using if last. if first.

[kindbe17]

Can i create a macro variable that will keep the largest value of NHITS from SASHELP.BASEBALL dataset using If Last. ?

i guess i am doing something wrong in my code above

data baseball_1;
set sashelp.baseball;
run;

proc sort data=baseball_1;
by name nhits;
run;

data m;
set Baseball_1;
by name;
if last.name then n=1;
call symputx('maxnhits', n);
proc print;
run;

[PeterClemmensen]

Do you want the overall max in a macro variable or the max by some group?

[kindbe17]

i just want to create a macro variable that will keep the largest value of nhits, i think that value is 238 value from nhits variable, i dont know how to do that

[PeterClemmensen · Accepted solution]

You got several methods yesterday? The last. / fist. variables are not suitable for this purpose. They indicate By-Group Boundaries, not the end of an entire data set.

From yesterday:

data _null_;
   set sashelp.baseball end = z;
   if NHITS > n then n = NHITS;
   if z then call symputx('maxNHITS', n);
   retain n;
run;

%put &maxNHITS.;

[kindbe17]

i thought i will be able to use if last. too, now i got it, thank you so much.