topic Re: Question about $ sign in Statistical Procedures

Question about $ sign

deleted_user — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:37:26 GMT

I run following code:
data admit;
input ID $ 1-4 Name $ 6-19 Sex $ 21 Age 23-24
Date 26-27 Height 29-30 Weight 32-34
ActLevel $ 36-39 Fee 41-46;
format fee 6.2;
run;

I guess 'ID $1-4',it will produce a parameter,its width is 4,but I don't understand 'Sex $21' width is 1,why? And 'Weight 32-34' width is 8,why?

input ID $ 1-4 Name $ 6-19 Sex $ 21 Age 23-24
Date 26-27 Height 29-30 Weight 32-34
ActLevel $ 36-39 Fee 41-46;

Where is 5,20,22,25,28,31,35,40? Why omit them?

Re: Question about $ sign

Doc_Duke — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:57:01 GMT

Suggest you check out the chapter on reading raw data in the SAS/Base Concepts manual:

http://support.sas.com/documentation/cdl/en/lrcon/61722/HTML/default/a001112330.htm

The answers to most of your questions are there. The others can be found by reading about the INPUT statement in the SAS Language Reference Dictionary..

Doc Muhlbaier

Re: Question about $ sign

data_null__ — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:05:02 GMT

> I run following code:
> data admit;
> input ID $ 1-4 Name $ 6-19 Sex $ 21 Age 23-24
> Date 26-27 Height 29-30 Weight 32-34
> ActLevel $ 36-39 Fee 41-46;
> format fee 6.2;
> run;
>
> I guess 'ID $1-4',it will produce a parameter,its
> width is 4,but I don't understand 'Sex $21' width is
> 1,why? And 'Weight 32-34' width is 8,why?
>

these are column number ranges and in SAS without other statements to define the variable attributes the column numbers serve that purpose.
$1-4 character length 4
$21 same as $21-21 character length 1
32-34 NO $ sign numeric. All numerics default to lenght 8.

>
> Where is 5,20,22,25,28,31,35,40? Why omit them?

Those columns are skipped. No mistery.

You need to read about COLUMN INPUT. That will answer most of your questions.

This INPUT statement syntax was developed with the very first SAS version from the late sixties. If may seem odd to some.