Hello,
Does this data step code represent sql equivalent below?
data want;
merge a (in = a) b (in = b) c (in = c);
by id;
if a or b;
run;
proc sql;
create table want as
select a*,b*,c*
from a
left join b on a.id = b.id
left join c on b.id = c.id;
quit;
No. If it isn't a many to many merge/join then I think the following would be the same:
data want1; merge a (in = a) b (in = b) c (in = c); by id; if a and (a or b); run; proc sql; create table want2 as select a.*,b.*,c.* from a left join b on a.id = b.id left join c on b.id = c.id ; quit;
HTH,
Art, CEO, AnalystFinder.com
The short answer is no. But SAS is a data analysis system, and your question is an excellent opportunity to use it. Here is such a test:
data a b c;
do id=1 to 2;
output a b c;
output b c;
output c;
end;
run;
data mergeabc;
merge a b c;
by id;
run;
proc sql;
create table want as
select a.*,b.*,c.*
from a
left join b on a.id = b.id
left join c on b.id = c.id;
quit;
Why do you ask?
And, strictly, you never be sure if a SQL query and a data step have the same result. It all comes down to the data at hand, and what your desired outcome is. SO I think the general answer to all SQL vs data step question should be no. On of the most obvious things is that SQL does not preserve the original sort order.
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