PUT,INPUT AND SCAN

[VISHNU239]

data m;
input info $ 1 - 50;
cards;
101 pencils 39
102 parker pens 21
103 apple ipod touch & shuffle 09
104 dell studio laptop 03
run;

/*get the starting nos as pr_id, ending nos as pr_qty and the rest as pr_name*/

[PeterClemmensen]

One way 

data want;
	set m;
	pr_id=scan(info, 1);
	pr_qty=scan(info, -1);
	pr_name=substr(info, findw(info, scan(info, 2)), findw(info, scan(info, -1))-findw(info, scan(info, 2)));
run;

[RW9]

I like this offering, one thing I would add is once you have pr_id and pr_qty, you could drop that from the first variable and avoid the longer code:

data want;
  set m;
  pr_id=scan(info, 1);
  pr_qty=scan(info, -1);
  pr_name=tranwrd(tranwrd(info,pr_id,""),pr_qty,"");
run;  

Just an option. 

[VISHNU239]

i couldn't see any data in output. All i can see is table of pr_id,pr_qty,Info,pr_name.

[s_lassen]

Another possibility is to use PRX functions, which enables you to check for numbers in the right places:

data want;
  set m;
  length pr_id $5 pr_name $40 pr_qty $5;
  prxid=prxparse('/^(\d+) (.+) (\d+)\s*$/');
  if not prxmatch(prxid,info) then
    error 'No match';
  else do;
    pr_id=prxposn(prxid,1,info);
    pr_name=prxposn(prxid,2,info);
    pr_qty=prxposn(prxid,3,info);
    end;
  keep info pr_:;
run;

The PRX string searches for beginning of string "^", some digits "\d+" which are placed in the first capture buffer (the "()" around), a blank, a string which can be anything (".+", in the second capture buffer), a blank, some digits in the third capture buffer, and finally some whithespace "\s*" and end of string "$". You then use PRXPOSN to get at the capture buffers.  

[VISHNU239]

i am sorry i forgot to run the initial data m. even after running it i got all of them under info. but i want them seperately 101 102... under pr_id.pencils, parker.... under pr_name and the rest under pr_qty.

[RW9]

Show and example of what you mean.