How to Retain Variable Format when Exporting to Excel

[brookeewhite1]

I am using Enterprise Guide to analyze a large payments data set. We have one field that contains a number to indicate the division responsible for a payment. I created a user-defined format to convert the number into the name of the division. Everything was working perfectly until I decided to export my results to Excel for a non-SAS user. That's when I realized my formats are only visible in Enterprise Guide. Unfortunately, the spreadsheet column contained only the division number and not its name. Did I make a mistake to use a format? Is there some way to quickly convert my formats to actual data in a new column that I can then export? (I'm trying to avoid manually listing each division number and name in a CASE statement since there are hundreds of division numbers.)

Thanks in advance!

[art297]

I've never used it, as I don't use EG, but the following appears to have the capability you're looking for:

http://blogs.sas.com/content/sasdummy/2010/10/01/export-to-excel-20072010-using-sas-enterprise-guide...

Art, CEO, AnalystFinder.com

[brookeewhite1]

Thank you! That does look helpful but unfortunately I'm not authorized to install anything additional on my work computer. 

[ballardw]

First, HOW did you export to Excel?

If you used proc export than that isn't going to do it easily. Proc Export is intended to interchange actual values.

You may want to look at an ODS output such as ODS Excel or Tagsets.Excelxp with a procedure such as Proc print which usually honors formats specified in the procedure.

[brookeewhite1]

With my dataset open in Enterprise Guide, I clicked "Export" dropdown arrow then selected "Export WORK.QUERYXXXXXXXX." Next I specified my file location and name, and changed the File of Type dropdown from "SAS Data Files" to "Microsoft Excel workbooks". 

[TomKari · Accepted solution]

If you use the "Send To" | "Microsoft Exel" option, it will keep the formatted values.

Tom

[brookeewhite1]

It worked!  Thank you for the simple and easy fix!