Delete works by accident here - by the time you hit it, you're already on the fourth iteration of the datastep and so the required records have already been output. So it deletes the non existent record... and as you're at end of file, the datastep terminates. ... View more

Your problem is that you're mixing up numeric and character data. And SAS' automatic conversions are trying to help. By saying it deletes when variable = '  ', this means variable is character. So comparing to 0 forces an automatic conversion to numeric. (check the warnings in the log)... So you need to use the following delete statement if put(variable,5.) < 0 and put(variable,5.) ne . then delete.  SAS will still complain about invalid numeric data, but your tests will work correctly. Use an appropriate numeric format instead of the 5. if that's not appropriate. ... View more

You need to understand what's happening here. SAS can't process the EOF statement without going through the data step a fourth time. Cos it identifies EOF on the fourth iteration of the input statement when it finds nothing more to read. So the implicit output statement referred to in the previous answers will be executed a fourth time, unless you specifically prevent it. Stop is part of the language to terminate the datastep when automatic termination isn't appropriate. This is one time when stop is appropriate. Return won't do it, cos it'll just send the processing back to the command after the call to no_more_data. An alternative is to use an explicit output statement before the return, this will supress the automatic/implied output statement at the end of the datastep and as it's after the link to 'no_more_data' and there's no return after the label, it will only be executed three times, once for each input record found. There isn't an implicit return statement here. SAS just drops out of the datastep once eof is reached.  As a matter of clarity, always use return statements at the end of each link section and at the end of the code before the labels.  not sure why 'Stop is very strong medicine indeed', unless it's being mixed up with endsas. So your code should be: data test;   /* better/clearer */   infile datalines eof=no_more_data;   input text $char3.;   return;   no_more_data:     putlog 'Finished';     stop;   return;   datalines; AAA BBB CCC ; OR: data test;   /* will work */   infile datalines eof=no_more_data;   input text $char3.;   output;   return;   no_more_data:     putlog 'Finished';   return;   datalines; AAA BBB CCC ; ... View more