Check existence of the variable...

[rakeshvvv]

I Have a library with around 20 datasets. I want to write a macro in such way that it should check for the existence of the variable and If that variable present. Would need to do further processing. I wrote upto this part…….

PROC SQL;

CREATE TABLE TABLIST AS SELECT MEMNAME FROM DICTIONARY.TABLES

WHERE LIBNAME = "xxx" ;

QUIT;

%MACRO LOOP;

%LET DSID=%SYSFUNC(OPEN(TABLIST,I));

%LET NOBS=%SYSFUNC(ATTRN(&DSID,NOBS));

%LET RC=%SYSFUNC(CLOSE(&DSID));

%DO J=1 %TO &NOBS;

DATA _NULL_;

SET TABLIST;

IF _N_=&J THEN DO;

CALL SYMPUT ('DOM', COMPRESS(UPCASE(MEMNAME)));

END;

RUN;

Have to determine which one of these variable exists in the table....

&dom.term,&dom.testcd,&dom.trt.....

any one of the above variable will be present...based on the existence of which variable the below code continues as

DATA &DOM;

SET xxx.&DOM;

WHERE not missing (&dom.term)(&dom.testcd)(&dom.trt);

RUN;

%mend loop;

[RW9 · Accepted solution]

Well, from my side I would do:

data _null_;

     set sashelp.vcolumn (where=(libname="SASHELP" and memname="CARS" and name="MAKE")); /* You can modify for your variables/tables */

     call execute(' .. '); /* do additional programming, could be a macro call or actual code */

run;

So if the column(s) specified exist in the dataset(s) supplied, then the call execute generates the code per record.  If it doesn't exist then nothing happens.  Avoids the whole macro thing.

[arodriguez]

When I want to know if a variable exist I use this code

data _null_;

  set ds;

  dsid = open("ds");

  if varnum(dsid,"var") eq 0 then call symputx('exist',0); /*if not exist, changed to 0*/   

else call symputx('exist',1);

run;

[CTorres]

I agree with RW9.

You can also find the variable names in any table using DICTIONARY TABLES. You do not need to open the dataset in advance.

CTorres