Changing variable names using another dataset’s data

[IOT]

Hello,

I need to change a large number of variable names of a dataset. The targeted names are included in another dataset as data. For example, there are two datasets, A and B. The variable names of A are a1 a2 a3. And B has two variables, of which names are b1 and b2. b2 has data: c1, c2, and c3. Then I want to replace a1-3 by c1-3. Could you please help? Thanks in advance.

[ChrisNZ]

Like this?

data NAMES;
 input LIBNAME $ MEMNAME $ OLDNAME $ NEWNAME $;
cards;
WORK A a1 c1
WORK A a2 c2
WORK A a3 c3
run;

data _null_;
  set NAMES;
  call execute('proc datasets lib='||LIBNAME||' noprint;');
  call execute('  modify '||MEMNAME||';');
  call execute('  rename '||OLDNAME||'='||NEWNAME||';');
  call execute('run;');
run;

[vellad]

@ChrisNZ's code works. And to get the dataset NAMES used in his code, you can do this:

proc transpose data=A (obs=0) out=A_t (keep=_NAME_ rename=(_NAME_=oldname));
    var :;
run;

data NAMES;
    set A_t;
    set B (keep=b2 rename=(b2=newname));
    libname='WORK';
    memname='A';
run;

[CurtisMackWSIPP · Accepted solution]

It can be done in a few different ways.  I think this one would be the easiest to understand. It uses CALL Execute to write code the uses the PROC DATASETS procedure to do the rename. 

data work.have;
  x = 1; y = 'Y'; output;
run;

data renames;
  oldname = "X"; NewName = "X_NEW"; OUTPUT;
  oldname = "Y"; NewName = "Y_NEW"; OUTPUT;
run;

data _null_;
  set renames end= finished;
  if _n_ = 1 then do;
    call execute("proc datasets library=work nolist;");
    call execute(" modify have;");
  end;
  call execute(" rename " || oldname || " = " || NewName || ";");
  if finished then do;
    call execute("quit;");
  end;
run;

[IOT]

Thanks for the simple solution. It’s quite helpful. I appreciate the other answers as well.

[Venky3110]

Try using this code


data test;
input a1 a2 a3;
datalines;
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
;
run;


data var_names;
input var1 $2. var2 $3.;
datalines;
b1 c1
b2 c2
b3 c3
;
run;

data contents;
ds=open("test",'i');
num=attrn(ds,'nvars');
do v=1 to num;
vn=varname(ds,v);
output;
end;
run;

proc sql;
select  count(distinct var1)  into : count from var_names;
%let count=&count;
select distinct var2 into : newvar_1-: newvar_&count from var_names;
quit;

proc sql;
select count(distinct v) into : count1 from contents;
%let count1=&count1;
select distinct vn into : oldvar_1-:oldvar_&count1 from contents;
quit;

%put &oldvar_1 &oldvar_2 &oldvar_3;
%put &newvar_1 &newvar_2 &newvar_3;



data want1;
set test;
run;
%macro rename;

%do i=1 %to &count1.;


data want1;
set want1;
rename &&oldvar_&i..=&&newvar_&i..;
run;

%end;

%mend;
%rename;