SAS stored process variables values changing

[lyudmilpetrov]

Dear experts,

I have a simple request to create variable in SAS Stored process and concatenate two strings one is coming from GLOBAL variable / prompt / input

and the other is static.

Where &user is Global input.

If I run the stored process and enter into the prompt for user variable the info:

ABCD

data _null_;
call symputx('end_table_1', &user || '_end_1');
run;

%put &user;
%put &end_table_1;

I will see as result printed out

36 +%put &USER;
ABCD
37 +%put &end_table_1;
._end_1

which the dot tells me that $user is not visible in (call symputx), but how come is visible for %put.

But if that run separately as program it executes fine:

%let user = 'test';

data _null_;
call symputx('end_table_1', &user. || '_end_1');
run;%put &USER;
%put &end_table_1;

Result 

33 %put &USER;
'test'
34 %put &end_table_1;
test_end_1

Much appreciated any help,

[tsap · Accepted solution]

The problem is related to this line of logic:

call symputx('end_table_1', &user || '_end_1');

When &user resolves the line becomes this:

call symputx('end_table_1', ABCD || '_end_1');

So it thinks that there is a variable called ABCD and attempts to populate with a value from that variable. So you end up getting that weird macro resolution.

Now when you ran the code and used 'test' as the value of &user, you included the quotes in the resolved value of the macro.

So that time the line would appear as this:

call symputx('end_table_1', 'test' || '_end_1');

So SAS knew that test was a literal text string and concatenated with the other literal text string and your final macro resolved appropriately.

Simplest solution - Put double quotation marks around your &user macro in the Call Symputx statement.

Example:

data _null_;
call symputx('end_table_1', "&user" || '_end_1');
run;

That should solve your problem. the macro will resolve within the double quotes (not within single quotes), and the quotation marks will remain, letting SAS know that ABCD is a literal string and not a variable name.

Hope this helps.

[lyudmilpetrov]

Thanks a lot very clear explanation almost accepted without testing, but test and perfect.

Much appreciated and all the best,

Lyudmil

[lyudmilpetrov]

Thank you so much for the perfect input, it works as charm.

All the best,

Lyudmil

[tsap]

Glad I could help!