topic Re: How to compare two variables and stop program if not equals in SAS Programming

How to compare two variables and stop program if not equals

Kal_ETL — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 19:22:55 GMT

Hello Communitie,

I am trying to validate a group of variables from two rows in same dataset, and if any of them doesn't match then abort/stop sas program. I tried something like this but doesn't seems to evaluate correctly.

data nextvar_compare;
nextvar=_n_+1;
set reporte end=last;
if not last
then set reporte(keep=nvar num_character num_numeric rename=(nvar=next_nvar num_character=next_num_character num_numeric=next_num_numeric)) point=nextvar;
else call missing(next_nvar, next_num_character, next_num_numeric);
run;

data _null_;

set nextvar_compare;
if nvar=next_nvar and num_character=next_num_character and num_numeric=next_num_numeric then
call symput("ValidaDS",0);
else;
call symput("ValidaDS",1);
run;

In a sas macro I would like to take ValidaDS value, if 1, then stop/abort, but always have a 1 even when the variables to compare have the same values

Can anyone advice or have a better way to do this?

Re: How to compare two variables and stop program if not equals

Tom — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 20:04:49 GMT

Not sure I follow what you are trying to test, but I suspect the issue is your ELSE statement.

If you want to set a macro variable if some condition is EVER true then first set the macro variable to a default value and then set it to the opposite value when the condition is met.

Something like:

%let valid=1;
data _null_;
   .....
   if (... some condition...) then call symputx('valid','0');
run;

You can then use &VALID to control future steps.

Re: How to compare two variables and stop program if not equals

Kal_ETL — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 20:40:36 GMT

Thank you @Tom. I've already did the variable initialization as you suggested and didn't work. However you point to where my problem is, the else sentence had an ";" at the end that was not necessary. I removed it and now it is evaluating correctly the if-then-else sentence.

Regards.

Re: How to compare two variables and stop program if not equals

Tom — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 21:02:05 GMT

@Kal_ETL wrote:

Thank you @Tom. I've already did the variable initialization as you suggested and didn't work. However you point to where my problem is, the else sentence had an ";" at the end that was not necessary. I removed it and now it is evaluating correctly the if-then-else sentence.

Regards.

So now the macro variable will reflect the result of IF/THEN/ELSE test for only the LAST observation in the dataset.