topic Re: How do I fix this error: ERROR 159-185: Null parameters for DIVIDE are invalid. in SAS Programming

How do I fix this error: ERROR 159-185: Null parameters for DIVIDE are invalid.

chandler — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 22:05:07 GMT

This is SAS log excerpt:

%LET RNSOBKA = ; %LET RNSOBKD = ; %LET RNSOHSOD = ; %LET RNSOBKP = ; %LET RNSONFA = ;
114478    +%LET RNESBKA = ; %LET RNESBKD = ; %LET RNESHHOD = ; %LET RNESBKP = ; %LET RNESNFA = ;
114479    +%LET RNCUBKA = ; %LET RNCUBKD = ; %LET RNCUHSOD = ; %LET RNCUBKP = ; %LET RNCUNFA = ;
114480    +
114481    +%ren_exc(bp=PWM) ;
114481      region1_n region2_n region3_n SO_HSO_pct_nf;    SO_HSO_dollars = left(trim(put(Total_n,dollar14.)));    call symput("RNSOHSOD",trim(SO_HSO_dollars)) ;
114481   !     SO_HSO_pct_nf = left(trim(put(divide(Total_n,&RNSONFA.),percent7.2))) ;    call symput("RNSOHSOP",
                                                                     _
                                                                     159
ERROR 159-185: Null parameters for DIVIDE are invalid.

WARNING: The data set WORK.TOTAL_HS_OVERRIDES may be incomplete. When this step was stopped there were 0 observations and 7 variables.
WARNING: Data set WORK.TOTAL_HS_OVERRIDES was not replaced because this step was stopped.

Re: How do I fix this error: ERROR 159-185: Null parameters for DIVIDE are invalid.

data_null__ — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 23:19:21 GMT

Give &RNSONFA a value that.

Re: How do I fix this error: ERROR 159-185: Null parameters for DIVIDE are invalid.

ballardw — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 04:28:44 GMT

I recommend considering using the function STRIP to reduce the number of parantheses involved. You find a lot of code with trim(left(<value>)) because a long time ago there was no single function to do that. Strip was introduced as an alternative to trim(left because we used that so frequently.

Re: How do I fix this error: ERROR 159-185: Null parameters for DIVIDE are invalid.

Kurt_Bremser — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 06:55:16 GMT

You do

%LET RNSONFA = ;

That causes the macro variable RNSONFA to be empty.

When you do

divide(Total_n,&RNSONFA.)

this resolves (after macro expansion/interpretation) to

divide(Total_n, )

which is invalid.

Re: How do I fix this error: ERROR 159-185: Null parameters for DIVIDE are invalid.

chandler — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 14:56:54 GMT

I inherited this program from a programmer that left the company 3 months ago. This report has been running on scheduler since then, without error. Why is something that has been working all along, now causing an error ?

Re: How do I fix this error: ERROR 159-185: Null parameters for DIVIDE are invalid.

Kurt_Bremser — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 06:39:49 GMT

To really determine that, one would need a holistic view.

Complete code, everything concerning the scheduling, code of the system batch scripts, etc

Take a look at the revision history.

Something has changed, or the problem would have been there from the beginning.