topic proc format does not recognise character value (bug?) in SAS Procedures

proc format does not recognise character value (bug?)

deleted_user — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:36:13 GMT

Can anyone tell me if there is a known bug which causes this to intermittently occur?........

911
912 proc format;
913 value $pol_num
914 '10'='0'
ERROR: The quoted string '10' is not acceptable to a numeric format or informat.
915 '11'='1'
916 '12'='2'
917 '13'='3'
918 '14'='4'
919 '15'='5'
920 '16'='6'
........

Clearly it is a character format so why does SAS think it's a numeric? It usually works but every so often throws a wobbler.

Re: proc format does not recognise character value (bug?)

sbb — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:33:34 GMT

Clearly there is some SAS code executed ahead of your PROC FORMAT, which is likely contributing to this condition. Share more info about this code and also info about your SAS environment (OS, version and SP level -- from SASLOG). And any info about what conditions the problem occurs would also be useful. And it may help by coding a SAS RUN; statement ahead of a PROC execution so that SAS compiles the code up to that point before it interprets the next PROC / DATA step.

Scott Barry
SBBWorks, Inc.

Re: proc format does not recognise character value (bug?)

deleted_user — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:19:13 GMT

Thanks Scott,

It's XP Professional, SP2.

I'm certain it is not a code issue as simply restarting SAS and runinng the same code causes no issue most of the time. It seems completely random. IN other words. probably windows related.

All the steps before the proc have run; statements.