SAS 9.

3 Macro Language

Reference

SAS Documentation

The correct bibliographic citation for this manual is as follows: SAS Institute Inc. 2011. SAS 9.3 Macro Language: Reference. Cary, NC: SAS
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SAS 9.3 Macro Language: Reference
Copyright 2011, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA
ISBN 978-1-60764-894-9
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Contents
About This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
What's New in the SAS 9.3 Macro Language Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Recommended Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

PART 1

Understanding and Using the Macro Facility

Chapter 1 Introduction to the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Getting Started with the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Replacing Text Strings Using Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Generating SAS Code Using Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
More Advanced Macro Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Other Features of the Macro Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 2 SAS Programs and Macro Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
SAS Programs and Macro Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
How SAS Processes Statements without Macro Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
How SAS Processes Statements with Macro Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter 3 Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Macro Variables Defined by the Macro Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Macro Variables Defined by Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Using Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Displaying Macro Variable Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Referencing Macro Variables Indirectly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Manipulating Macro Variable Values with Macro Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Chapter 4 Macro Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Macro Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Defining and Calling Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
How the Macro Processor Compiles a Macro Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
How the Macro Processor Executes a Compiled Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Summary of Macro Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Chapter 5 Scopes of Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Scopes of Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Global Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Local Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Writing the Contents of Symbol Tables to the SAS Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
How Macro Variables Are Assigned and Resolved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Examples of Macro Variable Scopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Special Cases of Scope with the CALL SYMPUT Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Chapter 6 Macro Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Macro Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Defining Arithmetic and Logical Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
How the Macro Processor Evaluates Arithmetic Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

iv Contents
How the Macro Processor Evaluates Logical Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Chapter 7 Macro Quoting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Macro Quoting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Deciding When to Use a Macro Quoting Function and Which Function to Use . . . . . . 83
%STR and %NRSTR Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Referring to Already Quoted Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Deciding How Much Text to Mask with a Macro Quoting Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
%SUPERQ Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Summary of Macro Quoting Functions and the Characters that They Mask . . . . . . . . . 94
Unquoting Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
How Macro Quoting Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Other Functions That Perform Macro Quoting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Chapter 8 Interfaces with the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Interfaces with the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
DATA Step Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Using SAS Language Functions in the DATA Step and Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Interfaces with the SQL Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Interfaces with the SAS Component Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
SAS/CONNECT Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Chapter 9 Storing and Reusing Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Storing and Reusing Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Saving Macros in an Autocall Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Saving Macros Using the Stored Compiled Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Chapter 10 Macro Facility Error Messages and Debugging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
General Macro Debugging Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Troubleshooting Your Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Debugging Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Chapter 11 Writing Efficient and Portable Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Writing Efficient and Portable Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Keeping Efficiency in Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Writing Efficient Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Writing Portable Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Chapter 12 Macro Language Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Macro Language Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Macro Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Macro Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Automatic Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Interfaces with the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Selected Autocall Macros Provided with SAS Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Selected System Options Used in the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

PART 2

Macro Language Dictionary

173

Chapter 13 AutoCall Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

AutoCall Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Contents

Chapter 14 Automatic Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Automatic Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192
Chapter 15 DATA Step Call Routines for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
DATA Step Call Routines for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
Chapter 16 DATA Step Functions for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
DATA Step Functions for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231
Chapter 17 Macro Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Macro Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242
Chapter 18 SQL Clauses for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
SQL Clauses for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277
Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277
Chapter 19 Macro Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Macro Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281
Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282
Chapter 20 System Options for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
System Options for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330

PART 3

Appendices

361

Appendix 1 Reserved Words in the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Macro Facility Word Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Reserved Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Appendix 2 SAS Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
SAS Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
List of Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365
Appendix 3 Syntax for Selected Functions Used with the %SYSFUNC Function . . . . . . . . . 367
Summary Descriptions and Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .367
Functions and Arguments for %SYSFUNC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .367
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .373
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

vi Contents

vii

About This Book

Syntax Conventions for the SAS Language

Overview of Syntax Conventions for the SAS Language

SAS uses standard conventions in the documentation of syntax for SAS language
elements. These conventions enable you to easily identify the components of SAS
syntax. The conventions can be divided into these parts:

syntax components

style conventions

references to SAS libraries and external files

Syntax Components
The components of the syntax for most language elements include a keyword and
arguments. For some language elements only a keyword is necessary. For other language
elements the keyword is followed by an equal sign (=).
Note: In most cases, example code in SAS documentation is written in lowercase with a
monospace font. You can use uppercase, lowercase, or mixed case in the code that
you write.

Style Conventions
The style conventions that are used in documenting SAS syntax include uppercase bold,
uppercase, and italic:
UPPERCASE BOLD
identifies SAS keywords such as the names of functions or statements. In the
following example, the keyword ERROR is written in uppercase bold:
ERROR<message>;
UPPERCASE
identifies arguments that are literals. In the following example of the CMPMODEL=
system option, the literals include BOTH, CATALOG, and XML:
CMPMODEL = BOTH | CATALOG | XML

viii About This Book

italics
identifies arguments or values that you supply. Items in italics represent usersupplied values that are either non-literal arguments or nonliteral values that are
assigned to an argument.
Items in italics can also be the generic name for a list of arguments from which you
can choose (for example, attribute-list). If more than one of an item in italics can be
used, the items are expressed as item-1, ..., item-n.

References to SAS Libraries and External Files

Many SAS statements and other language elements refer to SAS libraries and external
files. You can choose whether to make the reference through a logical name (a libref or
fileref) or use the physical filename enclosed in quotation marks. If you use a logical
name, you usually have a choice of using a SAS statement (LIBNAME or FILENAME)
or the operating environment's control language to make the association. Several
methods of referring to SAS libraries and external files are available, and some of these
methods depend on your operating environment.
In the examples that use external files, SAS documentation uses the italicized phrase
file-specification. In the examples that use SAS libraries, SAS documentation uses the
italicized phrase SAS-library. Note that SAS-library is enclosed in quotation marks:
infile file-specification obs = 100;
libname libref 'SAS-library';

ix

What's New in the SAS 9.3 Macro

Language Facility

Overview
The Macro Language Facility has the following enhancements:

new automatic macro variables that enable you to reduce the amount of text that is
needed to perform common tasks

new macro functions

new macro statements

new macro system options that enable you to define and redefine macros and to
better control their execution

Automatic Macro Variables

SYSADDRBITS
contains the number of bits of an address.
SYSENDIAN
contains an indication of the byte order of the current session. The possible values
are LITTLE or BIG.
SYSNOBS
contains the number of observations read from the last data set that was closed by the
previous procedure or DATA step.
SYSODSESCAPECHAR
displays the value of the ODS ESCAPECHAR= from within the program.
SYSSIZEOFLONG
contains the length in bytes of a long integer in the current session.
SYSSIZEOFPTR
contains the size in bytes of a pointer.

x SAS Macro Language

SYSSIZEOFUNICODE
contains the length in bytes of a Unicode character in the current session.

Macro Functions
%SYSMACEXEC
indicates whether a macro is currently executing.
%SYSMACEXIST
indicates whether there is a macro definition in the WORK.SASMACR catalog.
%SYSMEXECDEPTH
returns the depth of nesting from the point of call.
%SYSMEXECNAME
returns the name of the macro executing at a nesting level.

Macro Statements
%SYSMSTORECLEAR
closes stored compiled macros and clears the SASMSTORE= library.
%SYSMACDELETE
deletes a macro definition from the WORK.SASMACR catalog.

Macro System Options

MAUTOCOMPLOC
displays in the SAS log the source location of the autocall macros when the autocall
macro is compiled.
MAUTOLOCINDES
specifies whether the macro processor prepends the full pathname of the autocall
source file to the description field of the catalog entry of compiled auto call macro
definition in the WORK.SASMACR catalog.
MCOVERAGE
enables the generation of coverage analysis data.
MCOVERAGELOC=
specifies the location of the coverage analysis data file.

xi

Recommended Reading

Carpenter's Complete Guide to the SAS Macro Language

Debugging SAS Programs: A Handbook of Tools and Techniques

SAS Macro Programming Made Easy

Base SAS Procedures Guide

SAS Language Reference: Concepts

SAS Functions and CALL Routines: Reference

For a complete list of SAS publications, go to support.sas.com/bookstore. If you have

questions about which titles you need, please contact a SAS Publishing Sales
Representative:
SAS Publishing Sales
SAS Campus Drive
Cary, NC 27513-2414
Phone: 1-800-727-3228
Fax: 1-919-677-8166
E-mail: sasbook@sas.com
Web address: support.sas.com/bookstore

xii Recommended Reading

Part 1

Understanding and Using the

Macro Facility
Chapter 1
Introduction to the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2
SAS Programs and Macro Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Chapter 3
Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Chapter 4
Macro Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Chapter 5
Scopes of Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Chapter 6
Macro Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Chapter 7
Macro Quoting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Chapter 8
Interfaces with the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Chapter 9
Storing and Reusing Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Chapter 10
Macro Facility Error Messages and Debugging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Chapter 11
Writing Efficient and Portable Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Chapter 12
Macro Language Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Chapter 1

Introduction to the Macro Facility

Getting Started with the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Replacing Text Strings Using Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Generating SAS Code Using Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Defining Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Inserting Comments in Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Macro Definition Containing Several SAS Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Passing Information into a Macro Using Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Conditionally Generating SAS Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
More Advanced Macro Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Generating Repetitive Pieces of Text Using %DO Loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Generating a Suffix for a Macro Variable Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Other Features of the Macro Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Getting Started with the Macro Facility

This document is the macro facility language reference for SAS. It is a reference for the
SAS macro language processor and defines the SAS macro language elements. This
section introduces the SAS macro facility using simple examples and explanation.
The macro facility is a tool for extending and customizing SAS and for reducing the
amount of text that you must enter to do common tasks. The macro facility enables you
to assign a name to character strings or groups of SAS programming statements. You
can work with the names that you created rather than with the text itself.
The SAS macro language is a string based language. It does not support the use of
hexadecimal character constants.
Note: The SAS macro language does not support using hexadecimal values to specify
non-printable characters.
When you use a macro facility name in a SAS program or from a command prompt, the
macro facility generates SAS statements and commands as needed. The rest of SAS
receives those statements and uses them in the same way it uses the ones that you enter
in the standard manner.
The macro facility has two components:
macro processor
is the portion of SAS that does the work

Chapter 1

Introduction to the Macro Facility

macro language
is the syntax that you use to communicate with the macro processor
When SAS compiles program text, two delimiters trigger macro processor activity:
&name
refers to a macro variable. Replacing Text Strings Using Macro Variables on page
4 explains how to create a macro variable. The form &name is called a macro
variable reference.
%name
refers to a macro. Generating SAS Code Using Macros on page 5 explains how
to create a macro. The form %name is called a macro call.
The text substitution produced by the macro processor is completed before the program
text is compiled and executed. The macro facility uses statements and functions that
resemble the statements and functions that you use in the DATA step. An important
difference, however, is that macro language elements can enable only text substitution
and are not present during program or command execution.
Note: Three SAS statements begin with a % that are not part of the macro facility.
These elements are the %INCLUDE, %LIST, and %RUN statements in SAS
Statements: Reference
The following graphic explains the syntax used in this document:

Syntax Conventions

PROC DATASETS <LIBRARY=libref > <MEMTYPE=(mtype-list )>

<DETAILS | NODETAILS> <other-options>;

RENAME variable-1= new-name-1 < . . . variable-n=new-name-n >;

1
2
3

SAS keywords, such as statement or procedure names, appear in

bold type.
Values that you must spell as they are given in the syntax appear in
uppercase type.
Optional arguments appear inside angle brackets(<>).

4
5
6

Mutually exclusive choices are joined with a vertical bar(|).

Values that you must supply appear in italic type.
Argument groups that you can repeat are indicated by an
ellipsis (. . .).

Replacing Text Strings Using Macro Variables

Macro variables are an efficient way of replacing text strings in SAS code. The simplest
way to define a macro variable is to use the %LET statement to assign the macro
variable a name (subject to standard SAS naming conventions), and a value.
%let city=New Orleans;

Now you can use the macro variable CITY in SAS statements where you would like the
text New Orleans to appear. You refer to the variable by preceding the variable name
with an ampersand (&), as in the following TITLE statement:
title "Data for &city";

The macro processor resolves the reference to the macro variable CITY:
title "Data for New Orleans";

A macro variable can be defined within a macro definition or within a statement that is
outside a macro definition (called open code).

Generating SAS Code Using Macros

Note: The title is enclosed in double quotation marks. In quoted strings in open code,
the macro processor resolves macro variable references within double quotation
marks but not within single quotation marks.
A %LET statement in open code (outside a macro definition) creates a global macro
variable that is available for use anywhere (except in DATALINES or CARDS
statements) in your SAS code during the SAS session in which the variable was created.
There are also local macro variables, which are available for use only inside the macro
definition where they are created. See Scope of Macro Variables on page 43 for more
information about global and local macro variables.
Macro variables are not subject to the same length limits as SAS data set variables.
However, if the value that you want to assign to a macro variable contains certain special
characters (for example, semicolons, quotation marks, ampersands, and percent signs) or
mnemonics (for example, AND, OR, or LT), you must use a macro quoting function to
mask the special characters. Otherwise, the special character or mnemonic might be
misinterpreted by the macro processor. See Macro Quoting on page 80 for more
information.
While macro variables are useful for simple text substitution, they cannot perform
conditional operations, DO loops, and other more complex tasks. For this type of work,
you must define a macro.

Generating SAS Code Using Macros

Defining Macros
Macros enable you to substitute text in a program and to do many other things. A SAS
program can contain any number of macros, and you can invoke a macro any number of
times in a single program.
To help you learn how to define your own macros, this section presents a few examples
that you can model your own macros after. Each of these examples is fairly simple; by
mixing and matching the various techniques, you can create advanced, flexible macros
that are capable of performing complex tasks.
Each macro that you define has a distinct name. When choosing a name for your macro,
it is recommended that you avoid a name that is a SAS language keyword or call routine
name. The name that you choose is subject to the standard SAS naming conventions.
(See the Base SAS language documentation for more information about SAS naming
conventions.) A macro definition is placed between a %MACRO statement and a
%MEND (macro end) statement, as in the following example:
%MACRO macro-name;
%MEND macro-name;
The macro-name specified in the %MEND statement must match the macro-name
specified in the %MACRO statement.
Note: While specifying the macro-name in the %MEND statement is not required, it is
recommended. It makes matching %MACRO and %MEND statements while
debugging easier.
Here is an example of a simple macro definition:

Chapter 1

Introduction to the Macro Facility

%macro dsn;
Newdata
%mend dsn;

This macro is named DSN. Newdata is the text of the macro. A string inside a macro is
called constant text or model text because it is the model, or pattern, for the text that
becomes part of your SAS program.
To call (or invoke) a macro, precede the name of the macro with a percent sign (%):
%macro-name
Although the call to the macro looks somewhat like a SAS statement, it does not have to
end in a semicolon.
For example, here is how you might call the DSN macro:
title "Display of Data Set %dsn";

The macro processor executes the macro DSN, which substitutes the constant text in the
macro into the TITLE statement:
title "Display of Data Set Newdata";

Note: The title is enclosed in double quotation marks. In quoted strings in open code,
the macro processor resolves macro invocations within double quotation marks but
not within single quotation marks.
The macro DSN is exactly the same as the following coding:
%let dsn=Newdata;
title "Display of Data Set &dsn";

The following code is the result:

title "Display of Data Set Newdata";

So, in this case, the macro approach does not have any advantages over the macro
variable approach. However, DSN is an extremely simple macro. As you will see in later
examples, macros can do much more than the macro DSN does.

Inserting Comments in Macros

All code benefits from thorough commenting, and macro code is no exception. There are
two forms that you can use to add comments to your macro code.
The first form is the same as comments in SAS code, beginning with /* and ending
with */. The second form begins with a %* and ends with a ;. The following program
uses both types of comments:
%macro comment;
/* Here is the type of comment used in other SAS code. */
%let myvar=abc;
%* Here is a macro-type comment.;
%let myvar2=xyz;
%mend comment;

You can use whichever type comment that you prefer in your macro code, or use both
types as in the previous example.

Generating SAS Code Using Macros

The asterisk-style comment ( * commentary ; ) used in SAS code is not recommended

within a macro definition. While the asterisk-style will comment constant text
appropriately, it will execute any macro statements contained within the comment. This
form of comment is not recommended because unmatched quotation marks contained
within the comment text are not ignored and can cause unpredictable results.

Macro Definition Containing Several SAS Statements

You can create macros that contain entire sections of a SAS program:
%macro plot;
proc plot;
plot income*age;
run;
%mend plot;

Later in the program that you can invoke the macro:

data temp;
set in.permdata;
if age>=20;
run;
%plot
proc print;
run;

When these statements execute, the following program is produced:

data temp;
set in.permdata;
if age>=20;
run;
proc plot;
plot income*age;
run;
proc print;
run;

Passing Information into a Macro Using Parameters

A macro variable defined in parentheses in a %MACRO statement is a macro
parameter. Macro parameters enable you to pass information into a macro. Here is a
simple example:
%macro plot(yvar= ,xvar= );
proc plot;
plot &yvar*&xvar;
run;
%mend plot;

You invoke the macro by providing values for the parameters:

%plot(yvar=income,xvar=age)
%plot(yvar=income,xvar=yrs_educ)

Chapter 1

Introduction to the Macro Facility

When the macro executes, the macro processor matches the values specified in the
macro call to the parameters in the macro definition. (This type of parameter is called a
keyword parameter.)
Macro execution produces the following code:
proc plot;
plot income*age;
run;
proc plot;
plot income*yrs_educ;
run;

Using parameters has several advantages. First, you can write fewer %LET statements.
Second, using parameters ensures that the variables never interfere with parts of your
program outside the macro. Macro parameters are an example of local macro variables,
which exist only during the execution of the macro in which they are defined.

Conditionally Generating SAS Code

By using the %IF-%THEN-%ELSE macro statements, you can conditionally generate
SAS code with a macro. See the following example:
%macro whatstep(info=,mydata=);
%if &info=print %then
%do;
proc print data=&mydata;
run;
%end;
%else %if &info=report %then
%do;
options nodate nonumber ps=18 ls=70 fmtsearch=(sasuser);
proc report data=&mydata nowd;
column manager dept sales;
where sector='se';
format manager $mgrfmt. dept $deptfmt. sales dollar11.2;
title 'Sales for the Southeast Sector';
run;
%end;
%mend whatstep;

In this example, the macro WHATSTEP uses keyword parameters, which are set to
default null values. When you call a macro that uses keyword parameters, specify the
parameter name followed by an equal sign and the value that you want to assign the
parameter. Here, the macro WHATSTEP is called with INFO set to print and
MYDATA set to grocery.
%whatstep(info=print,mydata=grocery)

This code produces the following statements:

proc print data=grocery;
run;

Because values in the macro processor are case sensitive, the previous program does not
work if you specify PRINT instead of print. To make your macro more robust, use the
%UPCASE macro function. For more information, see %UPCASE and %QUPCASE
Functions on page 275.

More Advanced Macro Techniques

For more information, see %MACRO Statement on page 304 and %MEND
Statement on page 310.

More Advanced Macro Techniques

Generating Repetitive Pieces of Text Using %DO Loops
Conditionally Generating SAS Code on page 8 presents a %DO-%END group of
statements to conditionally execute several SAS statements. To generate repetitive
pieces of text, use an iterative %DO loop. For example, the following macro, NAMES,
uses an iterative %DO loop to create a series of names to be used in a DATA statement:
%macro names(name= ,number= );
%do n=1 %to &number;
&name&n
%end;
%mend names;

The macro NAMES creates a series of names by concatenating the value of the
parameter NAME and the value of the macro variable N. You supply the stopping value
for N as the value of the parameter NUMBER, as in the following DATA statement:
data %names(name=dsn,number=5);

Submitting this statement produces the following complete DATA statement:

data dsn1 dsn2 dsn3 dsn4 dsn5;

Note: You can also execute a %DO loop conditionally with %DO %WHILE and %DO
%UNTIL statements. For more information, see %DO %WHILE Statement on
page 292 and %DO %UNTIL Statement on page 291.

Generating a Suffix for a Macro Variable Reference

Suppose that, when you generate a numbered series of names, you always want to put
the letter X between the prefix and the number. The macro NAMESX inserts an X after
the prefix you supply:
%macro namesx(name=,number=);
%do n=1 %to &number;
&name.x&n
%end;
%mend namesx;

The period is a delimiter at the end of the reference &NAME. The macro processor uses
the delimiter to distinguish the reference &NAME followed by the letter X from the
reference &NAMEX. Here is an example of calling the macro NAMESX in a DATA
statement:
data %namesx(name=dsn,number=3);

Submitting this statement produces the following statement:

data dsnx1 dsnx2 dsnx3;

See Macro Variables on page 19 for more information about using a period as a
delimiter in a macro variable reference.

10

Chapter 1

Introduction to the Macro Facility

Other Features of the Macro Language

Although subsequent sections go into far more detail on the various elements of the
macro language, this section highlights some of the possibilities, with pointers to more
information.
macro statements
This section has illustrated only a few of the macro statements, such as %MACRO
and %IF-%THEN. Many other macro statements exist, some of which are valid in
open code, while others are valid only in macro definitions. For a complete list of
macro statements, see Macro Statements on page 156.
macro functions
Macro functions are functions defined by the macro facility. They process one or
more arguments and produce a result. For example, the %SUBSTR function creates
a substring of another string, while the %UPCASE function converts characters to
uppercase. A special category of macro functions, the macro quoting functions, mask
special characters so they are not misinterpreted by the macro processor.
There are two special macro functions, %SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC, that
provide access to SAS language functions or user-written functions generated with
SAS/TOOLKIT. You can use %SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC with new functions
in Base SAS software to obtain the values of SAS host, base, or graphics options.
These functions also enable you to open and close SAS data sets, test data set
attributes, or read and write to external files. Another special function is
%SYSEVALF, which enables your macros to perform floating-point arithmetic.
For a list of macro functions, see Macro Functions on page 158. For a discussion
of the macro quoting functions, see Macro Quoting on page 80. For the syntax of
calling selected Base SAS functions with %SYSFUNC, see Syntax for Selected
Functions with the %SYSFUNC Function on page 367.
autocall macros
Autocall macros are macros defined by SAS that perform common tasks, such as
trimming leading or trailing blanks from a macro variable's value or returning the
data type of a value. For a list of autocall macros, see Selected Autocall Macros
Provided with SAS Software on page 168.
automatic macro variables
Automatic macro variables are macro variables created by the macro processor. For
example, SYSDATE contains the date SAS is invoked. See Macro Language
Elements on page 155 for a list of automatic macro variables.
macro facility interfaces
Interfaces with the macro facility provide a dynamic connection between the macro
facility and other parts of SAS, such as the DATA step, SCL code, the SQL
procedure, and SAS/CONNECT software. For example, you can create macro
variables based on values within the DATA step using CALL SYMPUT and retrieve
the value of a macro variable stored on a remote host using the %SYSRPUT macro
statement. For more information about these interfaces, see Interfaces with the
Macro Facility on page 101.

11

Chapter 2

SAS Programs and Macro

Processing

SAS Programs and Macro Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

How SAS Processes Statements without Macro Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
How SAS Processes Statements with Macro Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

SAS Programs and Macro Processing

This section describes the typical pattern that SAS follows to process a program. These
concepts are helpful for understanding how the macro processor works with other parts
of SAS. However, they are not required for most macro programming. They are
provided so that you can understand what is going on behind the scenes.
Note: The concepts in this section present a logical representation, not a detailed
physical representation, of how SAS software works.
When you submit a program, it goes to an area of memory called the input stack. This is
true for all program and command sources: the SAS windowing environment, the SCL
SUBMIT block, the SCL COMPILE command, or from batch or noninteractive sessions.
The input stack shown in the following figure contains a simple SAS program that
displays sales data. The first line in the program is the top of the input stack.

12

Chapter 2

Figure 2.1

SAS Programs and Macro Processing

Submitted Programs Are Sent to the Input Stack

DATA Step Compiler

SCL Compiler

Macro Processor

Command Processor

Word Scanner

Input Stack
data sales (drop=lastyr);
infile inl;
input ml-ml2 lastyr; total=ml2+lastyr;
run;
%let list=ml m7 m12 total;
proc print;
var &list;
run;

Display Manager
Submit Command

SCL Submit Block

SCL Compile
Command

Batch or
Noninteractive
Submission

Display Manager
Command Line

Once a program reaches the input stack, SAS transforms the stream of characters into
individual tokens. These tokens are transferred to different parts of SAS for processing,
such as the DATA step compiler and the macro processor. Knowing how SAS
recognizes tokens and how they are transferred to different parts of SAS will help you
understand how the various parts of SAS and the macro processor work together. Also
how to control the timing of macro execution in your programs. The following sections
show you how a simple program is tokenized and processed.

