Why do you think that you cannot change it to not use CALL EXECUTE? Change a program like this: data _null_;   set members ;   call execute(cats('%nstr(%%mymacro)','(',memname,');')); run; to a program like this: filename code temp; data _null_;    set members;    file code;    put '%mymacro(' memname ');' ; run; %inc code / source2 ; ... View more

This is because SAS is expanding the macro and passing the statements onto the command stack.  You can prevent this by using %NRSTR to protect the macro call from executing at that point. Then SAS will push the macro call onto the stack and it will then execute after the current data step has finished.  There are also other timing issues that can be solved by using this technique. Here is an example to show the difference in how the log will look. %macro x; * This is a macro with a few lines of code ; Data _null_;   x='Just to see what happens when it is invoked from ';   y='call execute and see how it looks in the SAS log.'; run; * end of macro x; %mend x; options mprint; data _null_;   call execute('%x;'); run; data _null_;   call execute('%nrstr(%%x;)'); run; ... View more

Art - Can you post your code?  I did not have trouble reading those characters. data _null_;   do filename='file1.dat','file2.dat';     file dummy filevar=filename recfm=f lrecl=1;       do i=1 to 24 ;         input char $hex2. +1 @;         put char $char1. ;       end;       input;   end;   stop; cards; FF D8 FF E0 00 10 4A 46 49 46 00 01 01 01 00 60 00 60 00 00 FF E1 5C 1C FF D8 FF E0 00 10 4A 46 49 46 00 01 01 01 00 60 00 60 00 00 FF E1 5C 22 run; data _null_;   infile 'file1.dat';   input; put _infile_ $hex48.;   infile 'file2.dat';   input; put _infile_ $hex48.; run; FFD8FFE000104A46494600010101006000600000FFE15C1C FFD8FFE000104A46494600010101006000600000FFE15C22 NOTE: 1 record was read from the infile 'file1.dat'.       The minimum record length was 24.       The maximum record length was 24. NOTE: 1 record was read from the infile 'file2.dat'.       The minimum record length was 24.       The maximum record length was 24. ... View more

The real problem is the directory that Windows is using as the current working directory when it starts SAS. If you open a Command Window and move to the directory with your program in it and type the command: > "c:\Program Files\SAS\SAS 9.2\sas" myprogram It will run SAS 9.2 in batch using myprogram.sas as input and writing the log to myprogram.log and output to myprogram.lst. ... View more

Art -   The period changes which pass will actually attempt to evaluate the macro variable value.   So in examples below using 2,3 and 4 leading &'s you see the effect in the symbolgen logic.    For 2 we have &&name.&i  first tranlating into &name.2 which then translate into <value of &name>2.    But for 3 we have &&&name.&i first translating in &<value of &name>2.  So when we set name=name we get &name2 and so the value of name2. -Tom 80   %put 2-> &&name.&i; SYMBOLGEN:  && resolves to &. SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable I resolves to 2 SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable NAME resolves to name 2-> name2 81   %put 3-> &&&name.&i; SYMBOLGEN:  && resolves to &. SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable NAME resolves to name SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable I resolves to 2 SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable NAME2 resolves to acct_num 3-> acct_num 82   %put 4-> &&&&name.&i; SYMBOLGEN:  && resolves to &. SYMBOLGEN:  && resolves to &. SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable I resolves to 2 SYMBOLGEN:  && resolves to &. SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable NAME resolves to name 4-> name2 ... View more

You did not define a macro variable named NAME.  So &name. will generate an error. You can check how the &&'s are being combined by turning on SYMBOLGEN. 64   %let i=2; 65   %let name2=acct_num; 66   %let name=name; 72   %put 4-> &&&&name&i; SYMBOLGEN:  && resolves to &. SYMBOLGEN:  && resolves to &. SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable I resolves to 2 SYMBOLGEN:  && resolves to &. SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable NAME2 resolves to acct_num 4-> acct_num 82   %put 4-> &&&&name.&i; SYMBOLGEN:  && resolves to &. SYMBOLGEN:  && resolves to &. SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable I resolves to 2 SYMBOLGEN:  && resolves to &. SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable NAME resolves to name 4-> name2 ... View more

Sounds more like the macro is not cleaning up.  Perhaps it is leaving a file open? Perhaps if you stick end extra semi-colons after the macro call so that SAS knows that it shouldn't look of parameters. Also check the macro source code. Does it include anY statements before the %MACRO or after the %MEND ?  If so then those statements will only work the first time you compile the macro. If you want to recompile the macro you can just include it again. %inc hhmacros(unitspec); %monthday; %inc hhmacros(unitspec); %monthnight; %inc hhmacros(unitspec); %monthBMT; ... View more

If the data is not sorted then you can just decide whether to replace the found value with the new one. data lookup ; if _n_=1 then do;   if 0 then set dates;   declare Hash H();   H.DefineKey ('number');   H.DefineData ('date');   H.DefineDone ();   /* complete hash table definition */   do until(eof);     set dates(rename=(date=nextdate)) end=eof;     if h.find() then do;       date=nextdate; h.add();     end;     else if nextdate > date then do;       date=nextdate; h.replace();     end;   end; end; set trans; if h.find() then date=.; put number= date=; run; ... View more

Glad it works, but that still looks very confusing. You seem to have values in rows in a dataset that you convert to delimited strings that you then use to search for values in rows of another dataset..... Can't you just merge the two datasets and stop using macro variables to pass data? Can you post examples of the input and output? ... View more