INTCK in SYSFUNC error

[SPR]

%SYSFUNC(INTCK("Second",&t1,&t2) generates error but INTCK in a data step works fine. 

%let t1=%SYSFUNC(DateTime());

%let t2=%SYSFUNC(DateTime());

%let t=%SYSFUNC(INTCK("Second",&t1,&t2));

WARNING: An argument to the function INTCK referenced by the %SYSFUNC or %QSYSFUNC macro function is out of range.
NOTE: Mathematical operations could not be performed during %SYSFUNC function execution. The result of the operations have been set
to a missing value.

%put &=t1 &=t2 &=t;

LOG:

/*T1=1963997617.86803 T2=1963999438.99399 T=.*/

data a;
t=INTCK("Second",&t1,&t2);
run;

/* dataset a */

/*t                */
/*1821        */

[ChrisHemedinger · Accepted solution]

When using %sysfunc, which is a SAS macro construct, you don't enclose literal arguments to functions in quotes.

%let t1=%SYSFUNC(DateTime());
%let t2=%SYSFUNC(DateTime());
%let t=%SYSFUNC(INTCK(Second,&t1,&t2));

Confusing...perhaps. But it's just how SAS macro works as a text generator. 

[SPR]

WARNING: An argument to the function INTCK referenced by the %SYSFUNC or %QSYSFUNC macro function is out of range.
NOTE: Mathematical operations could not be performed during %SYSFUNC function execution. The result of the operations have been set
to a missing value.

If this WARNING/NOTE message said "drop apostrophes in the first argument" or "error in the first argument", it will be much more useful that this lengthy text.

[Tom]

Not sure how %SYSFUNC() is supposed to read your mind.  I think it is pretty much just echoing the same error as would be generated if you passed an invalid value in a data step.

10    %put %sysfunc(intck('month',1,2));
WARNING: An argument to the function INTCK referenced by the %SYSFUNC or %QSYSFUNC macro function is out of range.
NOTE: Mathematical operations could not be performed during %SYSFUNC function execution. The result of the operations have been set
      to a missing value.
.
11    %put %sysfunc(intck(fred,1,2));
WARNING: An argument to the function INTCK referenced by the %SYSFUNC or %QSYSFUNC macro function is out of range.
NOTE: Mathematical operations could not be performed during %SYSFUNC function execution. The result of the operations have been set
      to a missing value.
.
12
13    data _null_;
14      x=intck("'month'",1,2);
15      x=intck("fred",1,2);
16    run;

NOTE: Invalid argument to function INTCK('''month''',1,2) at line 14 column 5.
NOTE: Invalid argument to function INTCK('fred',1,2) at line 15 column 5.
x=. _ERROR_=1 _N_=1
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).
      1 at 14:5   1 at 15:5
NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time):
      real time           0.01 seconds
      cpu time            0.00 seconds

[SPR]

I do not think that is too difficult to identify what argument contains an issue.

[Tom]

Datetime values are numbers of seconds.  So why bother with INTCK() to get the difference in seconds you can just subtract the values.

%let duration=%sysevalf(&t2-&t1);