Overview Of Common SAS Macro Functions

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Last updated: Sept 21, 2021 by Former user (Deleted)
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Basics
store values for macro variables %LET <variable> = <value>;
print text to log

print macro variable

print all system macro variables

print all user macro variables

print all available macro variables

 %PUT <text>

%PUT &<macro variable> ;

%PUT _AUTOMATIC_ ;

%PUT _USER_ ;

%PUT _ALL_ ;

Macro without parameters



Macro with positional parameters



Macro with defaults (other than missing possible)

 %MACRO <name>;

%MEND [<name>];


%MACRO <name> (<param1>);

%MEND [<name>];


%MACRO <name> (<param1>=<value1>);

%MEND [<name>];

Working with Macro Variables
Loop through macro variable list %LET list = green pink blue;

%DO i = 1 %TO %SYSFUNC(COUNTW(&list));

%PUT %SCAN(list,&i);

%END;

Access variables through variable contents %LET var1 = green;

%LET var2 = pink;

%LET var3 = blue;

%DO i=1 %TO 3;

%PUT &&var&i;

%END;

Work with Macro variables within data step, e.g. to avoid quoting issues %LET var = value;

DATA test;

LENGTH var $200.;

Var = SYMGET(var);

Var = TRIM(var) || “2”;

CALL SYMPUT(‘var’,value2);

RUN;

Common Functions

String Functions
%INDEX(source, string)Search source for string, returns position
 %SCAN(source, position, delimiter)

%PUT %SCAN(green pink blue, -1);

Search for a word that is specified by its position in a string.

Example prints blue.

 %LENGTH(<variable>)Returns length of variable – also “0” for empty variables
 %SUBSTR(source, position [, length])Returns string parts.
 %CMPRES(<text>)Compress spaces to one space (COMPBL)
 %UPCASE / %LOWCASEUpper / lower case
Arithmetic Functions
 %EVAL(…)Performs integer calculations
 %SYSEVALF(…)Performs floating-point arithmetic


Other Functions
%DATATYP(…)

%DATATYP(15.8) will return “NUMERIC”

Returns “CHAR” or “NUMERIC”
 %VERIFY

%VERIFY(0&numer,0123456789) will return > 0 if &number is not an integer

Returns first char unique to an expression
Specific Functions
BEEP tone , e.g. to recognize when a long run SAS program finishesDATA _null_;

CALL SOUND (100,200);

CALL SOUND (200,200);

RUN;

Use of PARMBUFF, e.g. to avoid SAS errors when parameters has been mistyped or flexible parameter names should be used.

Example for initializing unknown macro systems via parameters:

CSS Paper 2009 – User friendly management of continuously improving standard macro systems

%macro test /parmbuff;

%PUT syspbuff=&syspbuff;

%mend;

%sales (parm1 = 1, parm2 = 0);

Log output:

syspbuff=(parm1 = 1, parm2 = 0)

Sometimes FILES needs to be modified. Positioning according leading spaces can be used.DATA _NULL_;

INFILE "c:\test1.txt" lrecl=100 END=eof TRUNCOVER; FILE "c:\test2.txt" lrecl=100;

INPUT;

text = _INFILE_;

i=LENGTH(text)-LENGTH(LEFT(text));

PUT @i text;

RUN;

When the work area should be cleaned completely, then also global macro variables can be deleted with the SYMDEL function.Data _temp;

Set sashelp.vmacro;

Where scope=’GLOBAL’;

RUN;

DATA _null_;

Set _temp;

Call symdel(name);

Run;