How SAS Processes Statements without Macro

Activity
The process that SAS uses to extract words and symbols from the input stack is called
tokenization. Tokenization is performed by a component of SAS called the word
scanner, as shown in Figure 2.2 on page 13. The word scanner starts at the first
character in the input stack and examines each character in turn. In doing so, the word
scanner assembles the characters into tokens. There are four general types of tokens:

How SAS Processes Statements without Macro Activity

13

Literal
a string of characters enclosed in quotation marks.
Number
digits, date values, time values, and hexadecimal numbers.
Name
a string of characters beginning with an underscore or letter.
Special
any character or group of characters that have special meaning to SAS. Examples of
special characters include: * / + - ** ; $ ( ) . & % =
Figure 2.2 The Sample Program before Tokenization

Word Scanner

Input Stack
data sales (drop=lastyr);
infile inl;
input ml-ml2 lastyr;
total=ml2+lastyr;
run;

The first SAS statement in the input stack in the preceding figure contains eight tokens
(four names and four special characters).
data sales(drop=lastyr);

When the word scanner finds a blank or the beginning of a new token, it removes a
token from the input stack and transfers it to the bottom of the queue.
In this example, when the word scanner pulls the first token from the input stack, it
recognizes the token as the beginning of a DATA step. The word scanner triggers the
DATA step compiler, which begins to request more tokens. The compiler pulls tokens
from the top of the queue, as shown in the following figure.

14

Chapter 2

Figure 2.3

SAS Programs and Macro Processing

The Word Scanner Obtains Tokens

Word Scanner

Compiler

data
sales
(drop
=
lastyr

Input Stack
);
infile inl;
input ml-ml2 lastyr;
total=ml2+lastyr;
run;

The compiler continues to pull tokens until it recognizes the end of the DATA step (in
this case, the RUN statement), which is called a DATA step boundary, as shown in the
following figure. When the DATA step compiler recognizes the end of a step, the step is
executed, and the DATA step is complete.
Figure 2.4

The Word Scanner Sends Tokens to the Compiler

Word Scanner

Compiler
DATA SALES ( DROP = LASTYR ) ;
INFILE IN1;
INPUT M1 - M12 LASTYR ;
RUN

Input Stack

In most SAS programs with no macro processor activity, all information that the
compiler receives comes from the submitted program.

How SAS Processes Statements with Macro

Activity
In a program with macro activity, the macro processor can generate text that is placed on
the input stack to be tokenized by the word scanner. The example in this section shows
you how the macro processor creates and resolves a macro variable. To illustrate how
the compiler and the macro processor work together, the following figure contains the
macro processor and the macro variable symbol table. SAS creates the symbol table at
the beginning of a SAS session to hold the values of automatic and global macro
variables. SAS creates automatic macro variables at the beginning of a SAS session. For
the sake of illustration, the symbol table is shown with only one automatic macro
variable, SYSDAY.

How SAS Processes Statements with Macro Activity

Figure 2.5

15

The Macro Processor and Symbol Table

Compiler

Word Scanner
Symbol Table
SYSDAY

Friday

Macro Processor
Input Stack
%let file=inl;
data sales (drop=lastyr);
infile &file;
input ml-ml2 lastyr;
total=ml2+lastyr;
run;

Whenever the word scanner encounters a macro trigger, it sends information to the
macro processor. A macro trigger is either an ampersand (&) or percent sign (%)
followed by a nonblank character. As it did in the previous example, the word scanner
begins to process this program by examining the first characters in the input stack. In
this case, the word scanner finds a percent sign (%) followed by a nonblank character.
The word scanner recognizes this combination of characters as a potential macro
language element, and triggers the macro processor to examine % and LET, as shown in
the following figure.
Figure 2.6

The Macro Processor Examines LET

Compiler

Word Scanner
Symbol Table
SYSDAY

Friday

Macro Processor
Input Stack
let file=inl;
data sales (drop=lastyr);
infile &file;
input ml-ml2 lastyr;
total=ml2+lastyr;
run;

When the macro processor recognizes a macro language element, it begins to work with
the word scanner. In this case, the macro processor removes the %LET statement, and
writes an entry in the symbol table, as shown in the following figure.

16

Chapter 2

Figure 2.7

SAS Programs and Macro Processing

The Macro Processor Writes to the Symbol Table

Compiler

Word Scanner
Symbol Table
SYSDAY
FILE

Friday

Macro Processor
Input Stack
in1 ;
data sales (drop=lastyr);
infile &file;
input ml-ml2 lastyr;
total=ml2+lastyr;
run;

From the time the word scanner triggers the macro processor until that macro processor
action is complete, the macro processor controls all activity. While the macro processor
is active, no activity occurs in the word scanner or the DATA step compiler.
When the macro processor is finished, the word scanner reads the next token (the DATA
keyword in this example) and sends it to the compiler. The word scanner triggers the
compiler, which begins to pull tokens from the top of the queue, as shown in the
following figure.
Figure 2.8

The Word Scanner Resumes Tokenization

Compiler

Word Scanner
data
sales
(drop
=
lastyr)

Symbol Table
SYSDAY
FILE

Friday
in1

Macro Processor

Input Stack
;
infile &file;
input ml-ml2 lastyr;
total=ml2+lastyr;
run;

As it processes each token, SAS removes the protection that the macro quoting functions
provide to mask special characters and mnemonic operators. For more information, see
Macro Quoting on page 80.
If the word scanner finds an ampersand followed by a nonblank character in a token, it
triggers the macro processor to examine the next token, as shown in the following figure.

How SAS Processes Statements with Macro Activity

Figure 2.9

17

The Macro Processor Examines &FILE

Compiler

Word Scanner

DATA SALES ( DROP = LASTYR ) ;

Symbol Table
SYSDAY
FILE

infile
&

Friday
in1

Macro Processor

Input Stack
file;
input ml-ml2 lastyr;
total=ml2+lastyr;
run;

The macro processor examines the token and recognizes a macro variable that exists in
the symbol table. The macro processor removes the macro variable name from the input
stack and replaces it with the text from the symbol table, as shown in the following
figure.
Figure 2.10

The Macro Processor Generates Text to the Input Stack

Compiler

Word Scanner

DATA SALES ( DROP = LASTYR ) ;

Symbol Table
SYSDAY
FILE

Friday
in1

infile

Macro Processor

Input Stack
in1 ;
input ml-ml2 lastyr;
total=ml2+lastyr;
run;

The compiler continues to request tokens, and the word scanner continues to supply
them, until the entire input stack has been read as shown in the following figure.

18

Chapter 2

Figure 2.11

SAS Programs and Macro Processing

The Word Scanner Completes Processing

Compiler

DATA SALES ( DROP = LASTYR ) ;

INFILE IN1 ;
INPUT M1 - M12 LASTYR;
TOTAL = M12 + LASTYR;

Word Scanner
run
;

Symbol Table
SYSDAY
FILE

Friday
in1

Macro Processor

Input Stack

If the end of the input stack is a DATA step boundary, as it is in this example, the
compiler compiles and executes the step. SAS then frees the DATA step task. Any
macro variables that were created during the program remain in the symbol table. If the
end of the input stack is not a step boundary, the processed statements remain in the
compiler. Processing resumes when more statements are submitted to the input stack.

19

Chapter 3

Macro Variables

Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Macro Variables Defined by the Macro Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Macro Variables Defined by Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Overview for Defining Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Creating Macro Variables and Assigning Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Using Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Macro Variable Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Combining Macro Variable References with Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Delimiting Macro Variable Names within Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Creating a Period to Follow Resolved Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Displaying Macro Variable Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Referencing Macro Variables Indirectly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Using an Expression to Generate a Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Generating a Series of Macro Variable References with a Single Macro Call . . . . 31
Using More Than Two Ampersands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Manipulating Macro Variable Values with Macro Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Macro Variables
Macro variables are tools that enable you to dynamically modify the text in a SAS
program through symbolic substitution. You can assign large or small amounts of text to
macro variables, and after that, you can use that text by simply referencing the variable
that contains it.
Macro variable values have a maximum length of 65,534 characters. The length of a
macro variable is determined by the text assigned to it instead of a specific length
declaration. So its length varies with each value that it contains. Macro variables contain
only character data. However, the macro facility has features that enable a variable to be
evaluated as a number when it contains character data that can be interpreted as a
number. The value of a macro variable remains constant until it is specifically changed.
Macro variables are independent of SAS data set variables.
Note: Only printable characters should be assigned to macro variables. Non-printable
values that are assigned to macro variables can cause unpredictable results.

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Macro variables defined by macro programmers are called user-defined macro variables.
Those defined by the macro processor are called automatic macro variables. You can
define and use macro variables anywhere in SAS programs, except within data lines.
When a macro variable is defined, the macro processor adds it to one of the program's
macro variable symbol tables. When a macro variable is defined in a statement that is
outside a macro definition (called open code) or when the variable is created
automatically by the macro processor (except SYSPBUFF), the variable is held in the
global symbol table, which the macro processor creates at the beginning of a SAS
session. When a macro variable is defined within a macro and is not specifically defined
as global, the variable is typically held in the macro's local symbol table, which SAS
creates when the macro starts executing. For more information about symbol tables, see
SAS Programs and Macro Processing on page 11 and Scopes of Macro Variables on
page 43.
When it is in the global symbol table, a macro variable exists for the remainder of the
current SAS session. A variable in the global symbol table is called a global macro
variable. This variable has global scope because its value is available to any part of the
SAS session (except in CARDS or DATALINES statements). Other components of SAS
might create global macro variables, but only those components created by the macro
processor are considered automatic macro variables.
When it is in a local symbol table, a macro variable exists only during execution of the
macro in which it is defined. A variable in a local symbol table is called a local macro
variable. It has local scope because its value is available only while the macro is
executing. SAS Programs and Macro Processing on page 11 contains figures that
illustrate a program with a global and a local symbol table.
You can use the %PUT statement to view all macro variables available in a current SAS
session. See %PUT Statement on page 310 and also in Macro Facility Error
Messages and Debugging on page 120.

Macro Variables Defined by the Macro Processor

When you invoke SAS, the macro processor creates automatic macro variables that
supply information related to the SAS session. Automatic variables are global except
SYSPBUFF, which is local.
To use an automatic macro variable, reference it with an ampersand followed by the
macro variable name (for example, &SYSJOBID). This FOOTNOTE statement contains
references to the automatic macro variables SYSDAY and SYSDATE9:
footnote "Report for &sysday, &sysdate9";

If the current SAS session is invoked on December 16, 2011, macro variable resolution
causes SAS to receive this statement:
FOOTNOTE "Report for Friday, 16DEC2011";

Automatic macro variables are often useful in conditional logic such as a %IF statement
with actions determined by the value that is returned. For more information, see %IF%THEN/%ELSE Statement on page 296.
You can assign values to automatic macro variables that have read and write status.
However, you cannot assign a value to an automatic macro variable that has read-only
status. The following table lists the automatic macro variables that are created by the
SAS macro processor and their read and /write status.
Use %PUT _AUTOMATIC_ to view all available automatic macro variables.

Macro Variables Defined by the Macro Processor

21

There are also system-specific macro variables that are created only on a particular
platform. These are documented in the host companion, and common ones are listed in
Writing Efficient and Portable Macros on page 141. Other SAS software products
also provide macro variables, which are described in the documentation for the product
that uses them. Neither of these types of macro variables are considered automatic macro
variables.
Table 3.1 Automatic Macro Variables by Category
Status

Variable

Contains

Read and
Write

SYSBUFFR

Unmatched text from %INPUT

SYSCC

The current condition code that SAS returns to

your operating environment (the operating
environment condition code)

SYSCMD

Last unrecognized command from the command

line of a macro window

SYSDEVIC

Name of current graphics device

SYSDMG

Return code that reflects an action taken on a

damaged data set

SYSDSN

Name of most recent SAS data set in two fields

SYSFILRC

Return code set by the FILENAME statement

SYSLAST

Name of most recent SAS data set in one field

SYSLCKRC

Return code set by the LOCK statement

SYSLIBRC

Return code set by the LIBNAME statement

SYSLOGAPPLNAME

Value of the LOGAPPLNAME option

SYSMSG

Message for display in macro window

SYSPARM

Value specified with the SYSPARM= system

option

SYSPBUFF

Text of macro parameter values

SYSRC

Various system-related return codes

SYSADDRBITS

The number of bits of an address

SYSCHARWIDTH

The character width value

SYSDATE

The character value representing the date a SAS

job or session began executing (two-digit year)

Read-only

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Status

Variable

Contains

SYSDATE9

The character value representing the date a SAS

job or session began executing (four-digit year)

SYSDAY

Day of week SAS job or session began executing

SYSENCODING

Name of the SAS session encoding

SYSENDIAN

An indication of the byte order of the current

session

SYSENV

Foreground or background indicator

SYSERR

Return code set by SAS procedures and the

DATA step

SYSERRORTEXT

Text of the last error message formatted for

display on the SAS log

SYSHOSTNAME

Host name of the operating environment

SYSINDEX

Number of macros that have begun execution

during this session

SYSINFO

Return code information

SYSJOBID

Name of current batch job or user ID (varies by

host environment)

SYSMACRONAME

Name of current executing macro

SYSMENV

Current macro execution environment

SYSNCPU

The current number of processors that SAS might

use in computation

SYSNOBS

The number of observations read from the last

data set

SYSODSESCAPECHAR

The value of the ODS ESCAPECHAR= from

within the program

SYSODSPATH

The value of the PATH variable in the Output

Delivery System (ODS)

SYSPROCESSID

The process ID of the current SAS process

SYSPROCESSNAME

The process name of the current SAS process

SYSPROCNAME

Name of current procedure being processed

SYSSCP

The abbreviation of an operating system

SYSSCPL

The name of an operating system

Macro Variables Defined by Users

Status

23

Variable

Contains

SYSSITE

The number assigned to your site

SYSSIZEOFLONG

The length in bytes of a long integer in the current

session

SYSSIZEOFPTR

The size in bytes of a pointer

SYSSIZEOFUNICODE

The length in bytes of a Unicode character in the

current session

SYSSTARTID

The ID generated from the last STARTSAS

statement

SYSSTARTNAME

The process name generated from the last

STARTSAS statement

SYSTCPIPHOSTNAME

Host names of the local and remote operating

environments when multiple TCP/IP stacks are
supported

SYSTIME

The character value of the time a SAS job or

session began executing

SYSUSERID

The user ID or login of the current SAS process

SYSVER

Release or version number of SAS software

executing

SYSVLONG

Release number and maintenance level of SAS

software with a 2-digit year

SYSVLONG4

Release number and maintenance level of SAS

software with a 4-digit year

SYSWARNINGTEXT

Text of the last warning message formatted for

display on the SAS log

Macro Variables Defined by Users

Overview for Defining Macro Variables
You can create your own macro variables, change their values, and define their scope.
You can define a macro variable within a macro, and you can also specifically define it
as a global variable, by defining it with the %GLOBAL statement. Macro variable
names must start with a letter or an underscore and can be followed by letters or digits.
You can assign any name to a macro variable as long as the name is not a reserved word.
The prefixes AF, DMS, SQL, and SYS are not recommended because they are
frequently used in SAS software when creating macro variables. Thus, using one of
these prefixes can cause a name conflict with macro variables created by SAS software.

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For a complete list of reserved words in the macro language, see Reserved Words in
the Macro Facility on page 363. If you assign a macro variable name that is not valid,
an error message is printed in the SAS log.
You can use %PUT _ALL_ to view all user-created macro variables.

Creating Macro Variables and Assigning Values

The simplest way to create and assign a value to a macro variable is to use the macro
program statement %LET:
%let dsname=Newdata;

DSNAME is the name of the macro variable. Newdata is the value of the macro
variable DSNAME. The value of a macro variable is simply a string of characters. The
characters can include any letters, numbers, or printable symbols found on your
keyboard, and blanks between characters. The case of letters is preserved in a macro
variable value. Some characters, such as unmatched quotation marks, require special
treatment, which is described later.
If a macro variable already exists, a value assigned to it replaces its current value. If a
macro variable or its value contains macro triggers (% or &), the trigger is evaluated
before the value is assigned. In the following example, &name is resolved to Cary and
then it is assigned as the value of city in the following statements:
%let name=Cary;
%let city=&name;

Generally, the macro processor treats alphabetic characters, digits, and symbols (except
& and %) as characters. It can also treat & and % as characters using a special treatment,
which is described later. It does not make a distinction between character and numeric
values as the rest of SAS does. (However, the %EVAL Function on page 243 and
%SYSEVALF Function on page 263 can evaluate macro variables as integers or
floating point numbers.)
Macro variable values can represent text to be generated by the macro processor or text
to be used by the macro processor. Values can range in length from 0 to 65,534
characters. If you omit the value argument, the value is null (0 characters). By default,
leading and trailing blanks are not stored with the value.
In addition to the %LET statement, the following list contains other features of the
macro language that create macro variables:

iterative %DO statement

%GLOBAL statement

%INPUT statement

INTO clause of the SELECT statement in SQL

%LOCAL statement

%MACRO statement

SYMPUT and SYMPUTX routine and SYMPUTN routine in SCL

%WINDOW statement

The following table describes how to assign a variety of types of values to macro
variables.

Macro Variables Defined by Users

Table 3.2

25

Types of Assignments for Macro Variable Values

Assign

Values

Constant text

A character string. The following statements show several ways that the
value maple can be assigned to macro variable STREET. In each case, the
macro processor stores the five-character value maple as the value of
STREET. The leading and trailing blanks are not stored.
%let street=maple;
%let street=
%let street=maple

maple;
;

Note: Quotation marks are not required. If quotation marks are used, they
become part of the value.
Digits

The appropriate digits. This example creates the macro variables NUM and
TOTALSTR:
%let num=123;
%let totalstr=100+200;

The macro processor does not treat 123 as a number or evaluate the
expression 100+200. Instead, the macro processor treats all the digits as
characters.
Arithmetic
expressions

The %EVAL function, for example,

%let num=%eval(100+200); / * produces 300 * /

use the %SYSEVALF function, for example,

%let num=%sysevalf(100+1.597); / * produces 101.597 * /

For more information, see Macro Evaluation Functions on page 160.

A null value

No assignment for the value argument. For example,

%let country=;

A macro variable
reference

A macro variable reference, &macro-variable. For example,

%let street=Maple;
%let num=123;
%let address=&num &street Avenue;

This example shows multiple macro references that are part of a text
expression. The macro processor attempts to resolve text expressions before
it makes the assignment. Thus, the macro processor stores the value of
macro variable ADDRESS as 123 Maple Avenue.
You can treat ampersands and percent signs as literals by using the
%NRSTR function to mask the character so that the macro processor treats
it as text instead of trying to interpret it as a macro call. See Macro
Language Elements on page 155 and Macro Quoting on page 80 for
information.

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Assign

Values

A macro
invocation

A macro call, %macro-name. For example,

%let status=%wait;

When the %LET statement executes, the macro processor also invokes the
macro WAIT. The macro processor stores the text produced by the macro
WAIT as the value of STATUS.
To prevent the macro from being invoked when the %LET statement
executes, use the %NRSTR function to mask the percent sign:
%let status=%nrstr(%wait);

The macro processor stores %wait as the value of STATUS.

Blanks and
special characters

Macro quoting function %STR or %NRSTR around the value. This action
masks the blanks or special characters so that the macro processor interprets
them as text. See Macro Quoting Functions on page 161. For example,
%let
%let
%let
%let

state=%str( North Carolina);

town=%str(Taylor%'s Pond);
store=%nrstr(Smith&Jones);
plotit=%str(
proc plot;
plot income*age;
run;);

The definition of macro variable TOWN demonstrates using %STR to mask

a value containing an unmatched quotation mark. Macro Quoting
Functions on page 161 discuss macro quoting functions that require
unmatched quotation marks and other symbols to be marked.
The definition of macro variable PLOTIT demonstrates using %STR to
mask blanks and special characters (semicolons) in macro variable values.
When a macro variable contains complete SAS statements, the statements
are easier to read if you enter them on separate lines with indentions for
statements within a DATA or PROC step. Using a macro quoting function
retains the significant blanks in the macro variable value.
Value from a
DATA step

The SYMPUT routine. This example puts the number of observations in a

data set into a FOOTNOTE statement where AGE is greater than 20:
data _null_;
set in.permdata end=final;
if age>20 then n+1;
if final then call symput('number',trim(left(n)));
run;
footnote "&number Observations have AGE>20";

During the last iteration of the DATA step, the SYMPUT routine creates a
macro variable named NUMBER whose value is the value of N. (SAS also
issues a numeric-to-character conversion message.) The TRIM and the
LEFT functions remove the extra space characters from the DATA step
variable N before its value is assigned to the macro variable NUMBER.
For a discussion of SYMPUT, including information about preventing the
numeric-character message, see CALL SYMPUT Routine on page 224.

Using Macro Variables

27

Using Macro Variables

Macro Variable Reference
After a macro variable is created, you typically use the variable by referencing it with an
ampersand preceding its name (&variable-name), which is called a macro variable
reference. These references perform symbolic substitutions when they resolve to their
value. You can use these references anywhere in a SAS program. To resolve a macro
variable reference that occurs within a literal string, enclose the string in double
quotation marks. Macro variable references that are enclosed in single quotation marks
are not resolved. Compare the following statements that assign a value to macro variable
DSN and use it in a TITLE statement:
%let dsn=Newdata;
title1 "Contents of Data Set &dsn";
title2 'Contents of Data Set &dsn';

In the first TITLE statement, the macro processor resolves the reference by replacing
&DSN with the value of macro variable DSN. In the second TITLE statement, the value
for DSN does not replace &DSN. SAS sees the following statements:
TITLE1 "Contents of Data Set Newdata";
TITLE2 'Contents of Data Set &dsn';

You can refer to a macro variable as many times as you need to in a SAS program. The
value remains constant until you change it. For example, this program refers to macro
variable DSN twice:
%let dsn=Newdata;
data temp;
set &dsn;
if age>=20;
run;
proc print;
title "Subset of Data Set &dsn";
run;

Each time the reference &DSN appears, the macro processor replaces it with Newdata.
SAS sees the following statements:
DATA TEMP;
SET NEWDATA;
IF AGE>=20;
RUN;
PROC PRINT;
TITLE "Subset of Data Set NewData";
RUN;

Note: If you reference a macro variable that does not exist, a warning message is printed
in the SAS log. For example, if macro variable JERRY is misspelled as JERY, the
following produces an unexpected result:
%let jerry=student;
data temp;

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Chapter 3

Macro Variables
x="produced by &jery";
run;

This code produces the following message:

WARNING:

Apparent symbolic reference JERY not resolved.

Combining Macro Variable References with Text

It is often useful to place a macro variable reference next to leading or trailing text (for
example, DATA=PERSNL&YR.EMPLOYES, where &YR contains two characters for
a year), or to reference adjacent variables (for example, &MONTH&YR). You can reuse
the same text in several places or to reuse a program because you can change values for
each use.
To reuse the same text in several places, you can write a program with macro variable
references representing the common elements. You can change all the locations with a
single %LET statement, as shown:
%let name=sales;
data new&name;
set save.&name;
more SAS statements
if units>100;
run;

After macro variable resolution, SAS sees these statements:

DATA NEWSALES;
SET SAVE.SALES;
more SAS statements
IF UNITS>100;
RUN;

Notice that macro variable references do not require the concatenation operator as the
DATA step does. SAS forms the resulting words automatically.

