INPUT function requires a character argument

[onyeajam]

On running the code below I have the following error messages. Can anyone help with correcting the code

ERROR: INPUT function requires a character argument.

ERROR: Expression using greater than or equal (>=) has components that are of different data types.

%let user = xxxx;

LIBNAME mdcrd_vw TERADATA SCHEMA=xxx_vdm_view_mdcr_prd

SERVER="xxxprodp.xxxsvc.local" CONNECTION=global AUTHDOMAIN="TD_&SYSUSERID.";

%macro Zip5 (start_dt, end_dt);

PROC SQL;

DROP TABLE nfpp_trd.&user._BENE_2015_3_all;

CREATE TABLE nfpp_trd.&user._bENE_2015_3_all

(DBCREATE_TABLE_OPTS='PRIMARY INDEX(BENE_SK)') AS

SELECT DISTINCT T1.GEO_sk AS bene_zip_cd,

T1.GEO_ZIP4_CD,

T1.BENE_sk,

T2.GEO_FIPS_CNTY_CD,

t2.GEO_FIPS_STATE_CD

FROM mdcrd_vw.V2_MDCR_BENE_FCT_TRANS_HSTRY t1 LEFT JOIN

mdcrd_vw.V2_MDCR_GEO_ZIP9_CD T2 ON (T1.GEO_sk=T2.GEO_sk AND T1.GEO_ZIP4_CD=T2.GEO_ZIP4_CD)

WHERE

BENE_PTA_STUS_CD ='Y'

AND BENE_PTB_STUS_CD = 'Y'

AND BENE_CVRG_TYPE_CD = '9'

and T1.BENE_DEATH_DT = .

and T1.IDR_LTST_TRANS_FLG = 'Y'

and t1.bene_fct_efctv_dt between input(&start_dt.,date9.) and input(&end_dt.,date9.)

and t1.BENE_FCT_OBSLT_DT >=input(&start_dt.,date9.);

　

QUIT;

%mend zip5;

%zip5 ("01JAN2019"d, "31DEC2019"d);

[Kurt_Bremser]

Please post the whole log of the step by copy/pasting it into a window opened with this button:

Since the position of the ERROR indicator is then kept, it makes it much easier for use to spot the problem point.

[onyeajam]

Attached is the log

[Kurt_Bremser]

---

@onyeajam wrote:
Attached is the log

---

Ah ... no?

Just copy/paste it into a code box as requested, no need for attaching anything.

[onyeajam]

me bad.
That is what I had in the attachment. But I made the corrections you
suggested and a new error like I said in my last reply

1 The SAS
System 08:10 Wednesday, August 26, 2020



1 ;*';*";*/;quit;run;

2 OPTIONS PAGENO=MIN;

3 %LET _CLIENTTASKLABEL='marketsaturation.sas';

4 %LET _CLIENTPROCESSFLOWNAME='Process Flow';

5 %LET _CLIENTPROJECTPATH='';

6 %LET _CLIENTPROJECTPATHHOST='';

7 %LET _CLIENTPROJECTNAME='';

8 %LET _SASPROGRAMFILE='\\Client\H$\Secure\Market
Saturation\marketsaturation.sas';

9 %LET _SASPROGRAMFILEHOST='CONCTXxxx';

10

11 ODS _ALL_ CLOSE;

12 OPTIONS DEV=ACTIVEX;

13 GOPTIONS XPIXELS=0 YPIXELS=0;

14 %macro HTML5AccessibleGraphSupported;

15 %if %_SAS_VERCOMP_FV(9,4,4, 0,0,0) >= 0 %then
ACCESSIBLE_GRAPH;

16 %mend;

17 FILENAME EGSR TEMP;

18 ODS tagsets.sasreport13(ID=EGSR) FILE=EGSR

19 STYLE=HTMLBlue

20 NOGTITLE

21 NOGFOOTNOTE

22 GPATH=&sasworklocation

23 ENCODING=UTF8

24 options(rolap="on")

25 ;

NOTE: Writing TAGSETS.SASREPORT13(EGSR) Body file: EGSR

26

27 %let user = xxxx

28

29

30 LIBNAME mdcrd_vw TERADATA SCHEMA=xxx_vdm_view_mdcr_prd

31 SERVER="xxxprodp.xxxsvc.local" CONNECTION=global
AUTHDOMAIN="TD_&SYSUSERID.";

NOTE: Credential obtained from SAS metadata server.

