Custom sort order based on a predefined sort order

[sas-inquirer]

@ballardw
In all cases where the key_var is new, it should be inserted in numeric order so 1-2-3 should come before 1-2-4. For existing key_var, they should be in the order specified by the sort_order variable. So the idea is to take the original report and manually insert the new points by examining the values and inserting them in numeric order. I have no control over the report design other than being the person who has to update it. Perhaps this is just something that has to be done on a case by case basis manually. Thanks for your assistance.

[mkeintz]

You don't need a sort order rule if the current master data set is (1) already in the desired order, and (2) all relevant values of the sort variable ("sortvar" below), are found at least once in the master data set.

You already stated that condition 1 is true.  So assuming (2) is also true, then:

data want;
  set master;
  by key_var notsorted;
  if _n_=1 then do;
    declare hash h (dataset:'newdata',multidata:'Y');
	  h.definekey('key_var');    /* Was "definesortvar"*/
	  h.definedata(all:'Y');
	  h.definedone();
  end;

  output;

  if last.key_var=1 and h.find()=0 then do until (h.find_next()^=0);
	output;
  end;
run;

Actually (2) doesn't have to be entirely true. What you really need is that the NEWDATA data set contains no key_var value not already in MASTER.

I've corrected some bad editing in my code above.  Also this program assumes that dataset NEWDATA has all the same variables as MASTER.  Otherwise extra variables from the last within-by-group observation in MASTER will be kept in the new observations added for the NEWDATA observations.

[sas-inquirer]

@mkeintz This looks like an interesting approach and I am eager to try it, but I get an error (DATA STEP Component Object failure. Aborted during the COMPILATION phase.) From everything I read on google it would seem to point to a syntax error but unfortunately I have no experience with hash so am having trouble pin-pointing it. Any suggestions?

[ballardw]

---

@sas-inquirer wrote:
@mkeintz This looks like an interesting approach and I am eager to try it, but I get an error (DATA STEP Component Object failure. Aborted during the COMPILATION phase.) From everything I read on google it would seem to point to a syntax error but unfortunately I have no experience with hash so am having trouble pin-pointing it. Any suggestions?

---

ANY time you get an error you should copy the log with all the procedure text and all notes, warnings as well as the message, open a text box on the forum with the </> icon and paste the text. The text box is important because SAS often includes diagnostic information that depends text behavior and the message windows on this forum will reformat pasted text which makes those diagnostics less useful or easy to follow.

With that said, look in the log or your code for something that includes two . in the syntax like this.that.something.

The error you get most easily generated that way.

[sas-inquirer]

@mkeintz thanks for your code. I liked the approach. Unfortunatly I cannot make it work for my needs. I think this is a case where automation is not possible.