Delimiting Macro Variable Names within Text

Sometimes when you use a macro variable reference as a prefix, the reference does not
resolve as you expect if you simply concatenate it. Instead, you might need to delimit the
reference by adding a period to the end of it.
A period immediately following a macro variable reference acts as a delimiter. That is, a
period at the end of a reference forces the macro processor to recognize the end of the
reference. The period does not appear in the resulting text.
Continuing with the example above, suppose that you need another DATA step that uses
the names SALES1, SALES2, and INSALES.TEMP. You might add the following step
to the program:
/* first attempt to add suffixes--incorrect
data &name1 &name2;
set in&name.temp;
run;

*/

After macro variable resolution, SAS sees these statements:

Displaying Macro Variable Values

29

DATA &NAME1 &NAME2;

SET INSALESTEMP;
RUN;

None of the macro variable references have resolved as you intended. The macro
processor issues warning messages, and SAS issues syntax error messages. Why?
Because NAME1 and NAME2 are valid SAS names, the macro processor searches for
those macro variables rather than for NAME, and the references pass into the DATA
statement without resolution.
In a macro variable reference, the word scanner recognizes that a macro variable name
has ended when it encounters a character that is not used in a SAS name. However, you
can use a period ( . ) as a delimiter for a macro variable reference. For example, to cause
the macro processor to recognize the end of the word NAME in this example, use a
period as a delimiter between &NAME and the suffix:
/* correct version */
data &name.1 &name.2;

SAS now sees this statement:

DATA SALES1 SALES2;

Creating a Period to Follow Resolved Text

Sometimes you need a period to follow the text resolved by the macro processor. For
example, a two-level data set name needs to include a period between the libref and data
set name.
When the character following a macro variable reference is a period, use two periods.
The first is the delimiter for the macro reference, and the second is part of the text.
set in&name..temp;

After macro variable resolution, SAS sees this statement:

SET INSALES.TEMP;

You can end any macro variable reference with a delimiter, but the delimiter is necessary
only if the characters that follow can be part of a SAS name. For example, both of these
TITLE statements are correct:
title "&name.--a report";
title "&name--a report";

They produce the following:

TITLE "sales--a report";

Displaying Macro Variable Values

The simplest way to display macro variable values is to use the %PUT statement, which
writes text to the SAS log. For example, the following statements write the following
result:
%let a=first;
%let b=macro variable;
%put &a ***&b***;

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Chapter 3

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Here is the result:

first ***macro variable***

You can also use a %PUT Statement on page 310 to view available macro variables.
%PUT provides several options that enable you to view individual categories of macro
variables.
The system option SYMBOLGEN displays the resolution of macro variables. For this
example, assume that macro variables PROC and DSET have the values GPLOT and
SASUSER.HOUSES, respectively.
options symbolgen;
title "%upcase(&proc) of %upcase(&dset)";

The SYMBOLGEN option prints to the log:

SYMBOLGEN:
SYMBOLGEN:

Macro variable PROC resolves to gplot

Macro variable DSET resolves to sasuser.houses

For more information about debugging macro programs, see Macro Facility Error
Messages and Debugging on page 120.

Referencing Macro Variables Indirectly

Using an Expression to Generate a Reference
The macro variable references shown so far have been direct macro references that begin
with one ampersand: &name. However, it is also useful to be able to indirectly reference
macro variables that belong to a series so that the name is determined when the macro
variable reference resolves. The macro facility provides indirect macro variable
referencing, which enables you to use an expression (for example, CITY&N) to generate
a reference to one of a series of macro variables. For example, you could use the value of
macro variable N to reference a variable in the series of macro variables named CITY1
to CITY20. If N has the value 8, the reference would be to CITY8. If the value of N is 3,
the reference would be to CITY3.
Although for this example the type of reference that you want is CITY&N, the following
example will not produce the results that you expect, which is the value of &N appended
to CITY:
%put &city&n;

/* incorrect */

This code produces a warning message saying that there is no macro variable CITY
because the macro facility has tried to resolve &CITY and then &N and concatenate
those values.
When you use an indirect macro variable reference, you must force the macro processor
to scan the macro variable reference more than once and resolve the desired reference on
the second, or later, scan. To force the macro processor to rescan a macro variable
reference, you use more than one ampersand in the macro variable reference. When the
macro processor encounters multiple ampersands, its basic action is to resolve two
ampersands to one ampersand. For example, for you to append the value of &N to CITY
and then reference the appropriate variable name, do the following:
%put &&city&n;

/* correct */

If &N contains 6, when the macro processor receives this statement, it performs the
following steps:

Referencing Macro Variables Indirectly

31

1. resolves && to &

2. passes CITY as text
3. resolves &N into 6
4. returns to the beginning of the macro variable reference, &CITY6, starts resolving
from the beginning again, and prints the value of CITY6

Generating a Series of Macro Variable References with a Single

Macro Call
Using indirect macro variable references, you can generate a series of references with a
single macro call by using an iterative %DO loop. The following example assumes that
the macro variables CITY1 through CITY10 contain the respective values Cary, New
York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin, Boston, Orlando, Dallas, Knoxville, and Asheville:
%macro listthem;
%do n=1 %to 10; &&city&n
%end;
%mend listthem;
%put %listthem;

This program writes the following to the SAS log:

Cary
New York
Chicago
Los Angeles
Austin
Orlando
Dallas
Knoxville
Asheville

Boston

Using More Than Two Ampersands

You can use any number of ampersands in an indirect macro variable reference,
although using more than three is rare. Regardless of how many ampersands are used in
this type of reference, the macro processor performs the following steps to resolve the
reference.
%let var=city;
%let n=6;
%put &&&var&n;

1. It resolves the entire reference from left-to-right. If a pair of ampersands (&&) is

encountered, the pair is resolved to a single ampersand, then the next part of the
reference is processed. In this example, &&&VAR&N becomes &CITY6.
2. It returns to the beginning of the preliminary result and starts resolving again from
left-to-right. When all ampersands have been fully processed, the resolution is
complete. In this example, &CITY6 resolves to Boston, and the resolution process is
finished.
Note: A macro call cannot be part of the resolution during indirect macro variable
referencing.
TIP: In some cases, using indirect macro references with triple ampersands increases the
efficiency of the macro processor. For more information, see Writing Efficient and
Portable Macros on page 141.

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Manipulating Macro Variable Values with Macro

Functions
When you define macro variables, you can include macro functions in the expressions to
manipulate the value of the variable before the value is stored. For example, you can use
functions that scan other values, evaluate arithmetic and logical expressions, and remove
the significance of special characters such as unmatched quotation marks.
To scan for words in macro variable values, use the %SCAN function:
%let address=123 maple avenue;
%let frstword=%scan(&address,1);

The first %LET statement assigns the string 123 maple avenue to macro variable
ADDRESS. The second %LET statement uses the %SCAN function to search the source
(first argument) and retrieve the first word (second argument). Because the macro
processor executes the %SCAN function before it stores the value, the value of
FRSTWORD is the string 123.
For more information about %SCAN, see %SCAN and %QSCAN Functions on page
250. For more information about macro functions, see Macro Language Elements on
page 155.

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Chapter 4

Macro Processing

Macro Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Defining and Calling Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
How the Macro Processor Compiles a Macro Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
How the Macro Processor Executes a Compiled Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Summary of Macro Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Macro Processing
This section describes macro processing and shows the typical pattern that SAS follows
to process a program containing macro elements. For most macro programming, you do
not need this level of detail. It is provided to help you understand what is going on
behind the scenes.

Defining and Calling Macros

Macros are compiled programs that you can call in a submitted SAS program or from a
SAS command prompt. Like macro variables, you generally use macros to generate text.
However, macros provide additional capabilities:

Macros can contain programming statements that enable you to control how and
when text is generated.

Macros can accept parameters. You can write generic macros that can serve a
number of uses.

To compile a macro, you must submit a macro definition. The following is the general
form of a macro definition:
%MACRO macro_name;
<macro_text>
%MEND <macro_name>;
macro_name is a unique SAS name that identifies the macro and macro_text is any
combination of macro statements, macro calls, text expressions, or constant text.
When you submit a macro definition, the macro processor compiles the definition and
produces a member in the session catalog. The member consists of compiled macro

34

Chapter 4

Macro Processing

program statements and text. The distinction between compiled items and noncompiled
(text) items is important for macro execution. Examples of text items include:

macro variable references

nested macro calls

macro functions, except %STR and %NRSTR

arithmetic and logical macro expressions

text to be written by %PUT statements

field definitions in %WINDOW statements

model text for SAS statements and SAS windowing environment commands

When you want to call the macro, you use the form
%macro_name.

How the Macro Processor Compiles a Macro

Definition
When you submit a SAS program, the contents of the program goes to an area of
memory called the input stack. The example program in the following figure contains a
macro definition, a macro call, and a PROC PRINT step. This section illustrates how the
macro definition in the example program is compiled and stored.
Figure 4.1 The Macro APP

Input Stack
%macro app(goal);
%if &sysday=Friday %then
%do;
data thisweek;
set lastweek;
if totsales > &goal
then bonus = .03;
else bonus = 0;
%end;
%mend app;
%app(10000)
proc print;
run;

Using the same process described in SAS Programs and Macro Processing on page 11
the word scanner begins tokenizing the program. When the word scanner detects %
followed by a nonblank character in the first token, it triggers the macro processor. The
macro processor examines the token and recognizes the beginning of a macro definition.
The macro processor pulls tokens from the input stack and compiles until the %MEND
statement terminates the macro definition (Figure 4.2 on page 35).
During macro compilation, the macro processor does the following:

creates an entry in the session catalog

How the Macro Processor Compiles a Macro Definition

compiles and stores all macro program statements for that macro as macro
instructions

stores all noncompiled items in the macro as text

35

Note: Text items are underlined in the illustrations in this section.

If the macro processor detects a syntax error while compiling the macro, it checks the
syntax in the rest of the macro and issues messages for any additional errors that it finds.
However, the macro processor does not store the macro for execution. A macro that the
macro processor compiles but does not store is called a dummy macro.
Figure 4.2 Macro APP in the Input Stack

Compiler

Word Scanner

Symbol Table
SYSDAY

Friday

Macro Catalog
APP Macro
%macro app(goal);
%if &sysday=Friday %then
%do;
data thisweek;
set lastweek;

Macro Processor
Input Stack
if totsales > &goal
then bonus = .03;
else bonus = 0;
%end;
%mend app;
%app(10000)
proc print;
run;

In this example, the macro definition is compiled and stored successfully. (See the
following figure.) For the sake of illustration, the compiled APP macro looks like the
original macro definition that was in the input stack. The entry would actually contain
compiled macro instructions with constant text. The constant text in this example is
underlined.

36

Chapter 4

Figure 4.3

Macro Processing

The Compiled Macro APP

Compiler

Word Scanner

Symbol Table
SYSDAY

Friday

Macro Catalog
APP Macro
%macro app(goal);
%if&sysday=Friday %then
%do;
data thisweek;
set lastweek;
if totsales > &goal
then bonus = .03;
else bonus = 0;
%end;
%mend app;

Macro Processor
Input Stack
%app(10000)
proc print;
run;

How the Macro Processor Executes a Compiled

Macro
Macro execution begins with the macro processor opening the SASMACR catalog to
read the appropriate macro entry. As the macro processor executes the compiled
instructions in the macro entry, it performs a series of simple repetitive actions. During
macro execution, the macro processor does the following:

executes compiled macro program instructions

places noncompiled constant text on the input stack

waits for the word scanner to process the generated text

resumes executing compiled macro program instructions

To continue the example from the previous section, the following figure shows the lines
remaining in the input stack after the macro processor compiles the macro definition
APP.
Figure 4.4 The Macro Call in the Input Stack

Input Stack
%app(10000)
proc print;
run;
The word scanner examines the input stack and detects % followed by a nonblank
character in the first token. It triggers the macro processor to examine the token.

How the Macro Processor Executes a Compiled Macro

Figure 4.5

37

Macro Call Entering Word Queue

Compiler

Word Scanner

Symbol Table
SYSDAY

Friday

Macro Catalog
APP Macro
%macro app(goal);
%if &sysday=Friday %then
%do;
data thisweek;
set lastweek;
if totsales > &goal
then bonus = .03;
else bonus = 0;
%end;
%mend app;

Macro Processor
Input Stack
app (10000)
proc print;
run;

The macro processor recognizes a macro call and begins to execute macro APP, as
follows:
1. The macro processor creates a local symbol table for the macro. The macro
processor examines the previously compiled definition of the macro. If there are any
parameters, variable declarations, or computed GOTO statements in the macro
definition, the macro processor adds entries for the parameters and variables to the
newly created local symbol table.
2. The macro processor further examines the previously compiled macro definition for
parameters to the macro. If no parameters were defined in the macro definition, the
macro processor begins to execute the compiled instructions of the macro. If any
parameters were contained in the definition, the macro processor removes tokens
from the input stack to obtain values for positional parameters and non-default
values for keyword parameters. The values for parameters found in the input stack
are placed in the appropriate entry in the local symbol table.
Note: Before executing any compiled instructions, the macro processor removes
only enough tokens from the input stack to ensure that any tokens that are
supplied by the user and pertain to the macro call have been removed.
3. The macro processor encounters the compiled %IF instruction and recognizes that
the next item will be text containing a condition.
4. The macro processor places the text &sysday=Friday on the input stack ahead of
the remaining text in the program. (See the following figure). The macro processor
waits for the word scanner to tokenize the generated text.

38

Chapter 4

Figure 4.6

Macro Processing

Text for %IF Condition on Input Stack

Compiler

Word Scanner

Symbol Table
SYSDAY

Friday

APP Symbol Table

GOAL

10000

Macro Catalog
APP Macro
%macro app(goal);
%if &sysday=Friday %then
%do;
data thisweek;
set lastweek;
if totsales > &goal
then bonus = .03;
else bonus = 0;
%end;
%mend app;

Macro Processor
Input Stack
&sysday=Friday
proc print;
run;

1. The word scanner starts tokenizing the generated text, recognizes an ampersand
followed by nonblank character in the first token, and triggers the macro processor.
2. The macro processor examines the token and finds a possible macro variable
reference, &SYSDAY. The macro processor first searches the local APP symbol
table for a matching entry and then the global symbol table. When the macro
processor finds the entry in the global symbol table, it replaces macro variable in the
input stack with the value Friday. (See the following figure.)
3. The macro processor stops and waits for the word scanner to tokenize the generated
text.

Figure 4.7

Input Stack after Macro Variable Reference Is Resolved

Compiler

Word Scanner

Symbol Table
SYSDAY

Friday

APP Symbol Table

GOAL

10000

Macro Catalog
APP Macro
%macro app(goal);
%if &sysday=Friday %then
%do;
data thisweek;
set lastweek;
if totsales > &goal
then bonus = .03;
else bonus = 0;
%end;
%mend app;

Macro Processor
Input Stack
Friday=Friday
proc print;
run;

How the Macro Processor Executes a Compiled Macro

39

1. The word scanner then read Friday=Friday from the input stack.
2. The macro processor evaluates the expression Friday=Friday and, because the
expression is true, proceeds to the %THEN and %DO instructions.

Figure 4.8

Macro Processor Receives the Condition

Compiler

Word Scanner
Friday
=
Friday

Symbol Table
SYSDAY

Friday

APP Symbol Table

GOAL

10000

Macro Catalog
APP Macro
%macro app(goal);
%if &sysday=Friday %then
%do;
data thisweek;
set lastweek;
if totsales > &goal
then bonus = .03;
else bonus = 0;
%end;
%mend app;

Macro Processor
Input Stack
proc print;
run;

1. The macro processor executes the compiled %DO instructions and recognizes that
the next item is text.
2. The macro processor places the text on top of the input stack and waits for the word
scanner to begin tokenization.
3. The word scanner reads the generated text from the input stack, and tokenizes it.
4. The word scanner recognizes the beginning of a DATA step, and triggers the
compiler to begin accepting tokens. The word scanner transfers tokens to the
compiler from the top of the stack.

40

Chapter 4

Figure 4.9

Macro Processing

Generated Text on Top of Input Stack

Compiler
DATA

Macro Catalog

Symbol Table

Word Scanner

SYSDAY

thisweek
;
set
lastweek
;

Friday

APP Symbol Table

GOAL

10000

APP Macro
%macro app(goal);
%if &sysday=Friday %then
%do;
data thisweek;
set lastweek;
if totsales > &goal
then bonus = .03;
else bonus = 0;
%end;
%mend app;

Macro Processor
Input Stack
if totsales > &goal
then bonus = .03;
else bonus = 0;
proc print;
run;

1. When the word scanner detects & followed by a nonblank character (the macro
variable reference &GOAL), it triggers the macro processor.
2. The macro processor looks in the local APP symbol table and resolves the macro
variable reference &GOAL to 10000. The macro processor places the value on top
of the input stack, ahead of the remaining text in the program.

Figure 4.10

The Word Scanner Reads Generated Text

Compiler
DATA THISWEEK;
SET LASTWEEK;

Symbol Table

Word Scanner
if
totsales
>

SYSDAY

Friday

APP Symbol Table

GOAL

10000

Macro Catalog
APP Macro
%macro app(goal);
%if &sysday=Friday %then
%do;
data thisweek;
set lastweek;
if totsales > &goal
then bonus = .03;
else bonus = 0;
%end;
%mend app;

Macro Processor
Input Stack
10000;
then bonus = .03;
else bonus = 0;
proc print;
run;

1. The word scanner resumes tokenization. When it has completed tokenizing the
generated text, it triggers the macro processor.

Summary of Macro Processing

41

2. The macro processor resumes processing the compiled macro instructions. It

recognizes the end of the %DO group at the %END instruction and proceeds to
%MEND.
3. the macro processor executes the %MEND instruction, removes the local symbol
table APP, and macro APP ceases execution.
4. The macro processor triggers the word scanner to resume tokenization.
5. The word scanner reads the first token in the input stack (PROC), recognizes the
beginning of a step boundary, and triggers the DATA step compiler.
6. The compiled DATA step is executed, and the DATA step compiler is cleared.
7. The word scanner signals the PRINT procedure (a separate executable not
illustrated), which pulls the remaining tokens.

Figure 4.11

The Remaining Statements Are Compiled and Executed

Compiler
DATA THISWEEK ;
SET LASTWEEK;
IF TOTSALES > 10000
THEN BONUS = .03 ;
ELSE BONUS = 0 ;

Word Scanner

Symbol Table
SYSDAY

proc

Friday

APP Symbol Table

GOAL

Macro Catalog

10000

Macro Processor

APP Macro
%macro app(goal);
%if &sysday=Friday %then
%do;
data thisweek;
set lastweek;
if totsales > &goal
then bonus = .03;
else bonus = 0;
%end;
%mend app;

Input Stack
print;
run;

Summary of Macro Processing

The previous sections illustrate the relationship between macro compilation and
execution and DATA step compilation and execution. The relationship contains a pattern
of simple repetitive actions. These actions begin when text is submitted to the input stack
and the word scanner begins tokenization. At times the word scanner waits for the macro
processor to perform an activity, such as searching the symbol tables or compiling a
macro definition. If the macro processor generates text during its activity, then it pauses
while the word scanner tokenizes the text and sends the tokens to the appropriate target.
These tokens might trigger other actions in parts of SAS, such as the DATA step
compiler, the command processor, or a SAS procedure. If any of these actions occur, the
macro processor waits for these actions to be completed before resuming its activity.

42

Chapter 4

Macro Processing

When the macro processor stops, the word scanner resumes tokenization. This process
continues until the entire program has been processed.

43

Chapter 5

Scopes of Macro Variables

Scopes of Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Global Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Local Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Writing the Contents of Symbol Tables to the SAS Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
How Macro Variables Are Assigned and Resolved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Examples of Macro Variable Scopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Changing the Values of Existing Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Creating Local Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Forcing a Macro Variable to Be Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Creating Global Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Creating Global Variables Based on the Value of Local Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Special Cases of Scope with the CALL SYMPUT Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Overview of CALL SYMPUT Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Example Using CALL SYMPUT with Complete DATA Step
and a Nonempty Local Symbol Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Example Using CALL SYMPUT with an Incomplete DATA Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Example Using CALL SYMPUT with a Complete DATA
Step and an Empty Local Symbol Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Example Using CALL SYMPUT with SYSPBUFF and an
Empty Local Symbol Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Scopes of Macro Variables

Every macro variable has a scope. A macro variable's scope determines how it is
assigned values and how the macro processor resolves references to it.
Two types of scopes exist for macro variables: global and local. Global macro variables
exist for the duration of the SAS session and can be referenced anywhere (except
CARDS and DATALINES) in the programeither inside or outside a macro. Local
macro variables exist only during the execution of the macro in which the variables are
created and have no meaning outside the defining macro.
Scopes can be nested, like boxes within boxes. For example, suppose you have a macro
A that creates the macro variable LOC1 and a macro B that creates the macro variable
LOC2. If the macro B is nested (executed) within the macro A, LOC1 is local to both A
and B. However, LOC2 is local only to B.

44

Chapter 5

Scopes of Macro Variables

Macro variables are stored in symbol tables, which list the macro variable name and its
value. There is a global symbol table, which stores all global macro variables. Local
macro variables are stored in a local symbol table that is created at the beginning of the
execution of a macro.
You can use the %SYMEXIST function to indicate whether a macro variable exists. See
%SYMEXIST Function on page 260 for more detailed information.

Global Macro Variables

The following figure illustrates the global symbol table during execution of the
following program:
%let county=Clark;
%macro concat;
data _null_;
length longname $20;
longname="&county"||" County";
put longname;
run;
%mend concat;
%concat

Calling the macro CONCAT produces the following statements:

data _null_;
length longname $20;
longname="Clark"||" County";
put longname;
run;

The PUT statement writes the following to the SAS log:

Clark County

Global Macro Variables

Figure 5.1

45

Global Symbol Table

GLOBAL

05FEB97
Wednesday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

COUNTY

Clark

Global macro variables include the following:

all automatic macro variables except SYSPBUFF. See Automatic Macro Variables
on page 164 for more information about SYSPBUFF and other automatic macro
variables.

macro variables created outside of any macro.

macro variables created in %GLOBAL statements. See Creating Global Macro

Variables on page 61 for more information about the %GLOBAL statement.

most macro variables created by the CALL SYMPUT routine. See Special Cases of
Scope with the CALL SYMPUT Routine on page 63 for more information about
the CALL SYMPUT routine.

You can create global macro variables any time during a SAS session or job. Except for
some automatic macro variables, you can change the values of global macro variables
any time during a SAS session or job.
In most cases, once you define a global macro variable, its value is available to you
anywhere in the SAS session or job and can be changed anywhere. So, a macro variable
referenced inside a macro definition is global if a global macro variable already exists by
the same name (assuming that the variable is not specifically defined as local with the
%LOCAL statement or in a parameter list). The new macro variable definition simply
updates the existing global one. The following are exceptions that prevent you from
referencing the value of a global macro variable:

when a macro variable exists both in the global symbol table and in the local symbol
table, you cannot reference the global value from within the macro that contains the
local macro variable. In this case, the macro processor finds the local value first and
uses it instead of the global value.

if you create a macro variable in the DATA step with the SYMPUT routine, you
cannot reference the value with an ampersand until the program reaches a step

46

Chapter 5

Scopes of Macro Variables

boundary. See Macro Processing on page 33 for more information about macro
processing and step boundaries.
You can use the %SYMGLOBL function to indicate whether an existing macro variable
resides in the global symbol table. See the %SYMGLOBL Function on page 261 for
more detailed information.

Local Macro Variables

Local macro variables are defined within an individual macro. Each macro that you
invoke creates its own local symbol table. Local macro variables exist only as long as a
particular macro executes. When the macro stops executing, all local macro variables for
that macro cease to exist.
The following figure illustrates the local symbol table during the execution of the
following program.
%macro holinfo(day,date);
%let holiday=Christmas;
%put *** Inside macro: ***;
%put *** &holiday occurs on &day, &date, 2002. ***;
%mend holinfo;
%holinfo(Wednesday,12/25)
%put *** Outside macro: ***;
%put *** &holiday occurs on &day, &date, 2002. ***;

The %PUT statements write the following to the SAS log:

*** Inside macro: ***
*** Christmas occurs on Wednesday, 12/25, 2002. ***
*** Outside macro: ***
WARNING: Apparent symbolic reference HOLIDAY not resolved.
WARNING: Apparent symbolic reference DAY not resolved.
WARNING: Apparent symbolic reference DATE not resolved.
*** &holiday occurs on &day, &date, 2002. ***

As you can see from the log, the local macro variables DAY, DATE, and HOLIDAY
resolve inside the macro, but outside the macro that they do not exist and therefore do
not resolve.

Local Macro Variables

Figure 5.2

47

Local Symbol Table

HOLINFO

DAY
DATE
HOLIDAY

Thursday
12/25
Christmas

A macro's local symbol table is empty until the macro creates at least one macro
variable. A local symbol table can be created by any of the following:

the presence of one or more macro parameters

a %LOCAL statement

macro statements that define macro variables, such as %LET and the iterative %DO
statement (if the variable does not already exist globally or a %GLOBAL statement
is not used)

Note: Macro parameters are always local to the macro that defines them. You cannot
make macro parameters global. (Although, you can assign the value of the parameter
to a global variable. See Creating Global Variables Based on the Value of Local
Variables on page 62.)
When you invoke one macro inside another, you create nested scopes. Because you can
have any number of levels of nested macros, your programs can contain any number of
levels of nested scopes.
You can use the %SYMLOCAL function to indicate whether an existing macro variable
resides in an enclosing local symbol table. See the %SYMLOCAL Function on page
262 for more detailed information.

