Create a new variable that adds the character “_" in front of the values of an existing variable

[Thomas_mp]

Hello,

I need to create a new variable that adds the character “_" in front of the value of an existing variable.  I find this easy to do in Excel, but I cannot  do it in SAS.

An example:

This is what I have

data have   ; input  date  va   vb  $;

cards  ;

20000630    6.1207   to

20000929    6.1158   ri

20001229    5.7898   to

20010330    4.9815   co

;

run;

I need to generate new variable _va that adds _ to the values of the existing variable  va.

So, I would  like to have this:

data want

Date                   va                      _va        vb

20000630    6.1207            _6.1207     to

20000929    6.1158            _3.1158     ri

20001229    5.7898            _5.7898     to

20010330    4.9815            _4.9815     co

Thank you for your help

[WarrenKuhfeld]

https://documentation.sas.com/doc/da/vdmmlcdc/8.1/lefunctionsref/n1e21rr6al5m2nn19r1fat5qxwrt.htm#:~....

[Astounding · Accepted solution]

Doing what you ask should be as simple as:
_va = catt("_", va);
However, you have to realize that your new variable must be a character variable. Numeric variables cannot contain an underscore. Other approaches are worth considering, such as a picture format that contains a prefix of an underscore, but leaves the actual value as numeric. You would have to describe what happens next, to get a more insightful answer. What are your plans for using _va?.

Also note, it would be worth learning how SAS handles dates. Instead of an 8 digit number, there is a better way to go.

[Tom]

Certainly much easier to do in SAS than in Excel.  No pointing or clicking required.

data want;
   set have;
   length _va $15 ;
   _va=cats('_',va);
run;

You can also use the PUT() function to control how the number is converted to a string. 

If you know VA should have positive values values less than 10 then you probably want to use the 6.4 format.

data want;
   set have;
   length _va $7;
   _va=cats('_',put(va,6.4));
run;

[Thomas_mp]

Thank you Tom !!

[andreas_lds]

I am curious: what is the use-case requiring numeric values being prefixed with an underscore?