NOTE: Libref MDCRD_VW was successfully assigned as follows:

Engine: TERADATA

Physical Name: xxxprodp.xxxsvc.local

32

33 %macro Zip5 (start_dt, end_dt);

34

35

41 PROC SQL;

42 DROP TABLE nfpp_trd.&user._BENE_2015_3_all;

43 CREATE TABLE nfpp_trd.&user._bENE_2015_3_all

44 (DBCREATE_TABLE_OPTS='PRIMARY INDEX(BENE_SK)') AS

45 SELECT DISTINCT T1.GEO_sk AS bene_zip_cd,

46 T1.GEO_ZIP4_CD,

47 T1.BENE_sk,

48 T2.GEO_FIPS_CNTY_CD,

49 t2.GEO_FIPS_STATE_CD

50 FROM mdcrd_vw.V2_MDCR_BENE_FCT_TRANS_HSTRY t1 LEFT JOIN

51 mdcrd_vw.V2_MDCR_GEO_ZIP9_CD T2 ON (T1.GEO_sk=T2.GEO_sk
AND T1.GEO_ZIP4_CD=T2.GEO_ZIP4_CD)

52 WHERE





53 2 The
SAS System 08:10 Wednesday, August 26, 2020



54

55 BENE_PTA_STUS_CD ='Y'

56 AND BENE_PTB_STUS_CD = 'Y'

57 AND BENE_CVRG_TYPE_CD = '9'

58 and T1.BENE_DEATH_DT = .

59

60 and T1.IDR_LTST_TRANS_FLG = 'Y'

61 and t1.bene_fct_efctv_dt between input(&start_dt.,date9.)
and input(&end_dt.,date9.)

62 and t1.BENE_FCT_OBSLT_DT >=input(&start_dt.,date9.);

63

64

65 QUIT;

66 %mend zip5;

67 %zip5 ("01JAN2019"d, "31DEC2019"d);

WARNING: File NFPP_TRD.PUX2_BENE_2015_3_all.DATA does not exist.

WARNING: Table NFPP_TRD.PUX2_BENE_2015_3_all has not been dropped.

ERROR: INPUT function requires a character argument.

ERROR: INPUT function requires a character argument.

ERROR: Expression using BETWEEN has components that are of different data
types.

ERROR: INPUT function requires a character argument.

ERROR: Expression using greater than or equal (>=) has components that are
of different data types.

NOTE: PROC SQL set option NOEXEC and will continue to check the syntax of
statements.

NOTE: The SAS System stopped processing this step because of errors.

NOTE: PROCEDURE SQL used (Total process time):

real time 0.59 seconds

cpu time 0.02 seconds



68

69 %LET _CLIENTTASKLABEL=;

70 %LET _CLIENTPROCESSFLOWNAME=;

71 %LET _CLIENTPROJECTPATH=;

72 %LET _CLIENTPROJECTPATHHOST=;

73 %LET _CLIENTPROJECTNAME=;

74 %LET _SASPROGRAMFILE=;

75 %LET _SASPROGRAMFILEHOST=;

76

77 ;*';*";*/;quit;run;

78 ODS _ALL_ CLOSE;

79

80

81 QUIT; RUN;

82

[PaigeMiller]

Input function requires a character argument.