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Chapter 5

Scopes of Macro Variables

Writing the Contents of Symbol Tables to the SAS

Log
While developing your macros, you might find it useful to write all or part of the
contents of the global and local symbol tables to the SAS log. To do so, use the %PUT
statement with one of the following options:
_ALL_
describes all currently defined macro variables, regardless of scope. This output
includes user-defined global and local variables as well as automatic macro
variables. Scopes are listed in the order of innermost to outermost.
_AUTOMATIC_
describes all automatic macro variables. The scope is listed as AUTOMATIC. All
automatic macro variables are global except SYSPBUFF. See Automatic Macro
Variables on page 164 for more information about specific automatic macro
variables.
_GLOBAL_
describes all global macro variables that were not created by the macro processor.
The scope is listed as GLOBAL. Automatic macro variables are not listed.
_LOCAL_
describes user-defined local macro variables defined within the currently executing
macro. The scope is listed as the name of the macro in which the macro variable is
defined.
_USER_
describes all user-defined macro variables, regardless of scope. The scope is either
GLOBAL, for global macro variables, or the name of the macro in which the macro
variable is defined.
For example, consider the following program:
%let origin=North America;
%macro dogs(type=);
data _null_;
set all_dogs;
where dogtype="&type" and dogorig="&origin";
put breed " is for &type.";
run;
%put _user_;
%mend dogs;
%dogs(type=work)

The %PUT statement preceding the %MEND statement writes to the SAS log the
scopes, names, and values of all user-generated macro variables:
DOGS
TYPE
work
GLOBAL
ORIGIN
North America

Because TYPE is a macro parameter, TYPE is local to the macro DOGS, with value
work. Because ORIGIN is defined in open code, it is global.

How Macro Variables Are Assigned and Resolved

49

How Macro Variables Are Assigned and Resolved

Before the macro processor creates a variable, assigns a value to a variable, or resolves a
variable, it searches the symbol tables to determine whether the variable already exists.
The search begins with the most local scope and, if necessary, moves outward to the
global scope. The request to assign or resolve a variable comes from a macro variable
reference in open code (outside a macro) or within a macro.
The following figure illustrates the search order the macro processor uses when it
receives a macro variable reference that requests a variable be created or assigned. The
figure below illustrates the process for resolving macro variable references. Both these
figures represent the most basic type of search and do not apply in special cases, such as
when a %LOCAL statement is used or the variable is created by CALL SYMPUT.

50

Chapter 5

Figure 5.3

Scopes of Macro Variables

Search Order When Assigning or Creating Macro Variables

How Macro Variables Are Assigned and Resolved

Figure 5.4

Search Order When Resolving Macro Variable References

Request to resolve
variable

From open code

From within a macro

Does variable exist in

global symbol table?

Does variable exist in

local symbol table?

YES
Resolve
variable

NO
Issue
warning
message

YES
Resolve
variable

NO
Does variable exist in
next available scope?

YES
Resolve
variable

NO
Continue checking next
available scope

Does variable exist in

global symbol table?

YES
Resolve
variable

NO
Issue
warning
message

51

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Chapter 5

Scopes of Macro Variables

Examples of Macro Variable Scopes

Changing the Values of Existing Macro Variables
When the macro processor executes a macro program statement that can create a macro
variable (such as a %LET statement), the macro processor attempts to change the value
of an existing macro variable rather than create a new macro variable. The %GLOBAL
and %LOCAL statements are exceptions.
To illustrate, consider the following %LET statements. Both statements assign values to
the macro variable NEW:
%let new=inventry;
%macro name1;
%let new=report;
%mend name1;

Suppose you submit the following statements:

%name1
data &new;
data report;

Because NEW exists as a global variable, the macro processor changes the value of the
variable rather than creating a new one. The macro NAME1's local symbol table remains
empty.
The following figure illustrates the contents of the global and local symbol tables before,
during, and after NAME1's execution.

Examples of Macro Variable Scopes

Figure 5.5

Snapshots of Symbol Tables

Before NAME1 executes

GLOBAL

15AUG97
Friday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

inventry

NEW

While NAME1 executes

GLOBAL

15AUG97
Friday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

report

NEW

NAME1

After NAME1 executes

GLOBAL

15AUG97
Friday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

NEW

report

53

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Chapter 5

Scopes of Macro Variables

Creating Local Variables

When the macro processor executes a macro program statement that can create a macro
variable, the macro processor creates the variable in the local symbol table if no macro
variable with the same name is available to it. Consider the following example:
%let new=inventry;
%macro name2;
%let new=report;
%let old=warehse;
%mend name2;
%name2
data &new;
set &old;
run;

After NAME2 executes, the SAS compiler sees the following statements:
data report;
set &old;
run;

The macro processor encounters the reference &OLD after macro NAME2 has finished
executing. Thus, the macro variable OLD no longer exists. The macro processor is not
able to resolve the reference and issues a warning message.
The following figure illustrates the contents of the global and local symbol tables at
various stages.

Examples of Macro Variable Scopes

Figure 5.6

55

Symbol Tables at Various Stages

Before NAME2 executes

GLOBAL

15AUG97
Friday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

inventry

NEW

While NAME2 executes

GLOBAL

15AUG97
Friday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

report

NEW

NAME2

After NAME2 executes

GLOBAL

OLD

warehse

15AUG97
Friday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

NEW

report

But suppose you place the SAS statements inside the macro NAME2, as in the following
program:

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Chapter 5

Scopes of Macro Variables

%let new=inventry;
%macro name2;
%let new=report;
%let old=warehse;
data &new;
set &old;
run;
%mend name2;
%name2

In this case, the macro processor generates the SET statement during the execution of
NAME2, and it locates OLD in NAME2's local symbol table. Therefore, executing the
macro produces the following statements:
data report;
set warehse;
run;

The same rule applies regardless of how many levels of nesting exist. Consider the
following example:
%let new=inventry;
%macro conditn;
%let old=sales;
%let cond=cases>0;
%mend conditn;
%macro name3;
%let new=report;
%let old=warehse;
%conditn
data &new;
set &old;
if &cond;
run;
%mend name3;
%name3

The macro processor generates these statements:

data report;
set sales;
if &cond;
run;

CONDITN finishes executing before the macro processor reaches the reference
&COND, so no variable named COND exists when the macro processor attempts to
resolve the reference. Thus, the macro processor issues a warning message and generates
the unresolved reference as part of the constant text and issues a warning message. The
following figure shows the symbol tables at each step.

Examples of Macro Variable Scopes

Figure 5.7

57

Symbol Tables Showing Two Levels of Nesting

GLOBAL

15AUG97
Friday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

Early execution of
NAME3, before
CONDITN executes

report

NEW

NAME3

While NAME3 and

CONDITN execute

GLOBAL

OLD

warehse

15AUG97
Friday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

NAME3

CONDITN

GLOBAL

report

OLD

sales

COND = cases>0

15AUG97
Friday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

Late execution of
NAME3, after
CONDITN executes

NEW

NAME3

NEW

report

OLD

sales

Notice that the placement of a macro invocation is what creates a nested scope, not the
placement of the macro definition. For example, invoking CONDITN from within

58

Chapter 5

Scopes of Macro Variables

NAME3 creates the nested scope. It is not necessary to define CONDITN within
NAME3.

Forcing a Macro Variable to Be Local

At times that you need to ensure that the macro processor creates a local macro variable
rather than changing the value of an existing macro variable. In this case, use the
%LOCAL statement to create the macro variable.
Always make all macro variables created within macros local when you do not need
their values after the macro stops executing. Debugging the large macro programs is
easier if you minimize the possibility of inadvertently changing a macro variable's value.
Also, local macro variables do not exist after their defining macro finishes executing,
while global variables exist for the duration of the SAS session. Therefore, local
variables use less overall storage.
Suppose you want to use the macro NAMELST to create a list of names for a VAR
statement, as shown here:
%macro namelst(name,number);
%do n=1 %to &number;
&name&n
%end;
%mend namelst;

You invoke NAMELST in this program:

%let n=North State Industries;
proc print;
var %namelst(dept,5);
title "Quarterly Report for &n";
run;

After macro execution, the SAS compiler sees the following statements:
proc print;
var dept1 dept2 dept3 dept4 dept5;
title "Quarterly Report for 6";
run;

The macro processor changes the value of the global variable N each time it executes the
iterative %DO loop. (After the loop stops executing, the value of N is 6, as described in
%DO Statement on page 288.) To prevent conflicts, use a %LOCAL statement to
create a local variable N, as shown here:
%macro namels2(name,number);
%local n;
%do n=1 %to &number;
&name&n
%end;
%mend namels2;

Now execute the same program:

%let n=North State Industries;
proc print;
var %namels2(dept,5);
title "Quarterly Report for &n";
run;

Examples of Macro Variable Scopes

59

The macro processor generates the following statements:

proc print;
var dept1 dept2 dept3 dept4 dept5;
title "Quarterly Report for North State Industries";
run;

The following figure shows the symbol tables before NAMELS2 executes, while
NAMELS2 is executing, and when the macro processor encounters the reference &N in
the TITLE statement.

60

Chapter 5

Figure 5.8

Scopes of Macro Variables

Symbol Tables for Global and Local Variables with the Same Name

Before NAMELS2 executes

GLOBAL

15AUG97
Friday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

GLOBAL
N

NAMELS2

After NAMELS2 executes

15AUG97
Friday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

While NAMELS2 executes

(at end of last iteration
of %DO loop)

North State Industries

GLOBAL

North State Industries

NAME
NUMBER
N

dept
5
6

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

15AUG97
Friday

North State Industries

Examples of Macro Variable Scopes

61

Creating Global Macro Variables

The %GLOBAL statement creates a global macro variable if a variable with the same
name does not already exist there, regardless of what scope is current.
For example, in the following program, the macro CONDITN contains a %GLOBAL
statement that creates the macro variable COND as a global variable:
%macro conditn;
%global cond;
%let old=sales;
%let cond=cases>0;
%mend conditn;

Here is the rest of the program:

%let new=inventry;
%macro name4;
%let new=report;
%let old=warehse;
%conditn
data &new;
set &old;
if &cond;
run;
%mend name4;
%name4

Invoking NAME4 generates these statements:

data report;
set sales;
if cases>0;
run;

Suppose you want to put the SAS DATA step statements outside NAME4. In this case,
all the macro variables must be global for the macro processor to resolve the references.
You cannot add OLD to the %GLOBAL statement in CONDITN because the %LET
statement in NAME4 has already created OLD as a local variable to NAME4 by the time
CONDITN begins to execute. (You cannot use the %GLOBAL statement to make an
existing local variable global.)
Thus, to make OLD global, use the %GLOBAL statement before the variable reference
appears anywhere else, as shown here in the macro NAME5:
%let new=inventry;
%macro conditn;
%global cond;
%let old=sales;
%let cond=cases>0;
%mend conditn;
%macro name5;
%global old;
%let new=report;
%let old=warehse;

62

Chapter 5

Scopes of Macro Variables

%conditn
%mend name5;
%name5
data &new;
set &old;
if &cond;
run;

Now the %LET statement in NAME5 changes the value of the existing global variable
OLD rather than creating OLD as a local variable. The SAS compiler sees the following
statements:
data report;
set sales;
if cases>0;
run;

Creating Global Variables Based on the Value of Local Variables

To use a local variable such as a parameter outside a macro, use a %LET statement to
assign the value to a global variable with a different name, as in this program:
%macro namels3(name,number);
%local n;
%global g_number;
%let g_number=&number;
%do n=1 %to &number;
&name&n
%end;
%mend namels3;

Now invoke the macro NAMELS3 in the following the program:

%let n=North State Industries;
proc print;
var %namels3(dept,5);
title "Quarterly Report for &n";
footnote "Survey of &g_number Departments";
run;

The compiler sees the following statements:

proc print;
var dept1 dept2 dept3 dept4 dept5;
title "Quarterly Report for North State Industries";
footnote "Survey of 5 Departments";
run;

Special Cases of Scope with the CALL SYMPUT Routine

63

Special Cases of Scope with the CALL SYMPUT

Routine
Overview of CALL SYMPUT Routine
Most problems with CALL SYMPUT involve the lack of a precise step boundary
between the CALL SYMPUT statement that creates the macro variable and the macro
variable reference that uses that variable. (For more information, see CALL SYMPUT
Routine on page 224.) However, a few special cases exist that involve the scope of a
macro variable created by CALL SYMPUT. These cases are good examples of why you
should always assign a scope to a variable before assigning a value rather than relying on
SAS to do it for you.
Two rules control where CALL SYMPUT creates its variables:
1. CALL SYMPUT creates the macro variable in the current symbol table available
while the DATA step is executing, provided that symbol table is not empty. If it is
empty (contains no local macro variables), usually CALL SYMPUT creates the
variable in the closest nonempty symbol table.
2. However, there are three cases where CALL SYMPUT creates the variable in the
local symbol table, even if that symbol table is empty:

Beginning with SAS Version 8, if CALL SYMPUT is used after a PROC SQL,
the variable will be created in a local symbol table.

If the macro variable SYSPBUFF is created at macro invocation time, the

variable will be created in the local symbol table.

If the executing macro contains a computed %GOTO statement, the variable will
be created in the local symbol table. A computed %GOTO statement is one that
uses a label that contains an & or a % in it. That is, a computed %GOTO
statement contains a macro variable reference or a macro call that produces a text
expression. Here is an example of a computed %GOTO statement:
%goto &home;

The symbol table that is currently available to a DATA step is the one that exists when
SAS determines that the step is complete. (SAS considers a DATA step to be complete
when it encounters a RUN statement, a semicolon after data lines, or the beginning of
another step.)
In simplest terms, if an executing macro contains a computed %GOTO statement, or if
the macro variable SYSPBUFF is created at macro invocation time, but the local symbol
table is empty, CALL SYMPUT behaves as if the local symbol table was not empty, and
creates a local macro variable.
You might find it helpful to use the %PUT statement with the _USER_ option to
determine what symbol table the CALL SYMPUT routine has created the variable in.

Example Using CALL SYMPUT with Complete DATA Step and a

Nonempty Local Symbol Table
Consider the following example, which contains a complete DATA step with a CALL
SYMPUT statement inside a macro:

64

Chapter 5

Scopes of Macro Variables

%macro env1(param1);
data _null_;
x = 'a token';
call symput('myvar1',x);
run;
%mend env1;
%env1(10)
data temp;
y = "&myvar1";
run;

When you submit these statements, you receive an error message:

WARNING:

Apparent symbolic reference MYVAR1 not resolved.

This message appears because the DATA step is complete within the environment of
ENV1 (that is, the RUN statement is within the macro) and because the local symbol
table of ENV1 is not empty (it contains parameter PARAM1). Therefore, the CALL
SYMPUT routine creates MYVAR1 as a local variable for ENV1, and the value is not
available to the subsequent DATA step, which expects a global macro variable.
To see the scopes, add a %PUT statement with the _USER_ option to the macro, and a
similar statement in open code. Now invoke the macro as before:
%macro env1(param1);
data _null_;
x = 'a token';
call symput('myvar1',x);
run;
%put ** Inside the macro: **;
%put _user_;
%mend env1;
%env1(10)
%put ** In open code: **;
%put _user_;
data temp;
y = "&myvar1";
run;

/* ERROR - MYVAR1 is not available in open code. */

When the %PUT _USER_ statements execute, they write the following information to
the SAS log:
** Inside the macro: **
ENV1
MYVAR1
a token
ENV1
PARAM1
10
** In open code: **

The MYVAR1 macro variable is created by CALL SYMPUT in the local ENV1 symbol
table. The %PUT _USER_ statement in open code writes nothing to the SAS log,
because no global macro variables are created.
The following figure shows all of the symbol tables in this example.

Special Cases of Scope with the CALL SYMPUT Routine

Figure 5.9

The Symbol Tables with the CALL SYMPUT Routine Generating a Complete DATA Step

Before ENV1 executes

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

GLOBAL

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

15AUG97
Friday

GLOBAL

While ENV1 executes

15AUG97
Friday

ENV1

After ENV1 executes

GLOBAL

PARAM1
MYVAR1

10
a token

15AUG97
Friday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

65

66

Chapter 5

Scopes of Macro Variables

Example Using CALL SYMPUT with an Incomplete DATA Step

In the macro ENV2, shown here, the DATA step is not complete within the macro
because there is no RUN statement:
%macro env2(param2);
data _null_;
x = 'a token';
call symput('myvar2',x);
%mend env2;
%env2(20)
run;
data temp;
y="&myvar2";
run;

These statements execute without errors. The DATA step is complete only when SAS
encounters the RUN statement (in this case, in open code). Thus, the current scope of the
DATA step is the global scope. CALL SYMPUT creates MYVAR2 as a global macro
variable, and the value is available to the subsequent DATA step.
Again, use the %PUT statement with the _USER_ option to illustrate the scopes:
%macro env2(param2);
data _null_;
x = 'a token';
call symput('myvar2',x);
%put ** Inside the macro: **;
%put _user_;
%mend env2;
%env2(20)
run;
%put ** In open code: **;
%put _user_;
data temp;
y="&myvar2";
run;

When the %PUT _USER_ statement within ENV2 executes, it writes the following to
the SAS log:
** Inside the macro: **
ENV2
PARAM2
20

The %PUT _USER_ statement in open code writes the following to the SAS log:
** In open code: **
GLOBAL
MYVAR2
a token

The following figure shows all the scopes in this example.

Special Cases of Scope with the CALL SYMPUT Routine

Figure 5.10

The Symbol Tables with the CALL SYMPUT Routine Generating an Incomplete DATA Step

Before ENV2 executes

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

GLOBAL

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

15AUG97
Friday

GLOBAL

While ENV2 executes

15AUG97
Friday

ENV2

After ENV2 executes

GLOBAL

PARAM2

20

15AUG97
Friday

SYSDATE
SYSDAY

MYVAR2

a token

67

68

Chapter 5

Scopes of Macro Variables

Example Using CALL SYMPUT with a Complete DATA Step and an

Empty Local Symbol Table
In the following example, ENV3 does not use macro parameters. Therefore, its local
symbol table is empty:
%macro env3;
data _null_;
x = 'a token';
call symput('myvar3',x);
run;
%put ** Inside the macro: **;
%put _user_;
%mend env3;
%env3
%put ** In open code: **;
%put _user_;
data temp;
y="&myvar3";
run;

In this case, the DATA step is complete and executes within the macro, but the local
symbol table is empty. So, CALL SYMPUT creates MYVAR3 in the closest available
nonempty symbol tablethe global symbol table. Both %PUT statements show that
MYVAR3 exists in the global symbol table:
** Inside the macro: **
GLOBAL
MYVAR3
a token
** In open code: **
GLOBAL
MYVAR3
a token

Example Using CALL SYMPUT with SYSPBUFF and an Empty Local

Symbol Table
In the following example, the presence of the SYSPBUFF automatic macro variable
causes CALL SYMPUT to behave as if the local symbol table were not empty, even
though the macro ENV4 has no parameters or local macro variables:
%macro env4 /parmbuff;
data _null_;
x = 'a token';
call symput('myvar4',x);
run;
%put ** Inside the macro: **;
%put _user_;
%put &syspbuff;
%mend env4;
%env4

Special Cases of Scope with the CALL SYMPUT Routine

69

%put ** In open code: **;

%put _user_;
%put &syspbuff;
data temp;
y="&myvar4";
run;

/* ERROR - MYVAR4 is not available in open code */

The presence of the /PARMBUFF specification causes the SYSPBUFF automatic macro
variable to be created. So, when you call macro ENV4, CALL SYMPUT creates the
macro variable MYVAR4 in the local symbol table (that is, in ENV4's), even though the
macro ENV4 has no parameters and no local variables.
The results of the %PUT statements prove thisthe score of MYVAR4 is listed as
ENV4, and the reference to SYSPBUFF does not resolve in the open code %PUT
statement because SYSPBUFF is local to ENV4:
** Inside the macro: **
b ENV4
MYVAR4
a token
** In open code: **
WARNING: Apparent symbolic reference SYSPBUFF not resolved.

For more information, see SYSPBUFF Automatic Macro Variable on page 210.

70

Chapter 5

Scopes of Macro Variables

71

Chapter 6

Macro Expressions

Macro Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Defining Arithmetic and Logical Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Evaluating Arithmetic and Logical Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Operands and Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
How the Macro Processor Evaluates Arithmetic Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Evaluating Numeric Operands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Evaluating Floating-Point Operands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
How the Macro Processor Evaluates Logical Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Comparing Numeric Operands in Logical Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Comparing Floating-Point or Missing Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Comparing Character Operands in Logical Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Macro Expressions
There are three types of macro expressions: text, logical, and arithmetic. A text
expression is any combination of text, macro variables, macro functions, or macro calls.
Text expressions are resolved to generate text. Here are some examples of text
expressions:

&BEGIN

%GETLINE

&PREFIX.PART&SUFFIX

%UPCASE(&ANSWER)

Logical expressions and arithmetic expressions are sequences of operators and operands
forming sets of instructions that are evaluated to produce a result. An arithmetic
expression contains an arithmetic operator. A logical expression contains a logical
operator. The following table shows examples of simple arithmetic and logical
expressions:
Table 6.1

Arithmetic and Logical Expressions

Arithmetic Expressions

Logical Expressions

1+2

&DAY = FRIDAY

72

Chapter 6

Macro Expressions
Arithmetic Expressions

Logical Expressions

4*3

A<a

4/2

1 < &INDEX

00FFx - 003Ax

&START NE &END

Defining Arithmetic and Logical Expressions

Evaluating Arithmetic and Logical Expressions
You can use arithmetic and logical expressions in specific macro functions and
statements. (See the following table.) The arithmetic and logical expressions in these
functions and statements enable you to control the text generated by a macro when it is
executed.
Table 6.2

Macro Language Elements that Evaluate Arithmetic and Logical Expressions

%DOmacro-variable=expression %TO expression<%BY expression>;

%DO %UNTIL(expression);
%DO %WHILE(expression);
%EVAL (expression);
%IF expression %THEN statement;
%QSCAN(argument,expression<,delimiters>)
%QSUBSTR(argument,expression<,expression>)
%SCAN(argument,expression,<delimiters>)
%SUBSTR(argument,expression<,expression>)
%SYSEVALF(expression,conversion-type)

You can use text expressions to generate partial or complete arithmetic or logical
expressions. The macro processor resolves text expressions before it evaluates the
arithmetic or logical expressions. For example, when you submit the following
statements, the macro processor resolves the macro variables &A, &B, and
&OPERATOR in the %EVAL function, before it evaluates the expression 2 + 5:
%let A=2;
%let B=5;
%let operator=+;

Defining Arithmetic and Logical Expressions

73

%put The result of &A &operator &B is %eval(&A &operator

&B).;

When you submit these statements, the %PUT statement writes the following to the log:
The result of 2 + 5 is 7.

Operands and Operators

Operands in arithmetic or logical expressions are always text. However, an operand that
represents a number can be temporarily converted to a numeric value when an
expression is evaluated. By default, the macro processor uses integer arithmetic, and
only integers and hexadecimal values that represent integers can be converted to a
numeric value. Operands that contain a period character (for example 1.0) are not
converted. The exception is the %SYSEVALF function. It interprets a period character
in its argument as a decimal point and converts the operand to a floating-point value on
your operating system.
Note: The values of numeric expressions are restricted to the range of 2**64 to 2**64
1.
Operators in macro expressions are a subset of the operators in the DATA step (Table
6.3 on page 73). However, in the macro language, there is no MAX or MIN operator,
and it does not recognize ':', as does the DATA step. The order in which operations are
performed when an expression is evaluated is the same in the macro language as in the
DATA step. Operations within parentheses are performed first.
Note: Expressions in which comparison operators surround a macro expression, as in
10<&X<20, might be the equivalent of a DATA step compound expression
(depending on the expression resolution). To be safe, specify the connecting
operator, as in the expression 10<&X AND &X<20.
Table 6.3 Macro Language Operators
Operator

Precedence

Definition

Example

**

exponentiation

2**4

positive prefix

+(A+B)

negative
prefix

-(A+B)

logical not*

NOT A

multiplication

A*B

division

A/B

addition

A+B

subtraction

A-B

less than

A<B

^~

<

Mnemonic

NOT

LT

74

Chapter 6

Macro Expressions
Operator

Mnemonic

Precedence

Definition

Example

<=

LE

less than or
equal

A<=B

EQ

equal

A=B

IN

equal to one
of a list**

A#B C D E

= ^= ~=

NE

not equal*

A NE B

>

GT

greater than

A>B

>=

GE

greater than or
equal

A>=B

&

AND

logical and

A=B & C=D

OR

logical or

A=B | C=D

*The symbol to use depends on your keyboard.

** The default delimiter for list elements is a blank. See MINDELIMITER= System Option
on page 343 for more information.
** Before using the IN (#) operator, see MINOPERATOR System Option on page 345.
** When you use the IN operator, both operands must contain a value. If the operand contains a
null value, an error is generated.

CAUTION:
Integer expressions that contain exponential, multiplication, or division
operators and that use or compute values outside the range
-9,007,199,254,740,992 to 9,007,199,254,740,992 might get inexact results.

