I want to run a macro that takes a dataset, processes it, and outputs a new dataset with a that name depends on the name of the original dataset.
e.g something like this
%let data_in = my_data;
%let data_out = &data_in || '_processed'
But calling &data_in isn't really what I want to do, I would like call the dataset name as a character string. Is this possible?
I've had a hunt through documentation and forums but can't find what I am looking for.
Don't use quotes in macro language if you want to concatenate strings. Always keep in mind that macro language is most and foremost a text processing tool, and only knows the data type character.
Do it like this:
%let data_in=my_data;
%let data_out=&data_in._processed;
The dot after the &data_in terminates that particular macro variable reference.
PS if you use quotes in the right side of a %let, they will become part of the value stored in the macro variable, instead of being treated as string delimiters.
Don't use quotes in macro language if you want to concatenate strings. Always keep in mind that macro language is most and foremost a text processing tool, and only knows the data type character.
Do it like this:
%let data_in=my_data;
%let data_out=&data_in._processed;
The dot after the &data_in terminates that particular macro variable reference.
PS if you use quotes in the right side of a %let, they will become part of the value stored in the macro variable, instead of being treated as string delimiters.
Join us for SAS Innovate April 16-19 at the Aria in Las Vegas. Bring the team and save big with our group pricing for a limited time only.
Pre-conference courses and tutorials are filling up fast and are always a sellout. Register today to reserve your seat.
Learn how use the CAT functions in SAS to join values from multiple variables into a single value.
Find more tutorials on the SAS Users YouTube channel.