how to prevent SAS forcing calculated numeric values into character values

[LisaYIN9309]

So this seems very simple but very wired problem has confused me for so long, and it never happened like this before... Here it is:

I am calculating a variable called M_final = 8-(M1+M2+M3+M4+M5+M6+M7+(M8/4)

all M1 to M8 are numerical values, so I would expect M_final be a numerical value as well, also with decimal points (because M8/4), later I will need this M_final to create a character category like HighScore, LowScore

ID	M1	M2	M3	M4	M5	M6	M7	M8
1	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	4
2	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	1
3	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	3
4	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	0
5	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	0
6	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	2
7	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
8	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	1
9	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	3
10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2

So my code in data step is (as easy as it is):

M_Score = 8-(M1+M2+M3+M4+M5+M6+M7+(M8/4));

but this is what SAS keeps showing me in Log:

Numeric values have been converted to character values at the places given by:

(Line):(Column).

-> it points to the line above

I am very confused why it happened and how to make it work as it should.

I've tried to use input to force the values back from character to numeric values, but it creates another problem that all decimal points are lost....

Thank you!

[Reeza]

One of the variables in your formula is not numeric.

Run a PROC CONTENTS and check the type.

[PGStats · Accepted solution]

Maybe M_score or M_final already exist as a character variable in your input dataset.

[LisaYIN9309]

I thought about it, but no, M_final / M_score (sorry I keep using them interchangeably) is created rather than already exist

[Shmuel]

Please post your full code and log.

[Reeza]

Post the PROC CONTENTS output. 

[LisaYIN9309]

thanks @Reeza@Shmuel@Shmuel, stupid me, you guys are right. What happened is that I have different dataset from different school for calculation, some of them did have M_score/M_final in the dataset, with all missing character values. I dropped them in set step and re-create M_Score/M_final with calculation.