Help with INPUT function error

[billi_billi]

Hello all,

I have two dates and I need to calculate difference between them, but both the date variables are character variables, so I used INPUT function to convert it to numeric but I am getting error message 'Invalid argument to function INPUT at line'. Below is my code, can anyone please help me with this issue?

proc sql;

 create table baseline as

     select 1 as order,usubjid, VISIT, VESTDTC, VESTDY

  from ve

  where VISIT = 'Baseline';

  quit;

proc sql;

 create table visits as

      select 1 as order, usubjid, VISIT, VESTDTC,VESTDY

  from ve

  where VISIT = 'Visit 2';

 quit;

   proc sort data=baseline (rename=(VESTDTC=baseline_date));

  by USUBJID;

run;

   proc sort data=visits;

  by USUBJID;

   RUN;

 data combined;

  merge baseline visits;

   by usubjid;

   run;

   data change;

    set combined;

numBase_date=INPUT(baseline_date,date9.);

  format numBase_date date9.;

  run;

[Tom]

SAS should have shown you the actual values of BASELINE_DATE that caused the issue.

Let's make some example strings and see what happens.

data test;
  input string $char20.;
  date = input(string,date9.);
  format string $quote. date date9.;
cards;
01JAN2024
1jan24
1-jan-2024
    01JAN2024
;

Here is the LOG

1    data test;
2      input string $char20.;
3      date = input(string,date9.);
4      format string $quote. date date9.;
5    cards;

NOTE: Invalid argument to function INPUT at line 3 column 10.
RULE:      ----+----1----+----2----+----3----+----4----+----5----+----6----+----7----+----8----+----9----+----0
8          1-jan-2024
string="1-jan-2024" date=. _ERROR_=1 _N_=3
NOTE: Invalid argument to function INPUT at line 3 column 10.
9              01JAN2024
string="    01JAN2024" date=. _ERROR_=1 _N_=4
NOTE: Mathematical operations could not be performed at the following places. The results of the operations have been set to
      missing values.
      Each place is given by: (Number of times) at (Line):(Column).
      2 at 3:10
NOTE: The data set WORK.TEST has 4 observations and 2 variables.
NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time):
      real time           0.00 seconds
      cpu time            0.00 seconds


10   ;

Can you tell why it did not like lines 9 and 10?

Can you think of a way to fix the code so they work?

Spoiler

11   data test;
12     input string $char20.;
13     date = input(left(string),date11.);
14     format string $quote. date date9.;
15   cards;

NOTE: The data set WORK.TEST has 4 observations and 2 variables.
NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time):
      real time           0.00 seconds
      cpu time            0.01 seconds


20   ;

[billi_billi]

In the error it gave me the second date variable.

[Tom · Accepted solution]

---

@billi_billi wrote:

In the error it gave me the second date variable.

---

That looks NOTHING like the type of string that the DATE informat can read.

What INFORMAT should you use?

Spoiler

That is something you would need to use YYMMDD10. informat to read.

[billi_billi]

thank you so much for your help. It worked.