How to use First. To get the following output.

[Bhavanaa44]

Obs. Number name score N
1. 1 David. 54. 1
2. 1. David. 75 2
3. 2. Sam. 24. 1
4. 2. Ram. 35. 1

[novinosrin]

Hi, You wrote-"

How to use First. To get the following output."

1. The following output from where( which input data sample)?

2. What do you want to accomplish?

[Bhavanaa44]

I got this question in interview.
They have just given me the output and told me to write program for it.

[novinosrin]

@Bhavanaa44  Ok, I am assuming the interviewer perhaps wanted to test your knowledge on by group processing in a datastep and that's the same he/she has given you. Apparently, the interviewer wants you to apply first and last automatic variables on the sample and output the first. var for the records. 

I suppose the interviewer wants to pick the first score of each of the names that happens to the grouping variable.

Something like the following is what perhaps the interviewer was seeking

data want;

set have;

by name score;

if first.score;

run;
after sorting the input(have) by name and score

[novinosrin]

If you are looking at DW/BI/Analytics careers using SAS, I suggest you to invest in some sas books by authors ron cody, art carpenter to speed up your learning

[mkeintz · Accepted solution]

It looks like you want the first two records for each by group with 2 or more records.  And the first record for any single-record by-group.  It also looks like you have to produce N=1, N=2.

data want;
  set have;
  by name;
  if first.name then N=1;
  else N+1;
  if N<=2;
run;

[Bhavanaa44]

Hi, 

i have run the code but output didn't come as desired. 

Question asked :

Obs. Number name score N
1. 1 David. 54. 1
2. 1. David. 75 2
3. 2. Sam. 24. 1
4. 2. Ram. 35. 1

Please find my code.

data x;
input number name $ score;
cards;
1 David 75
2 Sam 24
2 Ram 35
1 David 54
;
run;

proc sort data=x;
by name score;
run;

data want;
set x;
by name score;
if first.name then N=1; else N+1;
if N<=2;run;

Output after running above code:

Obs. Number name score N
1. 1 David   54  1
2. 1. David  75 2
3. 2. Ram   35 1
4. 2. Sam   24 1

[Bhavanaa44]

I will run this code and see if the same output is coming or not.

One more thing is there any way to install SAS in windows 10. As I have in VMware and it is very slow

[Patrick]

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@Bhavanaa44 wrote:
I will run this code and see if the same output is coming or not.

One more thing is there any way to install SAS in windows 10. As I have in VMware and it is very slow

---

Yes, that should work. 

The best place to get answers to such questions is the SAS Install Center. 

https://support.sas.com/documentation/installcenter/

https://support.sas.com/en/documentation/system-requirements.html

http://support.sas.com/documentation/installcenter/en/ikfdtnwinsr/67228/PDF/default/sreq.pdf