variable for all date variables

[sfridy]

Is there a SAS created variable like _all_ or _numeric_ for date variables?

I'm automating reports and the following code works but I was wondering if I could get more specific and say "format all date values as" instead of "format all numeric values as"

		proc report data=data;
		columns _all_;
		define _numeric_ /style={TAGATTR='format:m/d/yyyy'};
		run;

[Reeza]

Nope. Date variables are numbers/numeric. 

If you have a naming convention you can use the colon shortcut. Make all your date variables start with a common prefix such as:

Date_:  

---

@sfridy wrote:

Is there a SAS created variable like _all_ or _numeric_ for date variables?

I'm automating reports and the following code works but I was wondering if I could get more specific and say "format all date values as" instead of "format all numeric values as"

		proc report data=data;
		columns _all_;
		define _numeric_ /style={TAGATTR='format:m/d/yyyy'};
		run;

---

[sfridy]

What is the colon shortcut and how would it be implemented using proc report?

[Reeza · Accepted solution]

https://blogs.sas.com/content/iml/2018/05/29/6-easy-ways-to-specify-a-list-of-variables-in-sas.html

It would like be (untested):

Define date_: / format=..... ;

This assumes all and only date variables start with DATE_.

---

@sfridy wrote:

What is the colon shortcut and how would it be implemented using proc report?

---

[PeterClemmensen]

No. Dates are merely formatted integers. SAS doesn't know which numeric variables are interpreted as dates and which are not.

[ChrisHemedinger]

Since "date" variables are inferred based on their assigned SAS formats, you could also create a list of these (regardless of name) by examining the FMTINFO function, "Cat" attribute.  Some testing required 😉

%let lib=SASHELP;
%let mem=AIR;

proc sql noprint;
 select t1.name into: dateVars separated by ' '
   from sashelp.vcolumn t1
   where libname="&lib." and memname="&mem"
   and fmtinfo(scan(t1.format,1),'Cat')="date"
 ;
quit;

%put &=dateVars;
proc report data=&lib..&mem.;
 columns _all_;
 define &datevars. / display style={TAGATTR='format:m/d/yyyy'};
run;

[data_null__]

---

@ChrisHemedinger wrote:

Since "date" variables are inferred based on their assigned SAS formats, you could also create a list of these (regardless of name) by examining the FMTINFO function, "Cat" attribute.  Some testing required 😉

%let lib=SASHELP;
%let mem=AIR;

proc sql noprint;
 select t1.name into: dateVars separated by ' '
   from sashelp.vcolumn t1
   where libname="&lib." and memname="&mem"
   and fmtinfo(scan(t1.format,1),'Cat')="date"
 ;
quit;

%put &=dateVars;
proc report data=&lib..&mem.;
 columns _all_;
 define &datevars. / display style={TAGATTR='format:m/d/yyyy'};
run;

---

The DEFINE statement is a bit eccentric about the difference between a "SAS Variable List" and a "list of SAS variables". 

81   proc report data=&lib..&mem.;
SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable LIB resolves to SASHELP
SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable MEM resolves to class
82    columns _all_;
83    define height weight / display style={TAGATTR='format:m/d/yyyy'};
                    ------
                    79
ERROR: HEIGHT does not have a numeric suffix.
ERROR 79-322: Expecting a -.
84   run;

My SAS does not have SASHELP.AIR;