc sql noprint;
select trim(name) !! "=" !! trim(name) !! "1" into :renames separated by " "
from dictionary.columns
where libname = "SASHELP" and memname = "CARS";
quit;

%put &renames.;

The resulting macro variable can be used in a RENAME statement or RENAME= dataset option.