intnx looping

[scb]

When i run the program, period_1 appear in the date1 dataset, may i know how to output period_2 to period_24 into the date1 dataset? Thanks.

data date1;
date1 = intnx('month',&today,-1,'end');
period_1 = substr(put(date1, yymmddn8.),3,4);
do i=2 to 24;
call symput(cats("Period_",i),substr(put(intnx('month',date1,-(i-1),'end'),yymmddn8.),3,4));
end;
run;

[yabwon]

Use arrays:

%let today=today();
data date1;
  array period_[24] $ 10;
  do i=1 to 24;
    date1 = intnx('month',&today,-i,'end');
    period_[i] = substr(put(date1, yymmddn8.),3,4);
  end;
run;

Bart

[PaigeMiller]

---

@scb wrote:

When i run the program, period_1 appear in the date1 dataset, may i know how to output period_2 to period_24 into the date1 dataset? Thanks.

data date1;
date1 = intnx('month',&today,-1,'end');
period_1 = substr(put(date1, yymmddn8.),3,4);
do i=2 to 24;
call symput(cats("Period_",i),substr(put(intnx('month',date1,-(i-1),'end'),yymmddn8.),3,4));
end;
run;

---

May I recommend that you avoid macro variables and CALL SYMPUT when data step functions will do the job?

May I also recommend that you not store calendar information as characters strings like '1903'? Instead, they should be stored as actual numeric SAS date values and formatted as needed.

data date1;
    array period_(24);
    today=today();
    do i=1 to 24;
         period(i) = intnx('month',today,-i,'e');
    end;
    format period_: yymmn4.;   
    drop i today;
run;
        

[Patrick]

@scb 

It's always a bit difficult to really provide an answer just based on code posted but without any sample data (like Have and Want).

Based on your code: Macro level code is great for dynamic code but it's really not the appropriate design to just hold data. Even if things work as desired it will lead to a lot of complicated and unnecessary macro coding.