& in file name in data step

[geneshackman]

I hope this is an easy question for sasperts.

I am updating the previous 10 year trend data with new data, to make a new 10 year trend data set.

old data set is indicators2008_2017

adding in data for 2018, so for the new 10 year trend data set, i want the data set to be indicators2009_2018

Is this right?

**** edit Year ******************** ;
%let Year = 2018 ;
/* these two lines are to identify the previous 10 year data set, that ends with the year -before- "year" and begins with year - 10.
For example, when updating with 2018 data, the previous data set was indicators2008_2017 */
%let oldendyr=%eval(&Year-1);
%let oldstartyr=%eval(&Year-10);

* AND need the first year of the new 10 year data set, which would be year -9 ;
%let newstartyr=%eval(&Year-9);

Then next, I'm trying to bring together the data for the current year with the data with the previous data set. I know this isn't right because I get errors.

data indicators&newstartyr_&Year;
set sasout.indicators&oldstartyr_&oldendyr
indicators&Year;
run;

Here is some output

2836 data indicators&newstartyr_&Year;

(next three lines below under the & symbol)

-
22
200
ERROR 22-322: Syntax error, expecting one of the following: a name, a quoted string, (, /, ;,
_DATA_, _LAST_, _NULL_.

ERROR 200-322: The symbol is not recognized and will be ignored.

Help appreciated.

Thanks

[Tom · Accepted solution]

So you ran this?

%let Year = 2018 ;
%let oldendyr=%eval(&Year-1);
%let oldstartyr=%eval(&Year-10);
%let newstartyr=%eval(&Year-9);
data indicators&newstartyr_&Year;
  set sasout.indicators&oldstartyr_&oldendyr indicators&Year;
run;

If so you are referencing two macro variables named NEWSTARTYR_ and OLDSTARTYR_ that you never defined.

You must use a period to let the macro processor know where the macro variable name ends when you have appended some other characters that could be part of the name.

data indicators&newstartyr._&Year;
  set sasout.indicators&oldstartyr._&oldendyr indicators&Year;
run;

[geneshackman]

Thanks!