add date to dataset name

[fre]

Hi,

I would like to add a date to the name of a dataset. 

This date (reference_date) has been defined somewhere in the beginning of my code.

In the example in the following code, I would like to have a tablename like "RESULTS_2005_010519"

The following code did not work, what could be wrong with it?

%macro backup_results;

%let reference_date= '1MAY2019'd;

/* other code */

data test.RESULTS_2005_%sysfunc(datepart(%sysfunc(input(&reference_date.,DDMMYY10.))));
set test.RESULTS_2005;
run;


%mend;

[Patrick]

The string....

'1MAY2019'd

 ...doesn't convert to a SAS date the way you pass it to the SAS macro variable. It's just exactly the string. For this reason your %sysfunc() stuff is not going to work as it expects a SAS data value.

Also: If it would be a SAS date value then there is no reason to use the datepart() function.

Question: Is the string as passed to &reference_date a given or can you change this? Your answer will drive where the code change needs to be applied. 

Here an approach if you can't change &reference_date

%let reference_date= '01MAY2019'd;

data _null_;
  call symputx('reference_date_2',&reference_date);
  stop;
run;
%put &=reference_date_2;

data test_2005_%sysfunc(putn(&reference_date_2.,DDMMYYn8.));
  set sashelp.class;
run;

proc contents data=_last_;
run;

Actually true, @Ksharp is right. Using the string in the putn() function is already enough for SAS to first convert it to a SAS date value.

[Ksharp · Accepted solution]

%macro backup_results;

%let reference_date= '1MAY2019'd;

/* other code */

data RESULTS_2005_%sysfunc(putn(&reference_date.,DDMMYYn6.));
set sashelp.class;
run;


%mend;

%backup_results

[fre]

Thank you Ksharp & Patrick for giving me more insight into this matter.

[Kurt_Bremser]

---

@fre wrote:

Hi,

I would like to add a date to the name of a dataset. 

This date (reference_date) has been defined somewhere in the beginning of my code.

In the example in the following code, I would like to have a tablename like "RESULTS_2005_010519"

The following code did not work, what could be wrong with it?

%macro backup_results;

%let reference_date= '1MAY2019'd;

/* other code */

data test.RESULTS_2005_%sysfunc(datepart(%sysfunc(input(&reference_date.,DDMMYY10.))));
set test.RESULTS_2005;
run;


%mend;

---

Multiple things

1. do not apply the datepart() function to a date. datepart() is for extracting dates from datetimes
2. you already specified a date literal, so no input function is necessary
3. to display a date in a specified format within macro code, use the putn() function

Try this:

%let reference_date= '1MAY2019'd;
%put %sysfunc(putn(&reference_date.,DDMMYY10.));

But I would strongly recommend, when time-stamping files or datasets, to use the ymd order for your date:

data test.RESULTS_2005_%sysfunc(putn(&reference_date.,yymmddd10.));
set test.RESULTS_2005;
run;

because then everything sorts chronologically on its own.

Also note that I put dashes into the timestamp instead of slashes (that's the third "d" in the format), as that won't confuse your filesystem syntax.

[fre]

Thank you Kurt for your clarification.

I can understand your advice of using the ymd order.

Therefore, I've adapted my code from:

data test.RESULTS_2005_%sysfunc(putn(&reference_date.,DDMMYYn6.));  /* solution provided by Ksharp, which works */

to:

data test.RESULTS_2005_%sysfunc(putn(&reference_date.,yymmddd10.)); /* solution by Kurt => error */

The error I get after this change is ERROR 22-322:

ERROR 22-322: Syntax error, expecting one of the following: a name, a quoted string, (, /, ;, _DATA_, _LAST_, _NULL_.
76: LINE and COLUMN cannot be determined.

I do not understand why changing the format from DDMMYYn6. to yymmddd10. induces this error.  Do you?

[Kurt_Bremser]

My bad.One can't have dashes in dataset names, only in filenames. Remove the dashes altogether:

data test.RESULTS_2005_%sysfunc(putn(&reference_date.,yymmddn8.));

[fre]

Thank you Kurt, it's working now like it should.