How the Macro Processor Evaluates Arithmetic

Expressions
Evaluating Numeric Operands
The macro facility is a string handling facility. However, in specific situations, the
macro processor can evaluate operands that represent numbers as numeric values. When
the macro processor evaluates an expression that contains an arithmetic operator and
operands that represent numbers, it temporarily converts the operands to numeric values
and performs the integer arithmetic operation. The result of the evaluation is text.
By default, arithmetic evaluation in most macro statements and functions is performed
with integer arithmetic. The exception is the %SYSEVALF function. See Evaluating
Floating-Point Operands on page 75 for more information. The following macro
statements illustrate integer arithmetic evaluation:
%let a=%eval(1+2);
%let b=%eval(10*3);

How the Macro Processor Evaluates Arithmetic Expressions

%let
%let
%put
%put
%put
%put

c=%eval(4/2);
i=%eval(5/3);
The value of a
The value of b
The value of c
The value of I

is
is
is
is

75

&a;
&b;
&c;
&i;

When you submit these statements, the following messages appear in the log:
The
The
The
The

value
value
value
value

of
of
of
of

a
b
c
I

is
is
is
is

3
30
2
1

Notice the result of the last statement. If you perform division on integers that would
ordinarily result in a fraction, integer arithmetic discards the fractional part.
When the macro processor evaluates an integer arithmetic expression that contains a
character operand, it generates an error. Only operands that contain characters that
represent integers or hexadecimal values are converted to numeric values. The following
statement shows an incorrect usage:
%let d=%eval(10.0+20.0);

/*INCORRECT*/

Because the %EVAL function supports only integer arithmetic, the macro processor
does not convert a value containing a period character to a number, and the operands are
evaluated as character operands. This statement produces the following error message:
ERROR: A character operand was found in the %EVAL function or %IF
condition where a numeric operand is required. The condition was:
10.0+20.0

Evaluating Floating-Point Operands

The %SYSEVALF function evaluates arithmetic expressions with operands that
represent floating-point values. For example, the following expressions in the
%SYSEVALF function are evaluated using floating-point arithmetic:
%let
%let
%let
%put
%put
%put

a=%sysevalf(10.0*3.0);
b=%sysevalf(10.5+20.8);
c=%sysevalf(5/3);
10.0*3.0 = &a;
10.5+20.8 = &b;
5/3 = &c;

The %PUT statements display the following messages in the log:

10.0*3.0 = 30
10.5+20.8 = 31.3
5/3 = 1.6666666667

When the %SYSEVALF function evaluates arithmetic expressions, it temporarily

converts the operands that represent numbers to floating-point values. The result of the
evaluation can represent a floating-point value, but as in integer arithmetic expressions,
the result is always text.
The %SYSEVALF function provides conversion type specifications: BOOLEAN,
INTEGER, CEIL, and FLOOR. For example, the following %PUT statements return 1,
2, 3, and 2 respectively:
%let a=2.5;
%put %sysevalf(&a,boolean);

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Chapter 6

Macro Expressions
%put %sysevalf(&a,integer);
%put %sysevalf(&a,ceil);
%put %sysevalf(&a,floor);

These conversion types tailor the value returned by %SYSEVALF so that it can be used
in other macro expressions that require integer or Boolean values.
CAUTION:
Specify a conversion type for the %SYSEVALF function. If you use the

%SYSEVALF function in macro expressions or assign its results to macro variables

that are used in other macro expressions, then errors or unexpected results might
occur if the %SYSEVALF function returns missing or floating-point values. To
prevent errors, specify a conversion type that returns a value compatible with other
macro expressions. See %SYSEVALF Function on page 263 for more
information about using conversion types.

How the Macro Processor Evaluates Logical

Expressions
Comparing Numeric Operands in Logical Expressions
A logical, or Boolean, expression returns a value that is evaluated as true or false. In the
macro language, any numeric value other than 0 is true and a value of 0 is false.
When the macro processor evaluates logical expressions that contain operands that
represent numbers, it converts the characters temporarily to numeric values. To illustrate
how the macro processor evaluates logical expressions with numeric operands, consider
the following macro definition:
%macro compnum(first,second);
%if &first>&second %then %put &first is greater than &second;
%else %if &first=&second %then %put &first equals &second;
%else %put &first is less than &second;
%mend compnum;

Invoke the COMPNUM macro with these values:

%compnum(1,2)
%compnum(-1,0)

The following results are displayed in the log:

1 is less than 2
-1 is less than 0

The results show that the operands in the logical expressions were evaluated as numeric
values.

Comparing Floating-Point or Missing Values

You must use the %SYSEVALF function to evaluate logical expressions containing
floating-point or missing values. To illustrate comparisons with floating-point and
missing values, consider the following macro that compares parameters passed to it with
the %SYSEVALF function and places the result in the log:

How the Macro Processor Evaluates Logical Expressions

77

%macro compflt(first,second);
%if %sysevalf(&first>&second) %then %put &first is greater than
&second;
%else %if %sysevalf(&first=&second) %then %put &first equals
&second;
%else %put &first is less than &second;
%mend compflt;

Invoke the COMPFLT macro with these values:

%compflt (1.2,.9)
%compflt (-.1,.)
%compflt (0,.)

The following values are written in the log:

1.2 is greater than .9
-.1 is greater than .
0 is greater than .

The results show that the %SYSEVALF function evaluated the floating-point and
missing values.

Comparing Character Operands in Logical Expressions

To illustrate how the macro processor evaluates logical expressions, consider the
COMPCHAR macro. Invoking the COMPCHAR macro compares the values passed as
parameters and places the result in the log.
%macro compchar(first,second);
%if &first>&second %then %put &first comes after &second;
%else %put &first comes before &second;
%mend compchar;

Invoke the macro COMPCHAR with these values:

%compchar(a,b)
%compchar(.,1)
%compchar(Z,E)

The following results are printed in the log:

a comes before b
. comes before 1
Z comes after E

When the macro processor evaluates expressions with character operands, it uses the sort
sequence of the host operating system for the comparison. The comparisons in these
examples work with both EBCDIC and ASCII sort sequences.
A special case of a character operand is an operand that looks numeric but contains a
period character. If you use an operand with a period character in an expression, both
operands are compared as character values. This can lead to unexpected results. So that
you can understand and better anticipate results, look at the following examples.
Invoke the COMPNUM macro with these values:
%compnum(10,2.0)

The following values are written to the log:

10 is less than 2.0

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Because the %IF-THEN statement in the COMPNUM macro uses integer evaluation, it
does not convert the operands with decimal points to numeric values. The operands are
compared as character strings using the host sort sequence, which is the comparison of
characters with smallest-to-largest values. For example, lowercase letters might have
smaller values than uppercase, and uppercase letters might have smaller values than
digits.
CAUTION:
The host sort sequence determines comparison results. If you use a macro

definition on more than one operating system, comparison results might differ
because the sort sequence of one host operating system might differ from the other
system. See the Chapter 48, SORT Procedure in Base SAS Procedures Guide for
more information about host sort sequences.

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Macro Quoting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Masking Special Characters and Mnemonics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Understanding Why Macro Quoting Is Necessary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Overview of Macro Quoting Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Passing Parameters That Contain Special Characters and Mnemonics . . . . . . . . . . 82
Deciding When to Use a Macro Quoting Function and Which Function to Use . . 83
%STR and %NRSTR Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Using %STR and %NRSTR Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Using Unmatched Quotation Marks and Parentheses with %STR and %NRSTR . . 86
Using % Signs with %STR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Examples Using %STR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Examples Using %NRSTR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Using %BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Examples Using %BQUOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Referring to Already Quoted Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Deciding How Much Text to Mask with a Macro Quoting Function . . . . . . . . . . . 91
%SUPERQ Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Using %SUPERQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Examples Using %SUPERQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Using the %SUPERQ Function to Prevent Warning Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Using the %SUPERQ Function to Enter Macro Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Summary of Macro Quoting Functions and the Characters that They Mask . . . . 94
Unquoting Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Restoring the Significance of Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Example of Unquoting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
What to Do When Automatic Unquoting Does Not Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
How Macro Quoting Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Other Functions That Perform Macro Quoting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Functions That Start with the Letter Q . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Example Using the %QSCAN Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

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Macro Quoting
Masking Special Characters and Mnemonics
The macro language is a character-based language. Even variables that appear to be
numeric are generally treated as character variables (except during expression
evaluation). Therefore, the macro processor enables you to generate all sorts of special
characters as text. But because the macro language includes some of the same special
characters, an ambiguity often arises. The macro processor must know whether to
interpret a particular special character (for example, a semicolon or % sign) or a
mnemonic (for example, GE or AND) as text or as a symbol in the macro language.
Macro quoting functions resolve these ambiguities by masking the significance of
special characters so that the macro processor does not misinterpret them.
The following special characters and mnemonics might require masking when they
appear in text strings:
Table 7.1

Special Characters and Mnemonics

blank

LT

GE

AND

GT

OR

IN

NOT

, (comma)

EQ

&

'

<

NE

>

LE

Understanding Why Macro Quoting Is Necessary

Macro quoting functions tell the macro processor to interpret special characters and
mnemonics as text rather than as part of the macro language. If you did not use a macro
quoting function to mask the special characters, the macro processor or the rest of SAS
might give the character a meaning that you did not intend. Here are some examples of
the types of ambiguities that can arise when text strings contain special characters and
mnemonics:

Is %sign a call to the macro SIGN or a phrase percent sign?

Is OR the mnemonic Boolean operator or the abbreviation for Oregon?

Is the quotation mark in O'Malley an unbalanced single quotation mark or just part of
the name?

Macro Quoting

Is Boys&Girls a reference to the macro variable &GIRLS or a group of children?

Is GE the mnemonic for greater than or equal or is it short for General Electric?

Which statement does a semicolon end?

Does a comma separate parameters, or is it part of the value of one of the

parameters?

81

Macro quoting functions enable you to clearly indicate to the macro processor how it is
to interpret special characters and mnemonics.
Here is an example, using the simplest macro quoting function, %STR. Suppose you
want to assign a PROC PRINT statement and a RUN statement to the macro variable
PRINT. Here is the erroneous statement:
%let print=proc print; run;;

/* undesirable results */

This code is ambiguous. Are the semicolons that follow PRINT and RUN part of the
value of the macro variable PRINT, or does one of them end the %LET statement? If
you do not tell the macro processor what to do, it interprets the semicolon after PRINT
as the end of the %LET statement. So the value of the PRINT macro variable would be
the following:
proc print

The rest of the characters (RUN;;) would be simply the next part of the program.
To avoid the ambiguity and correctly assign the value of PRINT, you must mask the
semicolons with the macro quoting function %STR, as follows:
%let print=%str(proc print; run;);

Overview of Macro Quoting Functions

The following macro quoting functions are most commonly used:

%STR and %NRSTR

%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE

%SUPERQ

For the paired macro quoting functions, the function beginning with NR affects the same
category of special characters that are masked by the plain macro quoting function as
well as ampersands and percent signs. In effect, the NR functions prevent macro and
macro variable resolution. To help you remember which does which, try associating the
NR in the macro quoting function names with the words not resolved that is,
macros and macro variables are not resolved when you use these functions.
The macro quoting functions with B in their names are useful for macro quoting
unmatched quotation marks and parentheses. To help you remember the B, try
associating B with by itself.
The %SUPERQ macro quoting function is unlike the other macro quoting functions in
that it does not have a mate and works differently. See %SUPERQ Function on page
259 for more information.
The macro quoting functions can also be divided into two types, depending on when
they take effect:
compilation functions
cause the macro processor to interpret special characters as text in a macro program
statement in open code or while compiling (constructing) a macro. The %STR and

82

Chapter 7

Macro Quoting

%NRSTR functions are compilation functions. For more information, see %STR
and %NRSTR Functions on page 254.
execution functions
cause the macro processor to treat special characters that result from resolving a
macro expression as text (such as a macro variable reference, a macro invocation, or
the argument of an %EVAL function). They are called execution functions because
resolution occurs during macro execution or during execution of a macro program
statement in open code. The macro processor resolves the expression as far as
possible, issues any warning messages for macro variable references or macro
invocations that it cannot resolve, and quotes the result. The %BQUOTE and
%NRBQUOTE functions are execution functions. For more information, see
%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE Functions on page 242.
The %SUPERQ function takes as its argument a macro variable name (or a macro
expression that yields a macro variable name). The argument must not be a reference to
the macro variable whose value you are masking. That is, do not include the & before
the name.
Note: Two other execution macro quoting functions exist: %QUOTE and
%NRQUOTE. They are useful for unique macro quoting needs and for compatibility
with older macro applications. For more information, see %QUOTE and
%NRQUOTE Functions on page 248.

Passing Parameters That Contain Special Characters and

Mnemonics
Using an execution macro quoting function in the macro definition is the simplest and
best way to have the macro processor accept resolved values that might contain special
characters. However, if you discover that you need to pass parameter values such as or
when a macro has not been defined with an execution macro quoting function, you can
do so by masking the value in the macro invocation. The logic of the process is as
follows:
1. When you mask a special character with a macro quoting function, it remains
masked as long as it is within the macro facility (unless you use the %UNQUOTE
Function on page 274).
2. The macro processor constructs the complete macro invocation before beginning to
execute the macro.
3. Therefore, you can mask the value in the invocation with the %STR function.
Although the masking is not needed when the macro processor is constructing the
invocation, the value is already masked by a macro quoting function when macro
execution begins and therefore does not cause problems during macro execution.
For example, suppose a macro named ORDERX does not use the %BQUOTE function.
You can pass the value or to the ORDERX macro with the following invocation:
%orderx(%str(or))

However, placing the macro quoting function in the macro definition makes the macro
much easier for you to invoke.

Deciding When to Use a Macro Quoting Function and Which Function to Use

83

Deciding When to Use a Macro Quoting Function

and Which Function to Use
Use a macro quoting function any time you want to assign to a macro variable a special
character that could be interpreted as part of the macro language. The following table
describes the special characters to mask when used as part of a text string and which
macro quoting functions are useful in each situation.
Table 7.2

Special Characters and Macro Quoting Guidelines

Quoted by All
Macro Quoting
Functions?

Special
Character

Must Be Masked

+-*/<>=^| ~ #
LE LT EQ NE
GE GT AND OR
NOT IN

To prevent it from being

treated as an operator in the
argument of an %EVAL
function

Yes

blank

To maintain, rather than

ignore, a leading, trailing, or
isolated blank

Yes

To prevent a macro program

statement from ending
prematurely

Yes

, (comma)

To prevent it from indicating a

new function argument,
parameter, or parameter value

Yes

Remarks

AND, OR, IN, and

NOT need to be
masked because they
are interpreted as
mnemonic operators
by an %EVAL and
by %SYSEVALF.

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Chapter 7

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Special
Character

Must Be Masked

Quoted by All
Macro Quoting
Functions?

'"()

If it might be unmatched

No

Arguments that
might contain
quotation marks and
parentheses should
be masked with a
macro quoting
function so that the
macro facility
interprets the single
and double quotation
marks and
parentheses as text
rather than macro
language symbols or
possibly unmatched
quotation marks or
parentheses for the
SAS language. With
%STR, %NRSTR,
%QUOTE, and
%NRQUOTE,
unmatched quotation
marks and
parentheses must be
marked with a %
sign. You do not
have to mark
unmatched symbols
in the arguments of
%BQUOTE,
%NRBQUOTE, and
%SUPERQ.

%name &name

(Depends on what the

expression might resolve to)

No

%NRSTR,
%NRBQUOTE, and
%NRQUOTE mask
these patterns. To
use %SUPERQ with
a macro variable,
omit the ampersand
from name.

Remarks

The macro facility allows you as much flexibility as possible in designing your macros.
You need to mask a special character with a macro quoting function only when the
macro processor would otherwise interpret the special character as part of the macro
language rather than as text. For example, in this statement you must use a macro
quoting function to mask the first two semicolons to make them part of the text:
%let p=%str(proc print; run;);

However, in the macro PR, shown here, you do not need to use a macro quoting function
to mask the semicolons after PRINT and RUN:
%macro pr(start);
%if &start=yes %then
%do;

%STR and %NRSTR Functions

85

%put proc print requested;

proc print;
run;
%end;
%mend pr;

Because the macro processor does not expect a semicolon within the %DO group, the
semicolons after PRINT and RUN are not ambiguous, and they are interpreted as text.
Although it is not possible to give a series of rules that cover every situation, the
following sections describe how to use each macro quoting function. Table 7.6 on page
94 provides a summary of the various characters that might need masking and of which
macro quoting function is useful in each situation.
Note: You can also perform the inverse of a macro quoting function that is, remove
the tokenization provided by macro quoting functions. For an example of when the
%UNQUOTE function is useful, see Unquoting Text on page 95.

%STR and %NRSTR Functions

Using %STR and %NRSTR Functions
If a special character or mnemonic affects the way the macro processor constructs macro
program statements, you must mask the item during macro compilation (or during the
compilation of a macro program statement in open code) by using either the %STR or
%NRSTR macro quoting functions.
These macro quoting functions mask the following special characters and mnemonics:
Table 7.3 Special Characters Masked by the %STR and %NRSTR Functions

blank

NE

LE

LT

AND

GE

OR

GT

, (comma)

NOT

'

<

IN

>

EQ

In addition to these special characters and mnemonics, %NRSTR masks & and %.
Note: If an unmatched single or double quotation mark or an open or close parenthesis
is used with %STR or %NRSTR, these characters must be preceded by a percent
sign (%).

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Chapter 7

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When you use %STR or %NRSTR, the macro processor does not receive these functions
and their arguments when it executes a macro. It receives only the results of these
functions because these functions work when a macro compiles. By the time the macro
executes, the string is already masked by a macro quoting function. Therefore, %STR
and %NRSTR are useful for masking strings that are constants, such as sections of SAS
code. In particular, %NRSTR is a good choice for masking strings that contain % and &
signs. However, these functions are not so useful for masking strings that contain
references to macro variables because it is possible that the macro variable could resolve
to a value not quotable by %STR or %NRSTR. For example, the string could contain an
unmarked, unmatched open parenthesis.

Using Unmatched Quotation Marks and Parentheses with %STR and

%NRSTR
If the argument to %STR or %NRSTR contains an unmatched single or double quotation
mark or an unmatched open or close parenthesis, precede each of these characters with a
% sign. The following table shows some examples of this technique.
Table 7.4 Examples of Marking Unmatched Quotation Marks and Parentheses with %STR
and %NRSTR
Quoted Value
Stored

Notation

Description

Example

%'

unmatched single
quotation mark

%let myvar=
%str(a%');

a'

%"

unmatched double
quotation mark

%let myvar=
%str(title
%first);

title first

%(

unmatched open
parenthesis

%let myvar=
%str (log
%(12);

log(12

%)

unmatched close
parenthesis

%let myvar=
%str (345%));

345)

Using % Signs with %STR

In general, if you want to mask a % sign with a macro quoting function at compilation,
use %NRSTR. There is one case where you can use %STR to mask a % sign: when the
% sign does not have any text following it that could be construed by the macro
processor as a macro name. The % sign must be marked by another % sign. Here are
some examples.

%STR and %NRSTR Functions

Table 7.5

87

Examples of Masking % Signs with %STR

Quoted Value
Stored

Notation

Description

Example

'%'

% sign before a matched

single quotation mark

%let myvar=
%str('%');

'%'

%%%'

% sign before an unmatched

single quotation mark

%let myvar=
%str(%%%');

%'

""%%

% sign after a matched

double quotation mark

%let myvar=
%str(""%%);

""%

%%%%

two % signs in a row

%let myvar=
%str(%%%%);

%%

Examples Using %STR

The %STR function in the following %LET statement prevents the semicolon after
PROC PRINT from being interpreted as the ending semicolon for the %LET statement:
%let printit=%str(proc print; run;);

As a more complex example, the macro KEEPIT1 shows how the %STR function works
in a macro definition:
%macro keepit1(size);
%if &size=big %then %put %str(keep city _numeric_;);
%else %put %str(keep city;);
%mend keepit1;

Call the macro as follows:

%keepit1(big)

This code produces the following statement:

keep city _numeric_;

When you use the %STR function in the %IF-%THEN statement, the macro processor
interprets the first semicolon after the word %THEN as text. The second semicolon ends
the %THEN statement, and the %ELSE statement immediately follows the %THEN
statement. Thus, the macro processor compiles the statements as you intended. However,
if you omit the %STR function, the macro processor interprets the first semicolon after
the word %THEN as the end of the %THEN clause. The next semicolon as constant text.
Because only a %THEN clause can precede a %ELSE clause, the semicolon as constant
text causes the macro processor to issue an error message and not compile the macro.
In the %ELSE statement, the %STR function causes the macro processor to treat the first
semicolon in the statement as text and the second one as the end of the %ELSE clause.
Therefore, the semicolon that ends the KEEP statement is part of the conditional
execution. If you omit the %STR function, the first semicolon ends the %ELSE clause
and the second semicolon is outside the conditional execution. It is generated as text
each time the macro executes. (In this example, the placement of the semicolon does not
affect the SAS code.) Again, using %STR causes the macro KEEPIT1 to compile as you
intended.

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Chapter 7

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Here is an example that uses %STR to mask a string that contains an unmatched single
quotation mark. Note the use of the % sign before the quotation mark:
%let innocent=%str(I didn%'t do it!);

Examples Using %NRSTR

Suppose you want the name (not the value) of a macro variable to be printed by the
%PUT statement. To do so, you must use the %NRSTR function to mask the & and
prevent the resolution of the macro variable, as in the following example:
%macro example;
%local myvar;
%let myvar=abc;
%put %nrstr(The string &myvar appears in log output,);
%put instead of the variable value.;
%mend example;
%example

This code writes the following text to the SAS log:

The string &myvar appears in log output,
instead of the variable value.

If you did not use the %NRSTR function or if you used %STR, the following undesired
output would appear in the SAS log:
The string abc appears in log output,
instead of the variable value.

The %NRSTR function prevents the & from triggering macro variable resolution.
The %NRSTR function is also useful when the macro definition contains patterns that
the macro processor would ordinarily recognize as macro variable references, as in the
following program:
%macro credits(d=%nrstr(Mary&Stacy&Joan Ltd.));
footnote "Designed by &d";
%mend credits;

Using %NRSTR causes the macro processor to treat &STACY and &JOAN simply as
part of the text in the value of D; the macro processor does not issue warning messages
for unresolvable macro variable references. Suppose you invoke the macro CREDITS
with the default value of D, as follows:
%credits()

Submitting this program generates the following FOOTNOTE statement:

footnote "Designed by Mary&Stacy&Joan Ltd.";

If you omit the %NRSTR function, the macro processor attempts to resolve the
references &STACY and &JOAN as part of the resolution of &D in the FOOTNOTE
statement. The macro processor issues these warning messages (assuming the SERROR
system option, described in , on page 329 is active) because no such macro variables
exist:
WARNING: Apparent symbolic reference STACY not resolved.
WARNING: Apparent symbolic reference JOAN not resolved.

%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE Functions

89

Here is a final example of using %NRSTR. Suppose you wanted to have a text string
include the name of a macro function: This is the result of %NRSTR. Here is
the program:
%put This is the result of %nrstr(%nrstr);

You must use %NRSTR to mask the % sign at compilation, so the macro processor does
not try to invoke %NRSTR a second time. If you did not use %NRSTR to mask the
string %nrstr, the macro processor would complain about a missing open parenthesis
for the function.

%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE Functions

Using %BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE Functions
%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE mask values during execution of a macro or a macro
language statement in open code. These functions instruct the macro processor to resolve
a macro expression as far as possible and mask the result, issuing any warning messages
for macro variable references or macro invocations that it cannot resolve. These
functions mask all the characters that %STR and %NRSTR mask with the addition of
unmarked percent signs; unmatched, unmarked single and double quotation marks; and
unmatched, unmarked opening and closing parentheses. That means that you do not have
to precede an unmatched quotation mark with a % sign, as you must when using %STR
and %NRSTR.
The %BQUOTE function treats all parentheses and quotation marks produced by
resolving macro variable references or macro calls as special characters to be masked at
execution time. (It does not mask parentheses or quotation marks that are in the
argument at compile time.) Therefore, it does not matter whether quotation marks and
parentheses in the resolved value are matched; each one is masked individually.
The %NRBQUOTE function is useful when you want a value to be resolved when first
encountered, if possible, but you do not want any ampersands or percent signs in the
result to be interpreted as operators by an %EVAL function.
If the argument of the %NRBQUOTE function contains an unresolvable macro variable
reference or macro invocation, the macro processor issues a warning message before it
masks the ampersand or percent sign (assuming the SERROR or MERROR system
option, described in System Options for Macros on page 329 is in effect). To suppress
the message for unresolved macro variables, use the %SUPERQ function (discussed
later in this section) instead.
Because the %BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE functions operate during execution and are
more flexible than %STR and %NRSTR, %BQUOTE and %NRBQOUTE are good
choices for masking strings that contain macro variable references.

