Convert SAS date to text

[pradark1]

Hi,

I want to use the macro variable DATE defined below

%LET DATE = '29NOV2018'D; 

to create another macro variable that looks like this.

%LET DATETIME = '2018-11-29 00:00:00.0000000';

How can I achieve this?

Thanks!

[Kurt_Bremser]

Since a date is a count of days, and a datetime a count of seconds, you only need to multiply with 86400 wherever you need the datetime, or use the dhms() function.

Note that your wanted value is useless except for display.

[Reeza]

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@pradark1 wrote:

Hi,

I want to use the macro variable DATE defined below

%LET DATE = '29NOV2018'D; 

to create another macro variable that looks like this.

%LET DATETIME = '2018-11-29 00:00:00.0000000';

How can I achieve this?

Thanks!

---

Use DHMS function. Note the second parameter in SYSFUNC is the format. The default will be a datetime that's numeric, to have is shown as indicated you need to apply a format, in this case I've used datetime. Note that applying a display format makes it more difficult to use in the future because you need quotes and dt at the end, whereas the numerical variable will be interpreted correctly. 

%let datetime = %sysfunc(dhms(&date., 0, 0, 0), datetime.);
%put &datetime.;

The 

[pradark1]

Guys, I want the date to be displayed as a text string due to how it is used in my database. so being able to use the following format is important. I want the right hand side of the equation below to be another macro that converts to text like below.
%LET DATETIME = '2018-11-29 00:00:00.0000000';

[Kurt_Bremser]

Your display format can be achieved with the e8601dt. format and filtering out the "T", or by rolling your own format with proc format.

[Kurt_Bremser]

And please note that not everybody here is male. Using "guys" when addressing our most prolific solution provider is sexist at best.

[pradark1 · Accepted solution]

Here is a solution:

data _null_;
length datetime $ 30;
datetime = trim(put(&date,YYMMDD10.)) || " 00:00:00.0000000";
call symput("datetime",datetime);
run;

%put Datetime= &datetime.;