To whom it may concern,
I have a column of data that looks like column 1 below. What kind of code do I need to run to get column 2; column 2 is column 1 staggered, so that I can eventually take the first difference between columns 1 and 2.
Any help would be appreciated.
Christos
Column 1 Column 2 First Difference
1 [Blank] 1-[Blank]
2 1 2-1=1
3 2 3-2=1
4 3 4-3=1
5 4 5-4=1
6 5 6-5=1
You need the LAG() function, or better still the DIF() function which will directly calculate the difference between successive observations.
diff1 = dif(x) ;
The first row will return a null value.
Richard in Oz
You need the LAG() function, or better still the DIF() function which will directly calculate the difference between successive observations.
diff1 = dif(x) ;
The first row will return a null value.
Richard in Oz
Richard should get the credit for the correct answer but, in case Richard was sufficiently clear:
data want;
input column1;
column2=lag(column1);
first_difference=dif(column1);
cards;
1
2
3
4
5
6
;
Thaks to both! Very helpful.
Are you ready for the spotlight? We're accepting content ideas for SAS Innovate 2025 to be held May 6-9 in Orlando, FL. The call is open until September 25. Read more here about why you should contribute and what is in it for you!
Learn how use the CAT functions in SAS to join values from multiple variables into a single value.
Find more tutorials on the SAS Users YouTube channel.