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pequignot
Calcite | Level 5

How do I arrange/control columns when I use proc export? 

I'm thinking of something like a "var" statement in proc print. 

EG:  I have a vbl called AGE, and another called AgeGrouped;  when using export Age goes to Col B and AgeGrouped goes to Col F.  I want to have them together to give to client, for his use..

Similar/related question:  is there a way to arrange columns in a SAS dataset?  If I could arrange things there then proc export might do what i want.

4 REPLIES 4
Doc_Duke
Rhodochrosite | Level 12

Ordering the variables in a SAS data set requires understanding the Program Data Vector.  Read this chapter and see if that solves your problem:

SAS(R) 9.2 Language Reference: Concepts, Second Edition

markjc
Fluorite | Level 6

'Retain' will change the column order. The Proc Export column order from the origional dataset is: name | Emp_Id | dept

After altering the datset using Retain, The Proc Export column order is: name | dept | Emp_Id   

http://www.sascommunity.org/wiki/Re-ordering_variables

data people;

input name $ Emp_Id dept $;

datalines;

Timothy 225 Finance

Mark 301 Risk

Matt 249 IT

;

run;

  * Change column order ;

Data people ;

Retain name dept Emp_Id;

Set people;

Run;

RW9
Diamond | Level 26 RW9
Diamond | Level 26

Alternaitvely, don't use proc export as you are basically letting some code guess what you want as output.  There are other options out there:

- tagsets.excelxp + proc report - good for most uses.

- datastep to csv - Excel can read an interpret, flat text file so portable, virtually everything can read it.

- XML - your own particular XML creation, from datastep

ballardw
Super User

And what's wrong with Proc print using NOOBS option?

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