BookmarkSubscribeRSS Feed
🔒 This topic is solved and locked. Need further help from the community? Please sign in and ask a new question.
amol2939
Calcite | Level 5
I have an lab result containing numerical values and characters
I want to populate only numeric values
1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
andreas_lds
Jade | Level 19

Or something like:

data want;
  set have;
  if not missing(input(var, ?? best.));
run;

View solution in original post

9 REPLIES 9
amol2939
Calcite | Level 5
Any idea how to filter the data
ed_sas_member
Meteorite | Level 14

Hi @amol2939 

 

Here is an approach to achieve this:

 

data have;
	input lab_result $;
	datalines;
abc
123
def
789
a1
;
run;

data want;
	set have;
	if prxmatch('/^\d+\s*$/',lab_result) then output;
run;

Output:

Capture d’écran 2020-03-18 à 10.16.19.png

-> nb: the column will be still a character one, even if it display only numbers

->the prxmatch function looks for the pattern /^\d+\s*$: , meaning:

A string starting (^) with one or more (+) digits (\d) and zero, one or more (*) trailing blanks (\s) at the end ($) of the string.

 

Hope this helps,

Best,

ed_sas_member
Meteorite | Level 14

If your data are more like this, here is another solution:

data have;
	infile datalines dlm="," truncover;
	input lab_result :$80.;
	datalines;
abc 123 abc 456
123 abc
def 123
;
run;
data want;
	set have;
	array digits(4);
	do i=1 to countw(lab_result);
		digits(i)=scan(lab_result, i, , 'dko');
    end;
    drop i;
run;

Capture d’écran 2020-03-18 à 10.35.20.png

OR

 

data have;
	infile datalines dlm="," truncover;
	input lab_result :$80.;
	datalines;
abc 123 abc 456
123 abc
def 123
;
run;
data want;
	set have;
	digits = compress(lab_result,,"dK");
run;

Capture d’écran 2020-03-18 à 10.37.17.png

 

 

Best,

amol2939
Calcite | Level 5
This works but omit the 1.0, 2.30 values
andreas_lds
Jade | Level 19

Or something like:

data want;
  set have;
  if not missing(input(var, ?? best.));
run;
amol2939
Calcite | Level 5
This code worked
Thanks
Tom
Super User Tom
Super User
Note that when used as an INFORMAT the name BEST is just an alias for the normal numeric informat. Other aliases are F, D and E.
You might also consider testing with COMMA and PERCENT informats also.
ChrisNZ
Tourmaline | Level 20
Ksharp
Super User
data have;
	input lab_result $;
	datalines;
abc
123
def
789
a1
;
run;
data want;
 set have;
 if notdigit(strip(lab_result)) then delete;
run;

SAS Innovate 2025: Register Now

Registration is now open for SAS Innovate 2025 , our biggest and most exciting global event of the year! Join us in Orlando, FL, May 6-9.
Sign up by Dec. 31 to get the 2024 rate of just $495.
Register now!

How to Concatenate Values

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.

SAS Training: Just a Click Away

 Ready to level-up your skills? Choose your own adventure.

Browse our catalog!

Discussion stats
  • 9 replies
  • 1173 views
  • 4 likes
  • 6 in conversation