Examples Using %BQUOTE

In the following statement, the %IF-%THEN statement uses %BQUOTE to prevent an
error if the macro variable STATE resolves to OR (for Oregon), which the macro
processor would interpret as the logical operator OR otherwise:
%if %bquote(&state)=%str(OR) %then %put Oregon Dept. of
Revenue;

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Note: This example works if you use %STR, but it is not robust or good programming
practice. Because you cannot guarantee what &STATE is going to resolve to, you
need to use %BQUOTE to mask the resolution of the macro variable at execution
time, not the name of the variable itself at compile time.
In the following example, a DATA step creates a character value containing a single
quotation mark and assigns that value to a macro variable. The macro READIT then uses
the %BQUOTE function to enable a %IF condition to accept the unmatched single
quotation mark:
data test;
store="Susan's Office Supplies";
call symput('s',store);
run;
%macro readit;
%if %bquote(&s) ne %then %put *** valid ***;
%else %put *** null value ***;
%mend readit;
%readit

When you assign the value Susan's Office Suppliesto STORE in the DATA
step, enclosing the character string in double quotation marks enables you to use an
unmatched single quotation mark in the string. SAS stores the value of STORE:
Susan's Office Supplies

The CALL SYMPUT routine assigns that value (containing an unmatched single
quotation mark) as the value of the macro variable S. If you do not use the %BQUOTE
function when you reference S in the macro READIT, the macro processor issues an
error message for an invalid operand in the %IF condition.
When you submit the code, the following is written to the SAS log:
*** valid ***

Referring to Already Quoted Variables

Items that have been masked by a macro quoting function, such as the value of WHOSE
in the following program, remain masked as long as the item is being used by the macro
processor. When you use the value of WHOSE later in a macro program statement, you
do not need to mask the reference again.
/* Use %STR to mask the constant, and use a
/* the unmatched single quotation mark. */
%let whose=%str(John%'s);

% sign to mark */

/* You don't need to mask the macro reference, because it was */

/* masked in the %LET statement, and remains masked. */
%put *** This coat is &whose ***;

Here is the output from the %PUT statement that is written to the SAS log:
*** This coat is John's ***

%SUPERQ Function

91

Deciding How Much Text to Mask with a Macro

Quoting Function
In each of the following statements, the macro processor treats the masked semicolons as
text:
%let p=%str(proc print; run;);
%let p=proc %str(print;) %str(run;);
%let p=proc print%str(;) run%str(;);

The value of P is the same in each case:

proc print; run;

The results of the three %LET statements are the same because when you mask text with
a macro quoting function, the macro processor quotes only the items that the function
recognizes. Other text enclosed in the function remains unchanged. Therefore, the third
%LET statement is the minimalist approach to macro quoting. However, masking large
blocks of text with a macro quoting function is harmless and actually results in code that
is much easier to read (such as the first %LET statement).

%SUPERQ Function
Using %SUPERQ
The %SUPERQ function locates the macro variable named in its argument and quotes
the value of that macro variable without permitting any resolution to occur. It masks all
items that might require macro quoting at macro execution. Because %SUPERQ does
not attempt any resolution of its argument, the macro processor does not issue any
warning messages that a macro variable reference or a macro invocation has not been
resolved. Therefore, even when the %NRBQUOTE function enables the program to
work correctly, you can use the %SUPERQ function to eliminate unwanted warning
messages from the SAS log. %SUPERQ takes as its argument either a macro variable
name without an ampersand or a text expression that yields a macro variable name.
%SUPERQ retrieves the value of a macro variable from the macro symbol table and
quotes it immediately, preventing the macro processor from making any attempt to
resolve anything that might occur in the resolved value. For example, if the macro
variable CORPNAME resolves to Smith&Jones, using %SUPERQ prevents the macro
processor from attempting to further resolve &Jones. This %LET statement
successfully assigns the value Smith&Jones to TESTVAR:
%let testvar=%superq(corpname);

Examples Using %SUPERQ

This example shows how the %SUPERQ function affects two macro invocations, one
for a macro that has been defined and one for an undefined macro:
%window ask
#5 @5 'Enter two values:'
#5 @24 val 15 attr=underline;

92

Chapter 7

Macro Quoting

%macro a;
%put *** This is a. ***;
%mend a;
%macro test;
%display ask;
%put *** %superq(val) ***;
%mend test;

/* Note absence of ampersand */

Suppose you invoke the macro TEST and respond to the prompt as shown:
%test
Enter the following:

%a %x

The %PUT statement simply writes the following line:

*** %a %x ***

It does not invoke the macro A, and it does not issue a warning message that %X was
not resolved. The following two examples compare the %SUPERQ function with other
macro quoting functions.

Using the %SUPERQ Function to Prevent Warning Messages

The sections about the %NRBQUOTE function show that it causes the macro processor
to attempt to resolve the patterns &name and %name the first time it encounters them
during macro execution. If the macro processor cannot resolve them, it quotes the
ampersand or percent sign so that later uses of the value do not cause the macro
processor to recognize them. However, if the MERROR or SERROR option is in effect,
the macro processor issues a warning message that the reference or invocation was not
resolved.
The macro FIRMS3, shown here, shows how the %SUPERQ function can prevent
unwanted warning messages:
%window ask
#5 @5 'Enter the name of the company:'
#5 @37 val 50 attr=underline;
%macro firms3;
%global code;
%display ask;
%let name=%superq(val);
%if &name ne %then %let code=valid;
%else %let code=invalid;
%put *** &name is &code ***;
%mend firms3;
%firms3

Suppose you invoke the macro FIRMS3 twice and respond with the following
companies:
A&A Autos
Santos&D'Amato

After the macro executes, the following is written to the SAS log:
*** A&A Autos is valid ***
*** Santos&D'Amato is valid ***

%SUPERQ Function

93

Using the %SUPERQ Function to Enter Macro Keywords

Suppose you create an online training system in which users can enter problems and
questions that another macro prints for you later. The user's response to a %WINDOW
statement is assigned to a local macro variable and then to a global macro variable.
Because the user is asking questions about macros, he or she might enter all sorts of
macro variable references and macro calls as examples of problems, as well as
unmatched, unmarked quotation marks and parentheses. If you mask the response with
%BQUOTE, you have used a few %PUT statements to warn the user about responses
that cause problems. If you the %SUPERQ function, you need fewer instructions. The
macros ASK1 and ASK2 show how the macro code becomes simpler as you change
macro quoting functions.
The macro ASK1, below, shows how the macro looks when you use the %BQUOTE
function:
%window ask
#5 @5 'Describe the problem.'
#6 @5 'Do not use macro language keywords, macro calls,'
#7 @5 'or macro variable references.'
#9 @5 'Enter /// when you are finished.'
#11 @5 val 100 attr=underline;
%macro ask1;
%global myprob;
%local temp;
%do %until(%bquote(&val) eq %str(///));
%display ask;
%let temp=&temp %bquote(&val);
%end;
%let myprob=&temp
%mend ask1;

The macro ASK1 does not include a warning about unmatched quotation marks and
parentheses. You can invoke the macro ASK1 and enter a problem:
%ask1
Try entering:
Why did my macro not run when I called it? (It had three
parameters, but I wasn't using any of them.)
It ran after I submitted the next statement.
///

Notice that both the first and second lines of the response contain an unmatched,
unmarked quotation mark and parenthesis. %BQUOTE can handle these characters
during execution.
The macro ASK2, shown here, modifies the macro ASK1 by using the %SUPERQ
function. Now the %WINDOW statement accepts macro language keywords and does
not attempt to resolve macro calls and macro variable references:
%window ask
#5 @5 'Describe the problem.'
#7 @5 'Enter /// when you are finished.'
#9 @5 val 100 attr=underline;

94

Chapter 7

Macro Quoting
%macro ask2;
%global myprob;
%local temp;
%do %until(%superq(val) eq %str(///)); /* No ampersand */
%display ask;
%let temp=&temp %superq(val);
%end;
%let myprob=&temp
%mend ask2;

/* No ampersand */

You can invoke the macro ASK2 and enter a response:

%ask2
Try entering:
My macro ADDRESS starts with %MACRO ADDRESS(COMPANY,
CITY);. I called it with %ADDRESS(SMITH-JONES, INC., BOSTON),
but it said I had too many parameters. What happened?
///

The response contains a macro language keyword, a macro invocation, and unmatched
parentheses.

Summary of Macro Quoting Functions and the

Characters that They Mask
Different macro quoting functions mask different special characters and mnemonics so
the macro facility interprets them as text instead of as macro language symbols.
The following table divides the symbols into categories and shows which macro quoting
functions mask which symbols.
Table 7.6

Summary of Special Characters and Macro Quoting Functions by Item

Group

Items

Macro Quoting Functions

+ */<>=^|~;, # blank AND OR

NOT EQ NE LE LT GE GT IN

all

&%

%NRSTR, %NRBQUOTE,
%SUPERQ, %NRQUOTE

unmatched' ()

%BQUOTE, %NRBQUOTE,
%SUPERQ, %STR*, %NRSTR*,
%QUOTE*, %NRQUOTE*

Table 7.7

By Function

Function

Affects Groups

Works At

%STR

A, C*

Macro compilation

Unquoting Text

95

Function

Affects Groups

Works At

%NRSTR

A, B, C*

Macro compilation

%BQUOTE

A, C

Macro execution

%NRBQUOTE

A, B, C

Macro execution

%SUPERQ

A, B, C

Macro execution (prevents

resolution)

%QUOTE

A, C*

Macro execution. Requires

unmatched quotation marks
and parentheses to be marked
with a percent sign (%).

%NRQUOTE

A, B, C*

Macro execution. Requires

unmatched quotation marks
and parentheses to be marked
with a percent sign (%).

*Unmatched quotation marks and parentheses must be marked with a percent sign (%) when
used with %STR, %NRSTR, %QUOTE, and %NRQUOTE.

Unquoting Text
Restoring the Significance of Symbols
To unquote a value means to restore the significance of symbols in an item that was
previously masked by a macro quoting function.
Usually, after an item has been masked by a macro quoting function, it retains its special
status until one of the following occurs:

You enclose the item with the %UNQUOTE function. (See %UNQUOTE
Function on page 274.)

The item leaves the word scanner and is passed to the DATA step compiler, SAS
procedures, SAS macro facility, or other parts of the SAS System.

The item is returned as an unquoted result by the %SCAN, %SUBSTR, or

%UPCASE function. (To retain a value's masked status during one of these
operations, use the %QSCAN, %QSUBSTR, or %QUPCASE function. See Other
Functions That Perform Macro Quoting on page 98 for more details.)

As a rule, you do not need to unquote an item because it is automatically unquoted when
the item is passed from the word scanner to the rest of SAS. Under two circumstances,
however, you might need to use the %UNQUOTE function to restore the original
significance to a masked item:

when you want to use a value with its restored meaning later in the same macro in
which its value was previously masked by a macro quoting function

96

Chapter 7

Macro Quoting

when, as in a few cases, masking text with a macro quoting function changes the way
the word scanner tokenizes it, producing SAS statements that look correct but that
the SAS compiler does not recognize

Example of Unquoting
The following example illustrates using a value twice: once in macro quoted form and
once in unquoted form. Suppose the macro ANALYZE is part of a system that enables
you to compare the output of two statistical models interactively. First, you enter an
operator to specify the relationship that you want to test (one result greater than another,
equal to another, and so on). The macro ANALYZE tests the macro quoted value of the
operator to verify that you have entered it correctly, uses the unquoted value to compare
the values indicated, and writes a message. Match the numbers in the comments to the
paragraphs below.
%macro analyze(stat);
data _null_;
set out1;
call symput('v1',&stat);
run;
data _null_;
set out2;
call symput('v2',&stat);
run;
%put Preliminary test. Enter the operator.;
%input;
%let op=%bquote(&sysbuffr);
%if &op=%str(=<) %then %let op=%str(<=);
%else %if &op=%str(=>) %then %let op=%str(>=);
%if &v1 %unquote(&op) &v2 %then
%put You might proceed with the analysis.;
%else
%do;
%put &stat from out1 is not &op &stat from out2.;
%put Please check your previous models.;
%end;
%mend analyze;

You mask the value of SYSBUFFR with the %BQUOTE function, which masks
resolved items including unmatched, unmarked quotation marks and parentheses (but
excluding the ampersand and percent sign).
The %IF condition compares the value of the macro variable OP to a string to see
whether the value of OP contains the correct symbols for the operator. If the value
contains symbols in the wrong order, the %THEN statement corrects the symbols.
Because a value masked by a macro quoting function remains masked, you do not need
to mask the reference &OP in the left side of the %IF condition.
Because you can see the characters in the right side of the %IF condition and in the
%LET statement when you define the macro, you can use the %STR function to mask
them. Masking them once at compilation is more efficient than masking them at each
execution of ANALYZE.
To use the value of the macro variable OP as the operator in the %IF condition, you
must restore the meaning of the operator with the %UNQUOTE function.

How Macro Quoting Works

97

What to Do When Automatic Unquoting Does Not Work

When the macro processor generates text from an item masked by a macro quoting
function, you can usually allow SAS to unquote the macro quoted items automatically.
For example, suppose you define a macro variable PRINTIT:
%let printit=%str(proc print; run;);

Then you use that macro variable in your program:

%put *** This code prints the data set: &printit ***;

When the macro processor generates the text from the macro variable, the items masked
by macro quoting functions are automatically unquoted, and the previously masked
semicolons work normally when they are passed to the rest of SAS.
In rare cases, masking text with a macro quoting function changes the way the word
scanner tokenizes the text. (The word scanner and tokenization are discussed in SAS
Programs and Macro Processing on page 11 and Macro Processing on page 33.) For
example, a single or double quotation mark produced by resolution within the
%BQUOTE function becomes a separate token. The word scanner does not use it as the
boundary of a literal token in the input stack. If generated text that was once masked by
the %BQUOTE function looks correct but SAS does not accept it, you might need to use
the %UNQUOTE function to restore normal tokenization.

How Macro Quoting Works

When the macro processor masks a text string, it masks special characters and
mnemonics within the coding scheme, and prefixes and suffixes the string with a
hexadecimal character, called a delta character. The prefix character marks the
beginning of the string and also indicates what type of macro quoting is to be applied to
the string. The suffix character marks the end of the string. The prefix and suffix
characters preserve any leading and trailing blanks contained by the string. The
hexadecimal characters used to mask special characters and mnemonics and the
characters used for the prefix and suffix might vary and are not portable.
There are more hexadecimal combinations possible in each byte than are needed to
represent the symbols on a keyboard. Therefore, when a macro quoting function
recognizes an item to be masked, the macro processor uses a previously unused
hexadecimal combination for the prefix and suffix characters.
Macro functions, such as %EVAL and %SUBSTR, ignore the prefix and suffix
characters. Therefore, the prefix and suffix characters do not affect comparisons.
When the macro processor is finished with a macro quoted text string, it removes the
macro quoting-coded substitute characters and replaces them with the original
characters. The unmasked characters are passed on to the rest of the system. Sometimes
you might see a message about unmasking, as in the following example:
/* Turn on SYMBOLGEN so you can see the messages about unquoting. */
options symbolgen;
/* Assign a value to EXAMPLE that contains several special */
/* characters and a mnemonic. */
%let example = %nrbquote( 1 + 1 = 3 Today's Test and More );

98

Chapter 7

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%put *&example*;

When this program is submitted, the following appears in the SAS log:
SYMBOLGEN:

Macro variable EXAMPLE resolves to 1 + 1 = 3 Today's

Test and More
SYMBOLGEN:
Some characters in the above value which were subject
to macro quoting have been unquoted for printing.
* 1 + 1 = 3 Today's Test and More *

As you can see, the leading and trailing blanks and special characters were retained in
the variable's value. While the macro processor was working with the string, the string
actually contained coded characters that were substituted for the real characters. The
substitute characters included coded characters to represent the start and end of the
string. The leading and trailing blanks were preserved. Characters were also substituted
for the special characters +, =, and ', and the mnemonic AND. When the macro finished
processing and the characters were passed to the rest of SAS, the coding was removed
and the real characters were replaced.
Unquoting Text on page 95 provides more information about what happens when a
masked string is unquoted. For more information, see SYMBOLGEN System Option
on page 358.

Other Functions That Perform Macro Quoting

Functions That Start with the Letter Q
Some macro functions are available in pairs, where one function starts with the letter Q:

%SCAN and %QSCAN

%SUBSTR and %QSUBSTR

%UPCASE and %QUPCASE

%SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC

The Qxxx functions are necessary because by default, macro functions return an
unquoted result, even if the argument was masked by a macro quoting function. The
%QSCAN, %QSUBSTR, %QUPCASE, and %QSYSFUNC functions mask the returned
value at execution time. The items masked are the same as the items masked by the
%NRBQUOTE function.

Example Using the %QSCAN Function

The following macro uses the %QSCAN function to assign items in the value of
SYSBUFFR (described in Automatic Macro Variables on page 192) as the values of
separate macro variables. The numbers in the comments correspond to the explanations
in the list that follows the macro code.
%macro splitit;
%put What character separates the values?;
%input;
%let s=%bquote(&sysbuffr); 2
%put Enter three values.;
%input;

Other Functions That Perform Macro Quoting

99

%local i;
%do i=1 %to 3; 3
%global x&i;
%let x&i=%qscan(%superq(sysbuffr),&i,&s);
4

%end;
%mend splitit;
%splitit
What character separates the values?
#
Enter three values.
Fischer Books#Smith&Sons#Sarah's Sweet Shoppe
5

1. This question asks you to input a delimiter for the %QSCAN function that does not
appear in the values that you enter.
2. Masking the value of SYSBUFFR with the %BQUOTE function enables you to
choose a quotation mark or parenthesis as a delimiter if necessary.
3. The iterative %DO loop creates a global macro variable for each segment of
SYSBUFFR and assigns it the value of that segment.
4. The %SUPERQ function masks the value of SYSBUFFR in the first argument of the
%QSCAN function. It prevents any resolution of the value of SYSBUFFR.
5. The %QSCAN function returns macro quoted segments of the value of SYSBUFFR.
Thus, the unmatched quotation mark in Sarah's Sweet Shoppe and the &name
pattern in Smith&Sons do not cause problems.

100

Chapter 7

Macro Quoting

101

Chapter 8

Interfaces with the Macro Facility

Interfaces with the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

DATA Step Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Interacting With the Macro Facility During DATA Step Execution . . . . . . . . . . . 102
CALL EXECUTE Routine Timing Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Example of Using CALL EXECUTE Incorrectly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Example of Common Problem with CALL EXECUTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Using SAS Language Functions in the DATA Step and Macro Facility . . . . . . . . 105
Interfaces with the SQL Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Using PROC SQL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
INTO Clause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Controlling Job Execution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Interfaces with the SAS Component Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Using an SCL Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
How Macro References Are Resolved by SCL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Referencing Macro Variables in Submit Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Considerations for Sharing Macros between SCL Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Example Using Macros in an SCL Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
SAS/CONNECT Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Using %SYSRPUT with SAS/CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Example Using %SYSRPUT to Check the Value of a Return
Code on a Remote Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Using %SYSLPUT with SAS/CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Example Using %SYSLPUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Interfaces with the Macro Facility

An interface with the macro facility is not part of the macro processor but rather a SAS
software feature that enables another portion of the SAS language to interact with the
macro facility during execution. For example, a DATA step interface enables you to
access macro variables from the DATA step. Macro facility interfaces are useful
because, in general, macro processing happens before DATA step, SQL, SCL, or
SAS/CONNECT execution, so the connection between the macro facility and the rest of
SAS is not usually dynamic. But by using an interface to the macro facility, you can
dynamically connect the macro facility to the rest of SAS.
Note: The %SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC macro functions enable you to use SAS
language functions with the macro processor. The %SYSCALL macro statement

102

Chapter 8

Interfaces with the Macro Facility

enables you to use SAS language CALL routines with the macro processor. While
these elements of the macro language are not considered true macro facility
interfaces, they are discussed in this section. See Macro Language Elements on
page 155 for more information about these macro language elements.

DATA Step Interfaces

Interacting With the Macro Facility During DATA Step Execution
DATA step interfaces consist of eight tools that enable a program to interact with the
macro facility during DATA step execution. Because the work of the macro facility
takes place before DATA step execution begins, information provided by macro
statements has already been processed during DATA step execution. You can use one of
the DATA step interfaces to interact with the macro facility during DATA step
execution. You can use DATA step interfaces to do the following:

pass information from a DATA step to a subsequent step in a SAS program

invoke a macro based on information available only when the DATA step executes

resolve a macro variable while a DATA step executes

delete a macro variable

pass information about a macro variable from the macro facility to the DATA step

The following table lists the DATA step interfaces by category and their uses.
Table 8.1 DATA Step Interfaces to the Macro Facility
Category

Tool

Description

Execution

CALL EXECUTE routine

Resolves its argument and executes the

resolved value at the next step
boundary (if the value is a SAS
statement) or immediately (if the value
is a macro language element).

Resolution

RESOLVE function

Resolves the value of a text expression

during DATA step execution.

Deletion

CALL SYMDEL routine

Deletes the indicated macro variable

named in the argument.

Information

SYMEXIST function

Returns an indication as to whether the

macro variable exists.

Read or Write

SYMGET function

Rreturns the value of a macro variable

during DATA step execution.

Information

SYMGLOBL function

Returns an indication as to whether the

macro variable is global in scope.

Information

SYMLOCAL function

Returns an indication as to whether the

macro variable is local in scope.

DATA Step Interfaces

103

Category

Tool

Description

Read or Write

CALL SYMPUT routine

Assigns a value produced in a DATA

step to a macro variable.

CALL EXECUTE Routine Timing Details

CALL EXECUTE is useful when you want to execute a macro conditionally. But you
must remember that if CALL EXECUTE produces macro language elements, those
elements execute immediately. If CALL EXECUTE produces SAS language statements,
or if the macro language elements generate SAS language statements, those statements
execute after the end of the DATA step's execution.
Note: Because macro references execute immediately and SAS statements do not
execute until after a step boundary, you cannot use CALL EXECUTE to invoke a
macro that contains references for macro variables that are created by CALL
SYMPUT in that macro.

Example of Using CALL EXECUTE Incorrectly

In this example, the CALL EXECUTE routine is used incorrectly:
data prices; /* ID for price category and actual price */
input code amount;
datalines;
56 300
99 10000
24 225
;
%macro items;
%global special;
%let special=football;
%mend items;
data sales;
/* incorrect usage */
set prices;
length saleitem $ 20;
call execute('%items');
saleitem="&special";
run;

In the DATA SALES step, the assignment statement for SALEITEM requires the value
of the macro variable SPECIAL at DATA step compilation. CALL EXECUTE does not
produce the value until DATA step execution. Thus, you receive a message about an
unresolved macro variable, and the value assigned to SALEITEM is &special.
In this example, it would be better to eliminate the macro definition (the %LET macro
statement is valid in open code) or move the DATA SALES step into the macro ITEMS.
In either case, CALL EXECUTE is not necessary or useful. Here is one version of this
program that works:
data prices;
/* ID for price category and actual price */
input code amount;
datalines;

104

Chapter 8

Interfaces with the Macro Facility

56 300
99 10000
24 225
;
%let special=football;

/* correct usage */

data sales;
set prices;
length saleitem $ 20;
saleitem="&special";
run;

The %GLOBAL statement is not necessary in this version. Because the %LET statement
is executed in open code, it automatically creates a global macro variable. (See Scopes
of Macro Variables on page 43 for more information about macro variable scopes.)

Example of Common Problem with CALL EXECUTE

This example shows a common pattern that causes an error.
/* This version of the example shows the problem. */
data prices;
/* ID for price category and actual price */
input code amount;
cards;
56 300
99 10000
24 225
;
data names;
/* name of sales department and item sold */
input dept $ item $;
datalines;
BB Boat
SK Skates
;
%macro items(codevar=); /* create macro variable if needed */
%global special;
data _null_;
set names;
if &codevar=99 and dept='BB' then call symput('special', item);
run;
%mend items;
data sales; /* attempt to reference macro variable fails */
set prices;
length saleitem $ 20;
if amount > 500 then
call execute('%items(codevar=' || code || ')' );
saleitem="&special";
run;

In this example, the DATA SALES step still requires the value of SPECIAL during
compilation. The CALL EXECUTE routine is useful in this example because of the
conditional IF statement. But as in the first example, CALL EXECUTE still invokes the
macro ITEMS during DATA step execution not during compilation. The macro

Using SAS Language Functions in the DATA Step and Macro Facility

105

ITEMS generates a DATA _NULL_ step that executes after the DATA SALES step has
ceased execution. The DATA _NULL_ step creates SPECIAL, and the value of
SPECIAL is available after the _NULL_ step ceases execution, which is much later than
when the value was needed.
This version of the example corrects the problem:
/* This version solves the problem. */
data prices;
/* ID for price category and actual price */
input code amount;
datalines;
56 300
99 10000
24 225
;
data names;
/* name of sales department and item sold */
input dept $ item $;
cards;
BB Boat
SK Ski
;
%macro items(codevar=);
/* create macro variable if needed */
%global special;
data _null_;
set names;
if &codevar=99 and dept='BB' then
call symput('special', item);
run;
%mend items;
data _null_;
/* call the macro in this step */
set prices;
if amount > 500 then
call execute('%items(codevar=' || code || ')' );
run;
data sales;
/* use the value created by the macro in this step */
set prices;
length saleitem $ 20;
saleitem="&special";
run;

This version uses one DATA _NULL_ step to call the macro ITEMS. After that step
ceases execution, the DATA _NULL_ step generated by ITEMS executes and creates
the macro variable SPECIAL. Then the DATA SALES step references the value of
SPECIAL as usual.

