Convert macro variable to datetime

[shubham1]

I have below macro variable 

%let x=2019-10-31 00:00:00.447000;

This macro variable is having a value as character .i want it to convert to numeric 26

How can i do that ?

[ed_sas_member · Accepted solution]

Hi @shubham1 ,

Something like this?

%let x= %sysfunc(inputn(2019-10-31 00:00:00.447000, ymddttm24.));
%put &x;

Result: 1888099200.447

[shubham1]

I think output is wrong 

it is not coming as  2019-10-31 00:00:00.447000 .I want value to be numeric as 2019-10-31 00:00:00.447000 

[ed_sas_member]

Hi @shubham1 

Macro variables are strings. They have no type (numeric / character).

All datetimes values are stored as numbers by SAS. If you want to use them for further calculation, you need to get those numbers.

 2019-10-31 00:00:00.447000 is not a valid numeric value.

[PaigeMiller]

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@shubham1 wrote:

I think output is wrong 

it is not coming as  2019-10-31 00:00:00.447000 .I want value to be numeric as 2019-10-31 00:00:00.447000 

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The result from @ed_sas_member of 1888099200.447 is correct. SAS considers date/times to be the number of seconds since midnight January 1, 1960, so that is how your date/time is represented in SAS. You can optionally format it so that it looks like an actual date/time to humans when they see it, but internally it needs to be 1888099200.447. You need to adjust your thinking so that you can use date/times properly in SAS. Any comparison of date/time values must be done numerically, rather than by a text string.

[shubham1]

there was something wrong I did at my end sorry for that your solution is working 

[ed_sas_member]

Hi @shubham1
Great to hear that!
Could you please mark the topic as answer so that it can be available to the whole community?