How do I fix Error 20-200 and 20-322 for renaming variables in a data step?

[Jiordani]

Hello, I've been trying to rename all the variables that start with a state, and end with something like !!Housholds!!Estimate and I keep getting the Error 20-200 saying:

"Alphabetic prefixes for enumerated variables (Alabama-Estimate) are different. 

Old and new variable name specifications for RENAME must be of the same type. Statement is ignored.

And Error 22-322 says: Syntax error, expecting one of the following: -, :, =.

The symbol is not recognized and will be ignored.

I want to change all the variables to a shorted postal abbreviation of the corresponding state. For example I want the variable Alabama!!Housholds!!Estimate to be just AL.

Also, none of my data copied from the first data set to the second dataset, but I created that second dataset. The second dataset just has all of the original variables, but with no observations.

This one is the first dataset RegPro.IncoSt

This one is the second dataset RegPro.IncoSt1

[Kurt_Bremser]

A name with exclamation marks is a non-valid name, unless you have

options validvarname=any;

set. In which case you must use a name literal:

'Alabama!!Housholds!!Estimate'n