Proc Compare: First Obs/Last Obs

[SuzyG_]

I have been given a program that macros a proc compare so that we can automate that step across numerous datasets.  However, for some of the datasets, First Obs is not = 1.  See example output below; note that there are 74,901 records but First Obs = 74,902 and Last Obs = 149,802.  Since the macro is meant to handle any dataset, it does not use an ID statement.  I found that if I did a separate proc compare, using ID variables, I get First Obs = 1 and Last Obs = 74,901.

Can someone explain why this is?  Obviously something is being handled differently within the proc compare when using ID variables vs. not using them, but I'm curious why it seems to double the number of observations, then compares the 2nd half.

Dataset               Created          Modified  NVar    NObs  Label

LIB1_LOC.LB  06APR15:11:54:44  06APR15:14:22:31    43   74901  Laboratory Tests Results
LIB2_LOC.LB  06APR15:11:54:44  06APR15:14:22:31    43   74901  Laboratory Tests Results

Variables Summary

Number of Variables in Common: 43.

Observation Summary

Observation      Base  Compare

First Obs       74902    74902
Last  Obs      149802   149802

Number of Observations in Common: 74901.
Total Number of Observations Read from LIB1_LOC.LB: 74901.
Total Number of Observations Read from LIB2_LOC.LB: 74901.

Number of Observations with Some Compared Variables Unequal: 0.
Number of Observations with All Compared Variables Equal: 74901.

NOTE: No unequal values were found. All values compared are exactly equal.

[RW9]

With the ID statement it is basically a merge on the given id values.  In your instance it appears that none of the given id values match between datasets, hence you get double out e.g.:

data a;

     id=1;output;

     id=2;output;

run;

data b;

     id=3; output;

     id=4; output;

run;

If I compare using id = id, neither match the other, so the resulting table is:

     id=1

     id=2

     id=3

     id=4

So thin of it a bit like a merge, if you still have issues post some test data and the code.

[SuzyG_]

Thanks!  But the datasets are identical--one is just a copy of the other (the proc compare is just for documentation purposes that we have the same dataset in LIB1_LOC as in LIB2_LOC).  And they do have ID variables in common; when I created a separate proc compare and compared on the ID variables, it was fine.  It's only when we don't use ID that we get the weird First Obs/Last Obs.  I wondered if there is some sort of "pre-processing" that happens in a proc compare if no ID variables are specified?

[data_null__]

This example models your situation.

data class1 class2;
   set sashelp.class;
   run;
data class1;
   modify class1 end=eof;
   remove;
   if eof then do;
      do until(eof2);
         set sashelp.class end=eof2;
         output;
         end;
      stop;
      end;
   run;
data class2;
   modify class2 end=eof;
   remove;
   if eof then do;
      do until(eof2);
         set sashelp.class end=eof2;
         output;
         end;
      stop;
      end;
   run;

proc compare data=class1 compare=class2;
   run;

     

[SuzyG_]

Thank you!  I suppose this is just default how proc compare handles the processing when no IDs are specified?

[data_null__]

No your data has "removed" observations just like the example I created!