Create a data set with char dates

[Ronein]

Hello

User define 2  macro varaibles: Current month (YYMM format) and number of months.

For example :

%let end=1808;

%let n=24;

The task is to create a data set that will have one column called :YYMM and will have the values (char values):

1808

1807

1806

.......

........

........

1608 (because it 24 months  back)

[andreas_lds]

Seems to be related to

• https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Programming/Find-last-month-of-previous-qurater/m-p/489176
• https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Programming/create-date-parameters/m-p/489183
• many more posts with similar data

The solution seems to be in Create date parameters already. Use the datastep suggested by @RW9, create a dataset instead of macro-variables.

[Ronein · Accepted solution]

Good solution:

%let end=1808;
%let n=24;

data dates_tbl;
do i=0 to &n. ;
YYMM=MDY(substr(compress(&end.),3,2)*1,1,substr(compress(&end.),1,2)*1);
YYMM2=intnx('month',YYMM,-i) ;
YYMM2b=put(YYMM2,yymmn4.);

YYMM3=intnx('month',YYMM2,-12,'end') ;
var_name='t'||strip(&n.-i);
call symputx (var_name,YYMM3);

var_name2='m'||strip(&n.-i);
call symputx (var_name2,YYMM2b);

format YYMM YYMM2 YYMMN4. YYMM3 date9.;
output;
end;
run;
%put &t0;
%put &t1;
%put &t2;
%put &t24;
%put &m0;
%put &m1;
%put &m2;
%put &m24;

[Jagadishkatam]

%let end=1808;
%let n=24;

data have;
do i=0 to &n by 1;
do yymm=intnx('month',input(cats(&end,'01'),yymmdd6.),-i);
format yymm yymmn4.;
output;
end;
end;
run;

[Ronein]

I see that your code is working well but why do you have to Do loops?

Is it not better to  have one Do loop?

%let end=1808;
%let n=24;
data have;
do i=0 to &n by 1;
yymm=intnx('month',input(cats(&end,'01'),yymmdd6.),-i);
format yymm yymmn4.;
output;
end;
run;