Using SAS Language Functions in the DATA Step

and Macro Facility
The macro functions %SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC can call SAS language functions
and functions written with SAS/TOOLKIT software to generate text in the macro

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facility. %SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC have one difference: the %QSYSFUNC masks
special characters and mnemonics and %SYSFUNC does not. For more information
about these functions, see %SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC Functions on page 268.
%SYSFUNC arguments are a single SAS language function and an optional format. See
the following examples:
%sysfunc(date(),worddate.)
%sysfunc(attrn(&dsid,NOBS))

You cannot nest SAS language functions within %SYSFUNC. However, you can nest
%SYSFUNC functions that call SAS language functions, as in the following statement:
%sysfunc(compress(%sysfunc(getoption(sasautos)),%str(%)%(%')))

This example returns the value of the SASAUTOS= system option, using the
COMPRESS function to eliminate opening parentheses, closing parentheses, and single
quotation marks from the result. Note the use of the %STR function and the unmatched
parentheses and quotation marks that are marked with a percent sign (%).
All arguments in SAS language functions within %SYSFUNC must be separated by
commas. You cannot use argument lists preceded by the word OF.
Because %SYSFUNC is a macro function, you do not need to enclose character values
in quotation marks as you do in SAS language functions. For example, the arguments to
the OPEN function are enclosed in quotation marks when the function is used alone but
do not require quotation marks when used within %SYSFUNC.
Here are some examples of the contrast between using a function alone and within
%SYSFUNC:

dsid = open("sasuser.houses","i");

dsid = open("&mydata","&mode");

%let dsid = %sysfunc(open(sasuser.houses,i));

%let dsid = %sysfunc(open(&mydata,&mode));

You can use %SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC to call all of the DATA step SAS
functions except the ones that are listed in table Table 17.2 on page 269. In the macro
facility, SAS language functions called by %SYSFUNC can return values with a length
up to 32K. However, within the DATA step, return values are limited to the length of a
data set character variable.
The %SYSCALL macro statement enables you to use SAS language CALL routines
with the macro processor, and it is described in Macro Statements on page 281.

Interfaces with the SQL Procedure

Using PROC SQL
Structured Query Language (SQL) is a standardized, widely used language for retrieving
and updating data in databases and relational tables. SAS software's SQL processor
enables you to do the following:

create tables and views

retrieve data stored in tables

retrieve data stored in SQL and SAS/ACCESS views

Interfaces with the SAS Component Language

add or modify values in tables

add or modify values in SQL and SAS/ACCESS views

107

INTO Clause
SQL provides the INTO clause in the SELECT statement for creating SAS macro
variables. You can create multiple macro variables with a single INTO clause. The
INTO clause follows the same scoping rules as the %LET statement. See Macro
Variables on page 19 for a summary of how macro variables are created. For further
details and examples relating to the INTO clause, see INTO Clause on page 277.

Controlling Job Execution

PROC SQL also provides macro tools to do the following:

stop execution of a job if an error occurs

execute programs conditionally based on data values

The following table provides information about macro variables created by SQL that
affect job execution.
Table 8.2

Macro Variables that Affect Job Execution

Macro Variable

Description

SQLEXITCODE

Contains the highest return code that occurred from some types of
SQL insert failures. This return code is written to the SYSERR
macro variable when PROC SQL terminates.

SQLOBS

Contains the number of rows or observations produced by a

SELECT statement.

SQLOOPS

Contains the number of iterations that the inner loop of PROC

SQL processes.

SQLRC

Contains the return code from an SQL statement. For return

codes, see SAS SQL documentation.

SQLXMSG

Contains descriptive information and the DBMS-specific return

code for the error that is returned by the pass-through facility.

SQLXRC

contains the DBMS-specific return code that is returned by the

pass-through facility.

Interfaces with the SAS Component Language

Using an SCL Program
You can use the SAS macro facility to define macros and macro variables for an SCL
program. Then, you can pass parameters between macros and the rest of the program.

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Also, through the use of the autocall and compiled stored macro facilities, macros can be
used by more than one SCL program.
Note: Macro modules can be more complicated to maintain than a program segment
because of the symbols and macro quoting that might be required. Also,
implementing modules as macros does not reduce the size of the compiled SCL
code. Program statements generated by a macro are added to the compiled code as if
those lines existed at that location in the program.
The following table lists the SCL macro facility interfaces.
Table 8.3

SCL Interfaces to the Macro Facility

Category

Tool

Description

Read or Write

SYMGET

returns the value of a global macro variable

during SCL execution.

SYMGETN

returns the value of a global macro variable

as a numeric value.

CALL SYMPUT

assigns a value produced in SCL to a global

macro variable.

CALL SYMPUTN

assigns a numeric value to a global macro

variable.

Note: It is inefficient to use SYMGETN to retrieve values that are not assigned with
SYMPUTN. It is also inefficient to use & to reference a macro variable that was
created with CALL SYMPUTN. Instead, use SYMGETN. In addition, it is
inefficient to use SYMGETN and CALL SYMPUTN with values that are not
numeric.
For details about these elements, see DATA Step Call Routines for Macros on page
221 and DATA Step Functions for Macros on page 231.

How Macro References Are Resolved by SCL

An important point to remember when using the macro facility with SCL is that macros
and macro variable references in SCL programs are resolved when the SCL program
compiles, not when you execute the application. To further control the assignment and
resolution of macros and macro variables, use the following techniques:

If you want macro variables to be assigned and retrieved when the SCL program
executes, use CALL SYMPUT and CALL SYMPUTN in the SCL program.

If you want a macro call or macro variable reference to resolve when an SCL
program executes, use SYMGET and SYMGETN in the SCL program.

Referencing Macro Variables in Submit Blocks

In SCL, macro variable references are resolved at compile time unless they are in a
Submit block. When SCL encounters a name prefixed with an ampersand (&) in a
Submit block, it checks whether the name following the ampersand is the name of an
SCL variable. If so, SCL substitutes the value of the corresponding variable for the

Interfaces with the SAS Component Language

109

variable reference in the submit block. If the name following the ampersand does not
match any SCL variable, the name passes intact (including the ampersand) with the
submitted statements. When SAS processes the statements, it attempts to resolve the
name as a macro variable reference
To guarantee that a name is passed as a macro variable reference in submitted
statements, precede the name with two ampersands (for example, &&DSNAME). If you
have both a macro variable and an SCL variable with the same name, a reference with a
single ampersand substitutes the SCL variable. To force the macro variable to be
substituted, reference it with two ampersands (&&).

Considerations for Sharing Macros between SCL Programs

Sharing macros between SCL programs can be useful, but it can also raise some
configuration management problems. If a macro is used by more than one program, you
must keep track of all the programs that use it so you can recompile all of them each
time the macro is updated. Because SCL is compiled, each SCL program that calls a
macro must be recompiled whenever that macro is updated.
CAUTION:
Recompile the SCL program. If you fail to recompile the SCL program when you

update the macro, you run the risk of the compiled SCL being out of sync with the
source.

Example Using Macros in an SCL Program

This SCL program is for an example application with the fields BORROWED,
INTEREST, and PAYMENT. The program uses the macros CKAMOUNT and
CKRATE to validate values entered into fields by users. The program calculates the
payment, using values entered for the interest rate (INTEREST) and the sum of money
(BORROWED).
/* Display an error message if AMOUNT */
/* is less than zero or larger than 1000. */
%macro ckamount(amount);
if (&amount < 0) or (&amount > 1000) then
do;
erroron borrowed;
_msg_='Amount must be between $0 and $1,000.';
stop;
end;
else erroroff borrowed;
%mend ckamount;
/* Display an error message if RATE */
/* is less than 0 or greater than 1.5 */
%macro ckrate(rate);
if (&rate < 0) or (&rate > 1) then
do;
erroron interest;
_msg_='Rate must be between 0 and 1.5';
stop;
end;
else erroroff interest;
%mend ckrate;

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/* Open the window with BORROWED at 0 and INTEREST at .5.
INIT:
control error;
borrowed=0;
interest=.5;
return;

*/

MAIN:
/* Run the macro CKAMOUNT to validate */
/* the value of BORROWED.
*/
%ckamount(borrowed)
/* Run the macro CKRATE to validate */
/* the value of INTEREST.
*/
%ckrate(interest)
/* Calculate payment. */
payment=borrowed*interest;
return;
TERM:
return;

SAS/CONNECT Interfaces
Using %SYSRPUT with SAS/CONNECT
The %SYSRPUT macro statement is submitted with SAS/CONNECT to a remote host
to retrieve the value of a macro variable stored on the remote host. %SYSRPUT assigns
that value to a macro variable on the local host. %SYSRPUT is similar to the %LET
macro statement because it assigns a value to a macro variable. However, %SYSRPUT
assigns a value to a variable on the local host, not on the remote host where the
statement is processed. The %SYSRPUT statement places the macro variable in the
current scope of the local host.
Note: The names of the macro variables on the remote and local hosts must not contain
a leading ampersand.
The %SYSRPUT statement is useful for capturing the value of the automatic macro
variable SYSINFO and passing that value to the local host. SYSINFO contains returncode information provided by some SAS procedures. Both the UPLOAD and the
DOWNLOAD procedures of SAS/CONNECT can update the macro variable SYSINFO
and set it to a nonzero value when the procedure terminates due to errors. You can use
%SYSRPUT on the remote host to send the value of the SYSINFO macro variable back
to the local SAS session. Thus, you can submit a job to the remote host and test whether
a PROC UPLOAD or DOWNLOAD step has successfully completed before beginning
another step on either the remote host or the local host.
To use %SYSRPUT, you must have invoked a remote SAS windowing environment
session by submitting the DMR option with the SAS command. For details about using
%SYSRPUT, see the SAS/CONNECT documentation.
To create a new macro variable or to modify the value of an existing macro variable on a
remote host or a server, use the %SYSLPUT macro statement.

SAS/CONNECT Interfaces

111

Example Using %SYSRPUT to Check the Value of a Return Code on

a Remote Host
This example illustrates how to download a file and return information about the success
of the step. When remote processing is completed, the job checks the value of the return
code stored in RETCODE. Processing continues on the local host if the remote
processing is successful. In this example, the %SYSRPUT statement follows a PROC
DOWNLOAD step, so the value returned by SYSINFO indicates the success of the
PROC DOWNLOAD step:
/* This code executes on the remote host. */
rsubmit;
proc download data=remote.mydata out=local.mydata;
run;
/* RETCODE is on the local host. */
/* SYSINFO is on the remote host. */
%sysrput retcode=&sysinfo;
endrsubmit;
/* This code executes on the local host. */
%macro checkit;
%if &retcode = 0 %then
%do;
further processing on local host
%end;
%mend checkit;
%checkit

To determine the success or failure of a step executed on a remote host, use the
%SYSRPUT macro statement to check the value of the automatic macro variable
SYSERR.
For more details and syntax of the %SYSRPUT statement, see %SYSRPUT Statement
on page 319.

Using %SYSLPUT with SAS/CONNECT

The %SYSLPUT statement is a macro statement that is submitted in the client session to
assign a value that is available in the client session to a macro variable that can be
accessed from the server session. If you are signed on to multiple server sessions,
%SYSLPUT submits the macro assignment statement to the most recently used server
session. If you are signed on to only one server session, %SYSLPUT submits the macro
assignment statement to that server session. If you are not signed on to any session, an
error condition results. Like the %LET statement, the %SYSLPUT statement assigns a
value to a macro variable. Unlike %LET, the %SYSRPUT statement assigns a value to a
variable in the server session rather than in the client session where the statement is
executed. The %SYSRPUT statement stores the macro variable in the Global Symbol
Table in the server session.
For details about using %SYSLPUT, see the SAS/CONNECT documentation.

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Example Using %SYSLPUT

%SYSLPUT enables you to dynamically assign values to variables that are used by
macros that are executed in a server session. The macro statement %SYSLPUT is used
to create the macro variable REMID in the server session and to use the value of the
client macro variable RUNID. The REMID variable is used by the %DOLIB macro,
which is executed in a server session, to find out which operating system-specific library
assignment should be used in the server session.
%macro assignlib (runid);
signon rem &runid
%syslput remid=&runid
rsubmit rem &runid
%macro dolib;
%if (&runid eq 1) %then %do;
libname mylib 'h:';
%end;
%else %if (&runid eq 2) %then %do;
libname mylib '/afs/some/unix/path';
%end;
%mend;
%dolib;
endrsubmit;
%mend;

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Storing and Reusing Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Saving Macros in an Autocall Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Overview of an Autocall Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Using Directories as Autocall Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Using SAS Catalogs as Autocall Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Calling an Autocall Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Saving Macros Using the Stored Compiled Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Overview of the Stored Compiled Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Compiling and Storing a Macro Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Storing Autocall Macros Supplied by SAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Calling a Stored Compiled Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Storing and Reusing Macros

When you submit a macro definition, by default, the macro processor compiles and
stores the macro in a SAS catalog in the WORK library. These macros, referred to as
session compiled macros, exist only during the current SAS session. To save frequently
used macros between sessions, you can use either the autocall macro facility or the
stored compiled macro facility.
The autocall macro facility stores the source for SAS macros in a collection of external
files called an autocall library. The autocall facility is useful when you want to create a
pool of easily maintained macros in a location that can be accessed by different
applications and users. Autocall libraries can be concatenated together. The primary
disadvantage of the autocall facility is that the first time an autocall macro is called in a
session, the macro processor compiles it. This compilation is overhead that you can
avoid by using the stored compiled macro facility.
The stored compiled macro facility stores compiled macros in a SAS catalog in a SAS
library that you specify. By using stored compiled macros, you might save macro
compilation time in your production-level jobs. However, because these stored macros
are compiled, you must save and maintain the source for the macro definitions in a
different location.
The autocall facility and the stored compiled macro facility each offer advantages. Here
are some of the factors that determine how you choose to save a macro definition:

how often you use a macro

how often you change it

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how many users need to execute it

how many compiled macro statements it has

If you are developing new programs, consider creating macros and compiling them
during your current session. If you are running production-level jobs using name-style
macros, consider using stored compiled macros. If you are letting a group of users share
macros, consider using the autocall facility.
Note: For greater efficiency, store only name-style macros if you use the stored
compiled macro facility. Storing statement-style and command-style macros is less
efficient.
It is good practice, when you are programming stored compiled macros or autocall
macros, to use the %LOCAL statement to define macro variables that will be used only
inside that macro. Otherwise, values of macro variables defined outside of the current
macro might be altered. See the discussion of macro variable scopes in Scopes of
Macro Variables on page 43.
In general, macro and variable names in the SAS macro facility are case insensitive and
are internally changed to uppercase. The values are case sensitive in the SAS macro
facility and are not changed.
When calling an autocall macro or a stored compiled macro, the macro name is changed
to uppercase and passed to the catalog routines to open a member of that name. The
catalog routines are host dependent and use the default casing for the particular host
when searching for a member. Macro catalog entries should be made using the default
casing for the host in question. Here are the host defaults:

UNIX default is lowercase

z/OS default is uppercase

Windows default is lowercase

Note: In UNIX, the member name that contains the autocall macro must be all
lowercase letters.

Saving Macros in an Autocall Library

Overview of an Autocall Library
Generally, an autocall library is a directory containing individual files, each of which
contains one macro definition. In SAS 6.11 and later, an autocall library can also be a
SAS catalog. (See the following section for more information about using SAS catalogs
as autocall libraries.)
Operating Environment Information
Autocall Libraries on Different Hosts The term directory refers to an aggregate
storage location that contains files (or members) managed by the host operating
system. Different host operating systems identify an aggregate storage location with
different names, such as a directory, a subdirectory, a maclib, a text library, or a
partitioned data set. For more information, see the SAS Companion for your
operating system.

Saving Macros in an Autocall Library

115

Using Directories as Autocall Libraries

To use a directory as a SAS autocall library, do the following:
1. To create library members, store the source code for each macro in a separate file in
a directory. The name of the file must be the same as the macro name. For example,
the statements defining a macro that you would call by submitting %SPLIT must be
in a file named SPLIT.
Operating Environment Information
Autocall Library Member Names On operating systems that allow filenames with
extensions, you must name autocall macro library members with a special
extension, usually .SAS. Look at the autocall macros on your system provided
by SAS to determine whether names of files containing macros must have a
special extension at your site. On z/OS operating systems, you must assign the
macro name as the name of the PDS member.
2. Set the SASAUTOS system option to specify the directory as an autocall library. On
most hosts, the reserved fileref SASAUTOS is assigned at invocation time to the
autocall library supplied by SAS or another one designated by your site. If you are
specifying one or more autocall libraries, remember to concatenate the autocall
library supplied by SAS with your autocall libraries so that these macros will also be
available. For details, refer to your host documentation and SASAUTOS= System
Option on page 356.
When storing files in an autocall library, remember the following:

Although SAS does not restrict the type of material that you place in an autocall
library, you should store only autocall library files in it to avoid confusion and for
ease of maintenance.

Although SAS lets you include more than one macro definition, as well as open
code, in an autocall library member, you should generally keep only one macro in
any autocall library member. If you need to keep several macros in the same autocall
library member, keep related macros together.

Using SAS Catalogs as Autocall Libraries

In SAS 6.11 and later, you can use the CATALOG access method to store autocall
macros as SOURCE entries in SAS catalogs. To create an autocall library using a SAS
catalog, follow these steps:
1. Use a LIBNAME statement to assign a libref to the SAS library.
2. Use a FILENAME statement with the CATALOG argument to assign a fileref to the
catalog that contains the autocall macros. For example, the following code creates a
fileref, MYMACROS, that points to a catalog named MYMACS.MYAUTOS:
libname mymacs 'SAS-data-library';
filename mymacros catalog 'mymacs.myautos';

3. Store the source code for each macro in a SOURCE entry in a SAS catalog.
(SOURCE is the entry type.) The name of the SOURCE entry must be the same as
the macro name.
4. Set the SASAUTOS system option to specify the fileref as an autocall library. For
more information, see SASAUTOS= System Option on page 356.

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Calling an Autocall Macro

To call an autocall macro, the system options MAUTOSOURCE must be set and
SASAUTOS must be assigned. MAUTOSOURCE enables the autocall facility, and
SASAUTOS specifies the autocall libraries. For more information, see
MAUTOSOURCE System Option on page 335 and SASAUTOS= System Option
on page 356.
Once you have set the required options, calling an autocall macro is like calling a macro
that you have created in your current session. However, it is important that you
understand how the macro processor locates the called macro. When you call a macro,
the macro processor does the following tasks:

searches for a session compiled macro definition

searches for a stored compiled macro definition in the library specified by the
SASMSTORE option, if the MSTORED option is set

searches for a member in the autocall libraries specified by the SASAUTOS option
in the order in which they are specified, if the MAUTOSOURCE option is set

searches the SASHELP library for SAS production stored compiled macro
definitions

When SAS finds a library member in an autocall library with that macro name, the
macro processor does the following:

compiles all of the source statements in that member, including any and all macro
definitions, and stores the result in the session catalog

executes any open code (macro statements or SAS source statements not within any
macro definition) in that member

executes the macro with the name that you invoked

Note: If an autocall library member contains more than one macro, the macro processor
compiles all of the macros but executes only the macro with the name that you
invoked.
Any open code statements in the same autocall library member as a macro execute only
the first time you invoke the macro. When you invoke the macro later in the same
session, the compiled macro is executed, which contains only the compiled macro
definition and not the other code the autocall macro source file might have contained.
It is not advisable to change SASAUTOS during a SAS session. If you change the
SASAUTOS= specification in an ongoing SAS session, SAS will store the new
specification only until you invoke an uncompiled autocall macro and then will close all
opened libraries and open all the newly specified libraries that it can open.
For information about debugging autocall macros, see Macro Facility Error Messages
and Debugging on page 120.

Saving Macros Using the Stored Compiled Macro Facility

117

Saving Macros Using the Stored Compiled Macro

Facility
Overview of the Stored Compiled Macro Facility
The stored compiled macro facility compiles and saves compiled macros in a permanent
catalog in a library that you specify. This compilation occurs only once. If the stored
compiled macro is called in the current or later sessions, the macro processor executes
the compiled code.
In SAS 9.1.3 or higher, the stored compiled macro catalog is initially opened for readonly access. When a stored compiled macro is being compiled or updated, the catalog is
immediately closed and reopened for update access. After the macro is compiled and the
catalog has been updated or changed, the catalog is again immediately closed and
reopened for read-only access.

Compiling and Storing a Macro Definition

To compile a macro definition in a permanent catalog, you must first create the source
for each stored compiled macro. To store the compiled macro, use the following steps:
1. Use the STORE option in the %MACRO statement. You can use the SOURCE
option to store the source code with the compiled code. In addition, you can assign a
descriptive title for the macro entry in the SAS catalog, by specifying the DES=
option. For example, the %MACRO statement in the following definition shows the
STORE, SOURCE, and DES= options:
%macro myfiles /
des='Define
filename file1
filename file2
%mend;

store source
filenames';
'external-file-1';
'external-file-2';

CAUTION:
Save your macro source code. You cannot recreate the source statements from

a compiled macro. Therefore, you must save the original macro source
statements if you want to change the macro. For all stored compiled macros, you
should document your macro source code well. You can save the source code
with the compiled code using the SOURCE option in the %MACRO statement or
you can save the source in a separate file. If you save the source in a separate file,
it is recommended that you save the source code in the same catalog as the
compiled macro. In this example, save it to the following library:
mylib.sasmacro.myfiles.source

Note: To retrieve the source of a compiled stored macro, see %COPY Statement
on page 286.
2. Set the MSTORED system option to enable the stored compiled macro facility. For
more information, see MSTORED System Option on page 354.
3. Assign the SASMSTORE option to specify the SAS library that contains or will
contain the catalog of stored compiled SAS macros. For example, to store or call

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compiled macros in a SAS catalog named MYLIB.SASMACR, submit these

statements:
libname mylib 'SAS-data-library';
options mstored sasmstore=mylib;

For more information, see SASMSTORE= System Option on page 357.

4. Submit the source for each macro that you want to compile and permanently store.
You cannot move a stored compiled macro to another operating system or to a different
release of SAS. You can, however, move the macro source code to another operating
system or to a different SAS release where you can then compile and store it. For more
information, see your host companion.

Storing Autocall Macros Supplied by SAS

If you use the macros in the autocall library supplied by SAS, you can save macro
compile time by compiling and storing those macros in addition to ones that you create
yourself. Many of the macros related to Base SAS software that are in the autocall
library supplied by SAS can be compiled and stored in a SAS catalog named
SASMACR by using the autocall macro COMPSTOR that is supplied by SAS. For more
information, see %COMPSTOR Autocall Macro on page 177.

Calling a Stored Compiled Macro

Once you have set the required system options, calling a stored compiled macro is just
like calling session compiled macros. However, it is important that you understand how
the macro processor locates a macro. When you call a macro, the macro processor
searches for the macro name using this sequence:
1. the macros compiled during the current session
2. the stored compiled macros in the SASMACR catalog in the specified library (if
options MSTORED and SASMSTORE= are in effect)
3. each autocall library specified in the SASAUTOS option (if options SASAUTOS=
and MAUTOSOURCE are in effect)
4. the stored compiled macros in the SASMACR catalog in the SASHELP library
You can display the entries in a catalog containing compiled macros. For more
information, see Macro Facility Error Messages and Debugging on page 120.

