You could easily add it:   %let age4=%str(length groupCat1 $ 5; if age<20 then groupCat1 ='<20'; else if age<35 then groupCat1='20-34'; else if age<45 then groupCat1='35-44'; else groupCat1='45+'; );   As you mentioned, this is a practice exercise.  It would be rare for %str to be used this way in practice just as a matter of style.  But it is perfectly valid for learning purposes.  If this logic were re-usable code that would apply to many DATA steps, you might actually create a macro instead of a macro variable:   %macro age4; length groupCat1 $ 5; if age<20 then groupCat1 ='<20'; else if age<35 then groupCat1='20-34'; else if age<45 then groupCat1='35-44'; else groupCat1='45+'; %mend age4;   It's re-usable, since macros can be stored permanently.  It's easier to read.  And calling the macro is just as easy as using a macro variable:   %age4 ... View more