Odd behaviour of exist function

[FK1]

Hi,

why does SAS return a zero, meaning the dataset does not exist, even though it exists!

  %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS , 'ACCESS'));
  
  %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS, 'CATALOG'));
  
  %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS, 'VIEW'));
  
  %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS, 'DATA'));

  %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS, "DATA"));

  %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS,       ));

result in the Log:

19           %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS , 'ACCESS'));
***** 0
20         
21           %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS, 'CATALOG'));
***** 0
22         
23           %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS, 'VIEW'));
***** 0
24         
25           %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS, 'DATA'));
***** 0
26         
27           %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS, "DATA"));
***** 0
28         
29           %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS,       ));
***** 1

The exist documentation  tells me, that I can use the optional "member-type" argument. By default it is "DATA". 

However, when explicitly using "DATA" or 'DATA' as the optional member-type argument, the function returns the wrong value, i.e. "0"!

Only, when I do not enclose the word DATA in quotes, it returns the correct value:

  %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS,   DATA    ));

29           %PUT  ***** %sysfunc(exist(SASHELP.CLASS,   DATA    ));
***** 1

Am I the only one who gets a littlbe bit confused by this behaviour?

[PaigeMiller · Accepted solution]

This has nothing to do with the EXIST function. It is a "feature" of %SYSFUNC, where arguments to the function inside %SYSFUNC must not be enclosed in quotes (although if you used the same function without %SYSFUNC inside a data step, quotes are required around character values). This is a global condition (as far as I know) in %SYSFUNC, meaning that ANY function inside of %SYSFUNC should not have quotes around the arguments.

Similar example with INTNX, works with no quotes around the arguments, but produces an error with quotes around the arguments.

  %let today=%sysfunc(today());
  %put %sysfunc(intnx(month,&today,1,b));
  %put %sysfunc(intnx('month',&today,1,'b'));

[yabwon]

HI @FK1 

This is natural behaviour of the SAS macro language. When you write code in macro language there is _only_ one data type: text. Everything in macro language is a text so no "quotes" are needed. Starting with PUT statement, in 4GL you are writing:

put "My text to be displayed";

and in macro language you just do:

%put My text to be displayed;

This behaviour is extending for "%sysfunc-ed" functions arguments too.

Here is a bit from documentation:

https://documentation.sas.com/doc/en/pgmsascdc/9.4_3.5/mcrolref/p1o13d7wb2zfcnn19s5ssl2zdxvi.htm#p19...

All the best

Bart

[Ksharp]

If you use Data Step, you would get right answer. Macro is a TEXT processed language, therefore there is no need quote around DATA .



data _null_;
x=exist("SASHELP.CLASS", "DATA");
put x=;
run;

[FK1]

@Ksharp @PaigeMiller @yabwon 

thank you all for your contributions. Now, I understand the issue!