How to format a date within proc transpose statement

[malikah_sph]

I need help trying to keep the variable admitDate formatted in the following code:

proc transpose data=temp
out=analysis
prefix=admitDate;
format admitDate yymmdd10.;
by patientId;
var age systolic procedure1 procedure2 procedure3 procedure4 procedure5 diagnosis1 diagnosis2 diagnosis3 diagnosis4 diagnosis5;
run;

**When I run it it gives the date as numbers. Is there a better way to do this?

[RW9]

Well, the best way is not to put data as column names.  Column names are there for your programming benefit, to ake your coding simpler and easier.  Creating columsn with numbers/dates or anything else will just make your life harder.  Prefix option is there give you a constant prefeix for all the data in the array, so you can refer to things via shorthand:

procedure:

You can't use that if the prefix changes each time.  That is one simple example, but there are many other reason why not to do it.  

Now variable label is a different matter - that is not used in programming, it is purely for display.  That can be anything you like.  You can set a label by:

proc transpose data=temp out=analysis;
  format admitDate yymmdd10.;
  by patientId;
  var age systolic procedure1 procedure2 procedure3 procedure4 procedure5 diagnosis1 diagnosis2 diagnosis3 diagnosis4 diagnosis5;
  idlabel admitdate;
  id admitdate;
run;

Note, I haven't tested if that is valid syntax as you have not provided any test data (form of datastep) or required output.

[malikah_sph]

Thank you. I will try it and see if it works.

[malikah_sph]

I tried it. Its not exactly what I am looking for. I don't need the dates as row headers. I would like an array like how mentioned in my initial code which is how I need the data organized. I just need each admit date to format as a date and not as Number. How can I do that using the prefix statement as an array to separate the admit dates in the code below:

proc transpose data=temp
out=analysis
prefix=admitDate;
format admitDate yymmdd10.;
by patientId;
var age systolic procedure1 procedure2 procedure3 procedure4 procedure5 diagnosis1 diagnosis2 diagnosis3 diagnosis4 diagnosis5;
run;

[RW9]

Then please show what you do require.  Provide test data in the form of a datastep, and what the output should look like.