How to convert any date or numeric field into character in sas

[laxmikanthr]

Hi all,

I am trying to automate a process in which i need to convert any date or numeric field having any format to character field.

[Reeza]

Isn't that what the PUT() function does? Is there some other functionality you need?

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@laxmikanthr wrote:

Hi all,

I am trying to automate a process in which i need to convert any date or numeric field having any format to character field.

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[PGStats · Accepted solution]

Use the function vformat() to get the format name and apply it with function putn().

data test;
x = 99.99;
t = '16nov2017'd;
dt = '16nov2017:23:11:30'dt;
format t yymmdd10. dt datetime17.;
run;

data testStr;
array a x t dt;
array aStr{3} $32;
set test;
do i = 1 to dim(a);
    length fmt $32;
    fmt = vformat(a{i});
    if missing(fmt) then aStr{i} = put(a{i}, best.);
    else aStr{i} = putn(a{i}, fmt);
    end;
drop i fmt;
run; 

proc print data=testStr noobs; run;

[laxmikanthr]

Thanks for the solution

[Tom]

Not sure what you purpose is, but isn't that what PROC PRINT does?

If you want to store it into a character variable then use the VVALUE(),

charvar=vvalue(anyvar);

or VVALUEX() function.

data want ;
  set sashelp.class(obs=3) ;
  length vname $32 value $200 ;
  do vname='sex','age','height';
    value=vvaluex(vname);
    output;
  end;
  keep name vname value ;
run;

Obs     Name      vname        value

 1     Alfred     sex       M
 2     Alfred     age                 14
 3     Alfred     height              69
 4     Alice      sex       F
 5     Alice      age                 13
 6     Alice      height            56.5
 7     Barbara    sex       F
 8     Barbara    age                 13
 9     Barbara    height            65.3

[laxmikanthr]

Thanks a lot for the valuable solution it is working

[ballardw]

Once a variable is numeric it stays numeric. Your process will have to create new variables.

One questions the actual value of this idea. The results will generally not sort properly and all of the functions to manipulate the values are basically gone.

If the purpose is a report read by people then any of the report procedures such as Print, Report or Tabulate are likely much better approaches than trying to change variables.