| Bruce Gilsen |
Writing DATA step code to transform data when new variable names are constructed from variable values can be difficult, in part because using variable values on the left-hand side of assignment statements to create new variables isn't straightforward. It's sometimes easiest to write SAS code to a file in a DATA step and then %INCLUDE the SAS code to execute it, as shown in this paper.
The following techniques used in the code are described in detail:
1. Using the PROC SQL INTO clause to copy data set values to a macro variable or series of macro variables.
2. Writing intermediate results to a temporary file (including why this is beneficial).
3. Using the little-known SAS-provided TSLIT macro to avoid needing double quotation marks around literal text that contains quotes, greatly simplifying processing.
4. Processing all elements of an array in a DATA step function or CALL routine with the OF operator. |