Convert character to date format when importing text file

[AP101]

On my txt file the data in position 1 is formatted as 20020408.(yyyymmdd)

I want to import the academic_date in the same format (yyyymmdd)  but as a date value in sas. How can I do this?

DATA import_file;

INFILE "K:\DATA\academic.file18.txt"

INPUT

@1 ACADEMIC_DATE $8.;

RUN;

[novinosrin]

why aren't you importing aka reading the date with an informat  yymmdd10.?

DATA import_file;

INFILE "K:\DATA\academic.file18.txt"

INPUT

@1 ACADEMIC_DATE yymmdd10..;

format ACADEMIC_DATE  yymmdd10.;

RUN;

[AP101]

The data is 8 characters in length. When I use the yymmdd10. I get an error message "invalid data for academic_date in line 1-9."

[novinosrin]

Post samples of your data so that we can test from our end. Also post the required output  you want

[AP101]

As the length is 8 characters I used yymmdd8 and the result is 02-04-08. How can I remove get it to read as 20020408? no dashes

[novinosrin · Accepted solution]

Use 

yymmddn8.;

 format

DATA import_file;

INFILE "K:\DATA\academic.file18.txt"

INPUT

@1 ACADEMIC_DATE yymmdd8.;

format ACADEMIC_DATE  yymmddn8.;

RUN;

[AP101]

That did it. Thank you.

[AP101]

@novinosrin How can I read in 2018 as a numeric date.

I've tried:

DATA import_file;

INFILE "K:\DATA\academic.file18.txt"

INPUT

@ 10    year    year4.;

[novinosrin]

if the value is a number, it is considered standard data and so you do need a special instruction aka informat to read. 

So in your example 2018 can be directly read as year value

data want;

input year;

cards;

2018

;

No need to supply any informat 

[AP101]

i'm reading the year 2018 into sas from a text file. I want to format it as a date.

[novinosrin]

Sure, that doesn't make a difference whether you read from txt or csv or whateever. If your value is 2018 which is a year value and if you have logic date and month values in the same txt file, you could use mdy function to compute a sas date and format it the way you want. 

What date do you think you would want to assign to just 2018?

[AP101]

I only want to read in 2018 from the txt file as a numeric value.

it's in position @10

[novinosrin]

did you try 

input @10 year 

[AP101]

Tried:
input

@ 10 year 4.;

that worked. Thanks again.

[Tom]

I don't understand the question. If you read it in using an INFORMAT it does not care what delimiter is used in the source text, the result is still a number (number of days since 1960). Then you can attach any date format you want to your variable once you have it as a date instead of as text. Personally I wouldn't use one that had month or day first as whichever order you pick will confuse half of your audience. Do use a format of DATE9. or YYMMDD10. and the values will be clearer.