If is Numeric Convert to Numeric Else Character

[User_Help]

Hi all,

I have a listing comprises of Numeric and Character, currently SAS recognized listing as character.

How to produce as numeric.

Var

1

2

2A

2B

3

IF VTYPE(VAR)=’N’ THEN VAR1 = input(VAR,2.);
ELSE VAR1 = PUT(VAR,2.);  

What's wrong with the code?

[mkeintz]

A variable can only be one type: numeric or character. This holds through every observation in the data set - otherwise how could you reliably code something like sumvar=var1+var2;? 

It is most definitely NOT the same as a spreadsheet, where each cell can be of a different type than other cells in the same column (which is the analog of a variable).  That is an attribute of spreadsheets that has to be abandoned in SAS (or STATA or SPSS or other statistical packages).

[User_Help]

If i would like to treat numeric as numeric, whereas character remains as character, can it be done?

[ballardw]

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@User_Help wrote:

If i would like to treat numeric as numeric, whereas character remains as character, can it be done?

---

With two variables. Create a numeric variable for the values you want to treat as numeric.

If you do not need to do calculations, add, subtract, multiply and so on, with a variable then it should not be numeric at all.

[User_Help]

could share how is the formula likes? Thanks.

[Ksharp]

You want this ?

data have;
input Var $;
cards;
1
2
2A
2B
3
;

data want;
 set have;
 var_num=input(var,?? best.);
 if missing(var_num) then var_char=var;
run;

[User_Help]

Hi, 

"Var" the list is in Text format.

Can i get the "Expected Result" as screenshot below?

1,2,3 is in General format, 2A, 2B is Character format. Result shown in single column.

[SASKiwi]

@User_Help  - Text Format and General Format are Excel concepts and have no meaning in SAS. From what I can see Column A and Column D are identical and all you are doing is changing the Excel format. You don't need SAS to do that. It's a lot easier just using Excel to format columns A and D.

[Ksharp]

NO. You can't .As SASKiwi mentioned , in SAS a column could be either character or numeric ,you can't have both in a column .