So, here, your first argument to INPUT is not character. What are the values of these macro variables? 

and t1.bene_fct_efctv_dt between input(&start_dt.,date9.) and input(&end_dt.,date9.)
and t1.BENE_FCT_OBSLT_DT >=input(&start_dt.,date9.);

[onyeajam]

Start date is 01Jan2019 and end date is 31Dec2019.
So am I changing this

&start_dt to 01jan2019

[PaigeMiller]

---

@onyeajam wrote:
Start date is 01Jan2019 and end date is 31Dec2019.
So am I changing this

&start_dt to 01jan2019

---

I think you have missed the point. You don't have to change the values of the macro variables. You just remove the INPUT function, as shown by @Kurt_Bremser 

[Kurt_Bremser]

and t1.bene_fct_efctv_dt between input(&start_dt.,date9.) and input(&end_dt.,date9.)
and t1.BENE_FCT_OBSLT_DT >=input(&start_dt.,date9.);

This seem to be the offending parts.

Since you call the macro with date literals:

%zip5 ("01JAN2019"d, "31DEC2019"d);

which are immediately converted to numeric SAS date values, the INPUT function is not needed. It would be needed if you had omitted the trailing "d" characters that make a string a date literal.

So you can simplify the offending lines to:

and t1.bene_fct_efctv_dt between &start_dt. and &end_dt.
and t1.BENE_FCT_OBSLT_DT >= &start_dt.;

[onyeajam]

I have corrected the statements as recommended to

and t1.bene_fct_efctv_dt between &start_dt. and &end_dt.
and t1.BENE_FCT_OBSLT_DT >= &start_dt.;


But a New Error Message

Note: Line generated by the macro var "START_DAT".
input "01JAN2019"d
Error 22-322: syntax error, expecting one of the following: !, !!, &, *,
**, +, -,?,<.<=, <>, =, >, >=, AND, EQ, EQT, GE, GET, GROUP, GT, GTT,
HAVING, LE, LET, LT, LTT, NE, NET, OR< ORDER, ^=, |, ||, ~=.
Error 76-322: syntax error, statement will be ignored

[Kurt_Bremser]

I really hate to repeat myself, but:

POST THE WHOLE LOG AS ASKED!!

You left the keyword INPUT somewhere in your code where it's not needed, but I can't tell you where without seeing the WHOLE log. I hope you get the message now.

[onyeajam]

Sorry KurtBremser

I am working with 2 PCs that are not communicating with each other.
I did not eliminate the last input, the reason for the new error I
believe. I have corrected and am rerunning. Will update you soon if
resolved or not.

Thanks

[Tom]

Turn on the MPRINT option before calling the macro.  That way the SAS log will reflect the SAS code that the macro generated.

options mprint;
%zip5 ("01JAN2019"d, "31DEC2019"d);

So with your original macro code and macro call you should see something like this in the log:

MPRINT(ZIP5)  ....  input("01JAN2019"d,date9.) and input("31DEC2019"d,date9.) and t1.BENE_FCT_OBSLT_DT >=input("01JAN2019"d,date9.);

Which is trying to execute read from a date value instead of a character string.  

If you change the call to use a quoted string instead of a date literal 

%zip5 ("01JAN2019", "31DEC2019");

Then the code will look like this:

MPRINT(ZIP5)  ....  input("01JAN2019",date9.) and input("31DEC2019",date9.) and t1.BENE_FCT_OBSLT_DT >=input("01JAN2019",date9.);

Which is valid.

[onyeajam]

@Tom
I went back to original code and change the call to use a quoted string instead of a date literal . That does not work too. Endless running of the program
and t1.bene_fct_efctv_dt between input(&start_dt.,date9.) and input(&end_dt.,date9.)
and t1.BENE_FCT_OBSLT_DT >=input(&start_dt.,date9.);
QUIT;
%mend zip5;
%zip5 ("01JAN2019", "31DEC2019");

[PaigeMiller]

Although this has been mentioned several times before, you just take out the INPUT function, and your code will work.

and t1.bene_fct_efctv_dt between &start_dt and &end_dt 
and t1.BENE_FCT_OBSLT_DT >=&start_dt;
...
%zip5 ("01JAN2019"d, "31DEC2019"d);