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SASuserlot
Barite | Level 11

I have the variable "Time" ( character text string) of minutes; I want to convert them into seconds ( numeric format). Unfortunately, I can not change the source data, and this is how it is written in the source.

I appreciate your help.

data have;
time = "08:00";
output;
time ="08:45";
output;
time = "27:38";
output;
time ="59:59";
output;
run;

Want

SASuserlot_0-1705126384305.png

 

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
Ksharp
Super User
data have;
  time = "08:00";
  output;
  time ="08:45";
  output;
  time = "27:38";
  output;
  time ="59:59";
  output;
run;

data want;
  set have;
  time_dt=input(time,stimer.);
run;
proc print;run;

Ksharp_0-1705221089110.png

 

View solution in original post

11 REPLIES 11
SASuserlot
Barite | Level 11

Sorry that’s a typo.

Patrick
Opal | Level 21

Shape your string into a form that's suitable for an informat.

data have;
  time = "08:00";
  output;
  time ="08:45";
  output;
  time = "27:38";
  output;
  time ="59:59";
  output;
run;

data want;
  set have;
  time_dt=input(cats('00:',time),time.);
run;

proc sql;
  select 
    time
    ,time_dt format=best32.
    ,time_dt format=time.
  from want
  ;
quit;

Patrick_0-1705146636471.png

 

Tom
Super User Tom
Super User

So you have strings in XX:XX style and you want to interpret that as MM:SS.

 

First let's make a dataset with some example data. Not need to write a lot of statements. Just use normal SAS code to read in the example values.

data have;
  input time :$5.;
cards;
08:00
08:45
27:38
59:59
;

The TIME informat will assume a string in XX:XX style is HH:MM , not MM:SS.

So you have two choices.  Prefix an extra 00: in front so the TIME informat knows you have strings in HH:MM:SS style.

Or just divide by 60 since there are 60 seconds in a minute.

 

Let's try both.

data want;
  set have;
  sastime=input(time,time5.);
  format sastime time12.;
  seconds1=sastime/60;
  seconds2=input(cats('00:',time),time8.);
run;

Result:

Obs    time          sastime    seconds1    seconds2

 1     08:00         8:00:00       480         480
 2     08:45         8:45:00       525         525
 3     27:38        27:38:00      1658        1658
 4     59:59        59:59:00      3599        3599

 

Ksharp
Super User
data have;
  time = "08:00";
  output;
  time ="08:45";
  output;
  time = "27:38";
  output;
  time ="59:59";
  output;
run;

data want;
  set have;
  time_dt=input(time,stimer.);
run;
proc print;run;

Ksharp_0-1705221089110.png

 

SASuserlot
Barite | Level 11

Thank you @Ksharp @Kurt_Bremser @Tom @Patrick . All of you are amazing. All your suggestions work.  I am choosing one solution to close this thread. Thanks again guys.

SASuserlot
Barite | Level 11

No. All the time is less than one hour. So no possibility of getting the hours information in the data.

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