I am trying to implement http://support.sas.com/documentation/cdl/en/lestmtsref/68024/HTML/default/viewer.htm#p08do6szetrxe2n... example 2 with characters as so, how can this be done?
data old;
input start end $;
datalines;
1 a
1 b
1 c
1 d
1 e
1 f
1 g
2 a
2 b
3 a
3 b
3 c
3 d
3 e
;
data new(drop=i count);
set old;
by start;
/* Create and assign values to three new variables. Use ENDLAG1- */
/* ENDLAG3 to store lagged values of END, from the most recent to the */
/* third preceding value. */
array x(*) endlag1-endlag3;
endlag1=lag1(end);
endlag2=lag2(end);
endlag3=lag3(end);
/* Reset COUNT at the start of each new BY-Group */
if first.start then count=1;
/* On each iteration, set to missing array elements */
/* that have not yet received a lagged value for the */
/* current BY-Group. Increase count by 1. */
do i=count to dim(x);
x(i)=.;
end;
count + 1;
run;
If I understand that you are looking to do the same processing with a character array
data new(drop=i count);
set old;
by start;
/* since your first reference to the variables Endlag1 to EndLag3
is in the array statement you need to indicate that they are
character and HOW long they are, $ for character 1 for length
if you used a LENGTH Endlag1-Endlag3 $ 1 prior to the array
then the example definition would have worked*/
array x(3) $1 endlag1-endlag3;
endlag1=lag1(end);
endlag2=lag2(end);
endlag3=lag3(end);
if first.start then count=1;
/* On each iteration, set to missing array elements */
/* that have not yet received a lagged value for the */
/* current BY-Group. Increase count by 1. */
do i=count to dim(x);
call missing(x(i)); /*=. doesn't work for character to set missing.
Call missing works with both numeric and character*/
end;
count + 1;
run;
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