Help with LAG or RETAIN?

[iiibbb]

I'll admit I'm a neophite.  I wish I had the code that botched my sorting.  I've already replaced it with code that works (I generally like to destroy non-working code as quick as possible)

However, I'm certain I had a well laid out logic that didn't work when it was built into the if/then statement... and worked as soon as I created a stand-alone variable.

Needless to say, a learning experience, and I hope that I will come to better understand how this works in the future.  I've not worked with data like this before and I'm learning all sorts of new and fun things.

At least I can tell when something is not working

[iiibbb]

Can anyone suggest a good tutorial for more advanced data step functions?

This sort of thing (http://www2.sas.com/proceedings/sugi30/134-30.pdf) I know inside and out.

[art297]

A fairly simple article that describes the problem with using the lag function, conditionally, is shown at: http://www.nesug.org/proceedings/nesug06/cc/cc32.pdf

There is a site that has all of the global forum papers as well as many of the regional papers: http://www.lexjansen.com/

There is always the documentation: http://support.sas.com/documentation/93/index.html

and sasCommunity.org articles: http://www.sascommunity.org/wiki/Main_Page

and many, many books by SAS users: http://support.sas.com/community/authors/index.html

[Astounding]

Two authors you can look for:  Ron Cody and Ben Cochran.  You may have to search through the titles, though, to find the papers you're looking for.

Good luck.

[art297]

Astounding:  Absolutely nothing wrong with reading those authors, but I definitely wouldn't limit who I'd suggest reading.  There are many, many outstanding authors and not all of them have elected to write books.  I'd list some of my own favorites, but that would take a book in itself.

[Astounding]

Art,

The two I mentioned are well-respected, and I know they have written on the subject at one time or another.   But you're certainly right.  There must be others as well.