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and Debugging

General Macro Debugging Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Developing Macros in a Layered Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Encountering Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Developing Bug-free Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Troubleshooting Your Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Solving Common Macro Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Solving Macro Variable Resolution Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Solving Problems with Macro Variable Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Solving Open Code Statement Recursion Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Solving Problems with Macro Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Solving Unresolved Macro Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Solving the Black Hole Macro Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Resolving Timing Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Example of a Macro Statement Executing Immediately . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Resolving Macro Resolution Problems Occurring During
DATA Step Compilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Solving Problems with the Autocall Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Fixing Autocall Library Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Fixing Autocall Macro Definition Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
File and Macro Names for Autocall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Displaying Information about Stored Compiled Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Solving Problems with Expression Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Debugging Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Using System Options to Track Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Tracing the Flow of Execution with MLOGIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Nesting Information Generated by MLOGICNEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Examining the Generated SAS Statements with MPRINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Nesting Information Generated by MPRINTNEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Storing MPRINT Output in an External File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Examining Macro Variable Resolution with SYMBOLGEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Using the %PUT Statement to Track Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

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General Macro Debugging Information

Developing Macros in a Layered Approach
Because the macro facility is such a powerful tool, it is also complex, and debugging
large macro applications can be extremely time-consuming and frustrating. Therefore, it
makes sense to develop your macro application in a way that minimizes the errors. This
makes the errors that do occur as easy as possible to find and fix. The first step is to
understand what type of errors can occur and when they manifest themselves. Then,
develop your macros using a modular, layered approach. Finally, use some built-in tools
such as system options, automatic macro variables, and the %PUT statement to diagnose
errors.
Note: To receive certain important warning messages about unresolved macro names
and macro variables, be sure the SERROR System Option on page 357 and
MERROR System Option on page 340 are in effect. See System Options for
Macros on page 329 for more information about these system options.

Encountering Errors
When the word scanner processes a program and finds a token in the form of & or %, it
triggers the macro processor to examine the name token that follows the & or %.
Depending on the token, the macro processor initiates one of the following activities:

macro variable resolution

macro open code processing

macro compilation

macro execution

An error can occur during any one of these stages. For example, if you misspell a macro
function name or omit a necessary semicolon, that is a syntax error during compilation.
Syntax errors occur when program statements do not conform to the rules of the macro
language. Or, you might refer to a variable out of scope, causing a macro variable
resolution error. Execution errors (also called semantic errors) are usually errors in
program logic. They can occur, for example, when the text generated by the macro has
faulty logic (statements not executed in the right order or in the way you expect).
Of course, even if your macro code is perfect, that does not guarantee that you will not
encounter errors caused by plain SAS code. For example, you might encounter the
following:

a libref that is not defined

a syntax error in open code (that is, outside of a macro definition)

a typo in the code that your macro generates

Typically, error messages with numbers are plain SAS code error messages. Error
messages generated by the macro processor do not have numbers.

Troubleshooting Your Macros

121

Developing Bug-free Macros

When programming in any language, it is good technique to develop your code in
modules. That is, instead of writing one massive program, develop it piece by piece, test
each piece separately, and put the pieces together. This technique is especially useful
when developing macro applications because of the two-part nature of SAS macros:
macro code and the SAS code generated by the macro code.
Another good idea is to proofread your macro code for common mistakes before you
submit it.
The following list outlines some key items to check for:

The names in the %MACRO and %MEND statements match, and there is a
%MEND for each %MACRO.

The number of %DO statements matches the number of %END statements.

%TO values for iterative %DO statements exist and are appropriate.

All statements end with semicolons.

Comments begin and end correctly and do not contain unmatched single quotation
marks.

Macro variable references begin with &and macro statements begin with %.

Macro variables created by CALL SYMPUT are not referenced in the same DATA
step in which they are created.

Statements that execute immediately (such as %LET) are not part of conditional
DATA step logic.

Single quotation marks are not used around macro variable references (such as in
TITLE or FILENAME statements). When used in quoted strings, macro variable
references resolve only in strings marked with double quotation marks.

Macro variable values do not contain any keywords or characters that could be
interpreted as mathematical operators. (If they do contain such characters, use the
appropriate macro quoting function.)

Macro variables, %GOTO labels, and macro names do not conflict with reserved
SAS and host environment keywords.

Troubleshooting Your Macros

Solving Common Macro Problems
The following table lists some problems that you might encounter when working with
the macro facility. Because many of these problems do not cause error messages to be
written to the SAS log, solving them can be difficult. For each problem, the table gives
some possible causes and solutions.

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Table 10.1

Commonly Encountered Macro Problems

Problem

Cause

Explanation

SAS windowing environment

session stops responding after
you submit a macro definition.
You type and submit code but
nothing happens.

Syntax error in %MEND

statement

The %MEND statement is not

recognized and all text is
becoming part of the macro
definition.

Missing semicolon,
parenthesis, or quotation
mark
Missing %MEND
statement
Unclosed comment

SAS windowing environment

session stops responding after
you call a macro.

An error in invocation, such

as forgetting to provide one
or more parameters, or
forgetting to use parentheses
when invoking a macro that is
defined with parameters.

The macro facility is waiting

for you to finish the
invocation.

The macro does not compile

when you submit it.

A syntax error exists

somewhere in the macro
definition.

Only syntactically correct

macros are compiled.

The macro does not execute

when you call it or partially
executes and stops.

A bad value was passed to

the macro (for example, as
a parameter).

A macro successfully
executes only when it
receives the correct number
of parameters that are of the
correct type.

A syntax error exists

somewhere in the macro
definition.
The macro executes but the
SAS code gives bad results or
no results.

Incorrect logic in the macro

or SAS code.

Code runs fine if submitted as

open code, but when generated
by a macro, the code does not
work and issues strange error
messages.

Tokenization is not as you

intended.

A %MACRO statement
generates invalid statement
error.

The MACRO system

option is turned off.

A syntax error exists

somewhere in the macro
definition.

A syntax error exists

somewhere in the macro
definition.

Rarely, macro quoting

functions alter the
tokenization of text enclosed
in them. Use the
%UNQUOTE Function on
page 274.
For the macro facility to
work, the MACRO system
option must be on. Edit your
SAS configuration file
accordingly.

The following table lists some common macro error and warning messages. For each
message, some probable causes are listed, and pointers to more information are
provided.

Troubleshooting Your Macros

Table 10.2

123

Common Macro Error Messages and Causes

Error Message

Possible Causes

For More Information

Apparent invocation
of macro xxx not
resolved.

You have misspelled the

macro name.

Check the spelling of the

macro name.

MAUTOSOURCE system
option is turned off.

Solving Problems with

the Autocall Facility on
page 130.

MAUTOSOURCE is on,
but you have specified an
incorrect pathname in the
SASAUTOS= system
option.

Developing Bug-free
Macros on page 121.

You are using the autocall

facility but have given the
macro and file different
names.
You are using the autocall
facility but did not give
the file the .sas
extension.
There is a syntax error
within the macro
definition.

Apparent symbolic
reference xxx not
resolved.

You are trying to resolve a

macro variable in the same
DATA step as the CALL
SYMPUT that created it.
You have misspelled the
macro variable name.
You are referencing a
macro variable that is not
in scope.
You have omitted the
period delimiter when
adding text to the end of
the macro variable.

Resolving Timing
Issues on page 128.
Check the spelling of the
macro variable.
Solving Problems with
Macro Variable Scope on
page 124.
Solving Macro Variable
Resolution Problems on
page 123.
Generating a Suffix for a
Macro Variable
Reference in
Introduction to the Macro
Facility on page 3.

Solving Macro Variable Resolution Problems

When the macro processor examines a name token that follows an &, it searches the
macro symbol tables for a matching macro variable entry. If it finds a matching entry, it
pulls the associated text from the symbol table and replaces &name on the input stack. A
macro variable name is passed to the macro processor, but the processor does not find a
matching entry in the symbol tables. So, it leaves the token on the input stack and
generates this message:
WARNING: Apparent symbolic reference
NAME not resolved.

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The unresolved token is transferred to the input stack for use by other parts of SAS.
Note: You receive the WARNING only if the SERROR system option is on.
To solve these problems, check that you have spelled the macro variable name right and
that you are referencing it in an appropriate scope.
When a macro variable resolves but does not resolve to the correct value, you can check
several things. First, if the variable is a result of a calculation, ensure that the correct
values were passed into the calculation. And, ensure that you have not inadvertently
changed the value of a global variable. (See Solving Problems with Macro Variable
Scope on page 124 for more details about variable scope problems.)
Another common problem is adding text to the end of a macro variable but forgetting to
add a delimiter that shows where the macro variable name ends and the added text
begins. For example, suppose you want to write a TITLE statement with a reference to
WEEK1, WEEK2, and so on. You set a macro variable equal to the first part of the
string and supply the week's number in the TITLE statement:
%let wk=week;
title "This is data for &wk1";

/* INCORRECT */

When these statements compile, the macro processor looks for a macro variable named
WK1, not WK. To fix the problem, add a period (the macro delimiter) between the end
of the macro variable name and the added text, as in the following statements:
%let wk=week;
title "This is data for &wk.1";

CAUTION:
Do not use AF, DMS, or SYS as prefixes with macro variable names. The letters

AF, DMS, and SYS are frequently used by SAS as prefixes for macro variables
created by SAS. SAS does not prevent you from using AF, DMS, or SYS as a prefix
for macro variable names. However, using these strings as prefixes might create a
conflict between the names that you specify and the name of a SAS created macro
variable (including automatic macro variables in later SAS releases). If a name
conflict occurs, SAS might not issue a warning or error message, depending on the
details of the conflict. Therefore, the best practice is to avoid using the strings AF,
DMS, or SYS as the beginning characters of macro names and macro variable
names.

Solving Problems with Macro Variable Scope

A common mistake that occurs with macro variables concerns referencing local macro
variables outside of their scopes. As described in Scopes of Macro Variables on page
43 macro variables are either global or local. Referencing a variable outside of its scope
prevents the macro processor from resolving the variable reference. For example,
consider the following program:
%macro totinv(var);
data inv;
retain total 0;
set sasuser.houses end=final;
total=total+&var;
if final then call symput("macvar",put(total,dollar14.2));
run;

Troubleshooting Your Macros

125

%put **** TOTAL=&macvar ****;

%mend totinv;
%totinv(price)
%put **** TOTAL=&macvar ****;

/* ERROR */

When you submit these statements, the %PUT statement in the macro TOTINV writes
the value of TOTAL to the log. The %PUT statement that follows the macro call
generates a warning message and writes the text TOTAL=&macvar to the log, as
follows:
TOTAL= $1,240,800.00
WARNING: Apparent symbolic reference MACVAR not resolved.
**** TOTAL=&macvar ****

The second %PUT statement fails because the macro variable MACVAR is local to the
TOTINV macro. To correct the error, you must use a %GLOBAL statement to declare
the macro variable MACVAR.
Another common mistake that occurs with macro variables concerns overlapping macro
variable names. If, within a macro definition, you refer to a macro variable with the
same name as a global macro variable, you affect the global variable, which might not be
what you intended. Either give your macro variables distinct names or use a %LOCAL
statement to specifically define the variables in a local scope. See Forcing a Macro
Variable to Be Local on page 58 for an example of this technique.

Solving Open Code Statement Recursion Problems

Recursion is something calling itself. Open code recursion is when your open code
erroneously causes a macro statement to call another macro statement. This call is
referred to as a recursive reference. The most common error that causes open code
recursion is a missing semicolon. In the following example, the %LET statement is not
terminated by a semicolon:
%let a=b
/* ERROR */
%put **** &a ****;

When the macro processor encounters the %PUT statement within the %LET statement,
it generates this error message:
ERROR: Open code statement recursion detected.

Open code recursion errors usually occur because the macro processor is not reading
your macro statements as you intended. Careful proofreading can usually solve open
code recursion errors, because this type of error is mostly the result of typos in your
code, not errors in execution logic.
To recover from an open code recursion error, first try submitting a single semicolon. If
that does not work, try submitting the following string:
*'; *"; *); */; %mend; run;

Continue submitting this string until the following message appears in the SAS log:
ERROR: No matching %MACRO statement for this %MEND statement.

If the above method does not work, close your SAS session and restart SAS. Of course,
closing and restarting SAS causes you to lose any unsaved data. Be sure to save often
while you are developing your macros, and proofread them carefully before you submit
them.

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Solving Problems with Macro Functions

Some common causes of problems with macro functions include the following:

misspelling the function name

omitting the opening or closing parenthesis

omitting an argument or specifying an extra argument

If you encounter an error related to a macro function, you might also see other error
messages. The messages are generated by the invalid tokens left on the input stack by
the macro processor.
Consider the following example. The user wants to use the %SUBSTR function to
assign a portion of the value of the macro variable LINCOLN to the macro variable
SECONDWD. But a typo exists in the second %LET statement, where %SUBSTR is
misspelled as %SUBSRT:
%macro test;
%let lincoln=Four score and seven;
%let secondwd=%subsrt(&lincoln,6,5);
%put *** &secondwd ***;
%mend test;

/* ERROR */

%test

When the erroneous program is submitted, the following appears in the SAS log:
WARNING: Apparent invocation of macro SUBSRT not resolved.

The error messages clearly point to the function name, which is misspelled.

Solving Unresolved Macro Problems

When a macro name is passed to the macro processor but the processor does not find a
matching macro definition, it generates the following message:
WARNING: Apparent invocation of macro
NAME not resolved.

This error could be caused by the following:

the misspelling of the name of a macro or a macro function

an error in a macro definition that caused the macro to be compiled as a dummy

macro

A dummy macro is a macro that the macro processor partially compiles but does not
store.
Note: You receive this warning only if the MERROR system option is on.

Solving the Black Hole Macro Problem

When the macro processor begins compiling a macro definition, it reads and compiles
tokens until it finds a matching %MEND statement. If you omit a %MEND statement or
cause it to be unrecognized by omitting a semicolon in the preceding statement, the

Troubleshooting Your Macros

127

macro processor does not stop compiling tokens. Every line of code that you submit
becomes part of the macro.
Resubmitting the macro definition and adding the %MEND statement does not correct
the error. When you submit the corrected definition, the macro processor treats it as a
nested definition in the original macro definition. The macro processor must find a
matching %MEND statement to stop compilation.
Note: It is a good practice to use the %MEND statement with the macro name, so you
can easily match %MACRO and %MEND statements.
If you recognize that SAS is not processing submitted statements and you are not sure
how to recover, submit %MEND statements one at a time until the following message
appears in the SAS log:
ERROR: No matching %MACRO statement for this %MEND statement.

Then recall the original erroneous macro definition, correct the error in the %MEND
statement, and submit the definition for compilation.
There are other syntax errors that can create similar problems, such as unmatched
quotation marks and unclosed parentheses. Often, one of these syntax errors leads to
others. Consider the following example:
%macro rooms;
/* other macro statements& */
%put **** %str(John's office) ****;
%mend rooms;

/* ERROR */

%rooms

When you submit these statements, the macro processor begins to compile the macro
definition ROOMS. However, the single quotation mark in the %PUT statement is not
marked by a percent sign. Therefore, during compilation the macro processor interprets
the single quotation mark as the beginning of a literal token. It does not recognize the
closing parenthesis, the semicolon at the end of the statement, or the %MEND statement
at the end of the macro definition.
To recover from this error, you must submit the following:
');
%mend;

If the above methods do not work, try submitting the following string:
*'; *"; *); */; %mend; run;

Continue submitting this string until the following message appears in the SAS log:
ERROR: No matching %MACRO statement for this %MEND statement.

Obviously, it is easier to catch these errors before they occur. You can avoid subtle
syntax errors by carefully checking your macros before submitting them for compilation.
See Developing Bug-free Macros on page 121 for a syntax checklist.
Note: Another cause of unexplained and unexpected macro behavior is using a reserved
word as the name of a macro variable or macro. For example, because SAS reserves
names starting with SYS, you should not create macros and macro variables with
names beginning with SYS. Most host environments have reserved words too. For
example, on PC-based platforms, the word CON is reserved for console input. Check

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Reserved Words in the Macro Facility on page 363 for reserved SAS keywords.
Check your SAS companion for host environment reserved words.

Resolving Timing Issues

Many macro errors occur because a macro variable resolves at a different time than
when the user intended or a macro statement executes at an unexpected time. A prime
example of the importance of timing is when you use CALL SYMPUT to write a DATA
step variable to a macro variable. You cannot use this macro variable in the same DATA
step where it is defined; only in subsequent steps (after the DATA step's RUN
statement).
The key to preventing timing errors is to understand how the macro processor works. In
simplest terms, the two major steps are compilation and execution. The compilation step
resolves all macro code to compiled code. Then the code is executed. Most timing errors
occur because of the following:

the user expects something to happen during compilation that does not actually occur
until execution

expects something to happen later but is actually executed right away

Here are two examples to help you understand why the timing of compilation and
execution can be important.

Example of a Macro Statement Executing Immediately

In the following program, the user intends to use the %LET statement and the SR_CIT
variable to indicate whether a data set contains any data for senior citizens:
data senior;
set census;
if age > 65 then
do;
%let sr_cit = yes;
output;
end;
run;

/* ERROR */

However, the results differ from the user's expectations. The %LET statement is
executed immediately, while the DATA step is being compiled--before the data set is
read. Therefore, the %LET statement executes regardless of the results of the IF
condition. Even if the data set contains no observations where AGE is greater than 65,
SR_CIT is always yes.
The solution is to set the macro variable's value by a means that is controlled by the IF
logic and does not execute unless the IF statement is true. In this case, the user should
use CALL SYMPUT, as in the following correct program:
%let sr_cit = no;
data senior;
set census;
if age > 65 then
do;
call symput ("sr_cit","yes");
output;
end;
run;

Troubleshooting Your Macros

129

When this program is submitted, the value of SR_CIT is set to yesonly if an observation
is found with AGE greater than 65. Note that the variable was initialized to no. It is
generally a good idea to initialize your macro variables.

Resolving Macro Resolution Problems Occurring During DATA Step

Compilation
In the previous example, you learned you had to use CALL SYMPUT to conditionally
assign a macro variable a value in a DATA step. So, you submit the following program:
%let sr_age = 0;
data senior;
set census;
if age > 65 then
do;
call symput("sr_age",age);
put "This data set contains data about a person";
put "who is &sr_age years old."; /* ERROR */
end;
run;

If AGE was 67, you would expect to see a log message like the following:
This data set contains data about a person
who is 67 years old.

However, no matter what AGE is, the following message is sent to the log:
This data set contains data about a person
who is 0 years old.

When the DATA step is being compiled, &SR_AGE is sent to the macro facility for
resolution, and the result is passed back before the DATA step executes. To achieve the
desired result, submit this corrected program instead:
%let sr_age = 0;
data senior;
set census;
if age > 65 then
do;
call symput("sr_age",age);
stop;
end;
run;
data _null_;
put "This data set contains data about a person";
put "who is &sr_age years old.";
run;

Note: Use double quotation marks in statements like PUT, because macro variables do
not resolve when enclosed in single quotation marks.
Here is another example of erroneously referring to a macro variable in the same step
that creates it:
data _null_;
retain total 0;
set mydata end=final;
total=total+price;

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call symput("macvar",put(total,dollar14.2));
if final then put "*** total=&macvar ***"; /* ERROR */
run;

When these statements are submitted, the following lines are written to the SAS log:
WARNING: Apparent symbolic reference MACVAR not resolved.
*** total=&macvar ***

As this DATA step is tokenized and compiled, the &causes the word scanner to trigger
the macro processor, which looks for a MACVAR entry in a symbol table. Because such
an entry does not exist, the macro processor generates the warning message. Because the
tokens remain on the input stack, they are transferred to the DATA step compiler.
During DATA step execution, the CALL SYMPUT statement creates the macro variable
MACVAR and assigns a value to it. However, the text &macvarin the PUT statement
occurs because the text has already been processed while the macro was being compiled.
If you were to resubmit these statements and the macro would appear to work correctly,
but the value of MACVAR would reflect the value set during the previous execution of
the DATA step. This value can be misleading.
Remember that in general, the % and &trigger immediate execution or resolution during
the compilation stage of the rest of your SAS code.
For more examples and explanation of how CALL SYMPUT creates macro variables,
see Special Cases of Scope with the CALL SYMPUT Routine on page 63.

Solving Problems with the Autocall Facility

The autocall facility is an efficient way of storing and using production (debugged)
macros. When a call to an autocall macro produces an error, the cause is one of two
things:

an erroneous autocall library specification

an invalid autocall macro definition.

If the error is the autocall library specification and the MERROR option is set, SAS can
generate any or all of the following warnings:
WARNING: No logical assign for filename
FILENAME.
WARNING: Source level autocall is not found or cannot be opened.
Autocall has been suspended and OPTION NOMAUTOSOURCE has
been set. To use the autocall facility again, set OPTION
MAUTOSOURCE.
WARNING: Apparent invocation of macro
MACRO-NAME not resolved.

If the error is in the autocall macro definition, SAS generates a message like the
following:
NOTE: Line generated by the invoked macro
"MACRO-NAME".

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131

Fixing Autocall Library Specifications

When an autocall library specification causes an error, it is because the macro processor
cannot find the member containing the autocall macro definition in the library or
libraries specified in the SASAUTOS system option.
To correct this error, follow these steps.
1. If the unresolved macro call created an invalid SAS statement, submit a single
semicolon to terminate the invalid statement. SAS is then able to correctly recognize
subsequent statements.
2. Look at the value of the SASAUTOS system option by printing the output of the
OPTIONS procedure or by viewing the OPTIONS window in the SAS windowing
environment. (Or, edit your SAS configuration file or SAS autoexec file.) Verify
each fileref or directory name. If you find an error, submit a new OPTIONS
statement or change the SASAUTOS setting in the OPTIONS window.
3. Check the MAUTOSOURCE system option. If SAS could not open at least one
library, it sets the NOMAUTOSOURCE option. If NOMAUTOSOURCE is present,
reset MAUTOSOURCE with a new OPTIONS statement or the OPTIONS window.
4. If the library specifications are correct, check the contents of each directory to verify
that the autocall library member exists and that it contains a macro definition of the
same name. If the member is missing, add it.
5. Set the MRECALL option with a new OPTIONS statement or the OPTIONS
window. By default, the macro processor searches only once for an undefined macro.
Setting this option causes the macro processor to search the autocall libraries for the
specification again.
6. Call the autocall macro, which includes and submits the autocall macro source.
7. Reset the NOMRECALL option.
Note: Some host environments have environment variables or system-level logical
names assigned to the SASAUTOS library; check your SAS companion for more
information about how the SASAUTOS library specification is handled in your host
environment.

Fixing Autocall Macro Definition Errors

When the autocall facility locates an autocall library member, the macro processor
compiles any macros in that library member. It stores the compiled macros in the catalog
containing stored compiled macros. For the rest of your SAS session, invoking one of
those macros retrieves the compiled macro from the WORK library. Under no
circumstances does the autocall facility use an autocall library member when a compiled
macro with the same name already exists. Thus, if you invoke an autocall macro and
discover you made an error when you defined it, you must correct the autocall library
member for future use. Compile the corrected version directly in your program or
session.
To correct an autocall macro definition in a windowing environment, do the following:
1. Use the INCLUDE command to bring the autocall library member into the SAS
Program Editor window. If the macro is stored in a catalog SOURCE entry, use the
COPY command to bring the program into the Program Editor window.

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2. Correct the error.

3. Store a copy of the corrected macro in the autocall library with the FILE command
for a macro in an external file or with a SAVE command for a macro in a catalog
entry.
4. Submit the macro definition from the Program Editor window.
The macro processor then compiles the corrected version, replacing the incorrect
compiled macro. The corrected, compiled macro is now ready to execute at the next
invocation.
To correct an autocall macro definition in an interactive line mode session, do the
following:
1. Edit the autocall macro source with a text editor.
2. Correct the error.
3. Use a %INCLUDE statement to bring the corrected library member into your SAS
session.
The macro processor then compiles the corrected version, replacing the incorrect
compiled macro. The corrected, compiled macro is now ready to execute at the next
invocation.

File and Macro Names for Autocall

When you want to use a macro as an autocall macro, you must store the macro in a file
with the same name as the macro. Also, the file extension must be .sas (if your
operating system uses file extensions). If you experience problems with the autocall
facility, be sure the macro and filenames match and the file has the right extension when
necessary.

Displaying Information about Stored Compiled Macros

To display the list of entries in a catalog containing compiled macros, you can use the
Catalog window or the CATALOG procedure. The following PROC step displays the
contents of a macro catalog in a SAS library identified with the libref MYSASLIB:
libname mysaslib
'SAS-data-library';
proc catalog catalog=mysaslib.sasmacr;
contents;
run;
quit;

You can also use PROC CATALOG to display information about autocall library
macros stored in SOURCE entries in a catalog. You cannot use PROC CATALOG or
the Explorer window to copy, delete, or rename stored compiled macros.
You can use the MCOMPILENOTE system option to issue a note to the log upon the
completion of the compilation of any macro. For more information, see
MCOMPILENOTE System Option on page 335.
In SAS 6.11 and later, you can use PROC SQL to retrieve information about all
compiled macros. For example, submitting these statements produces output similar to
the following output:

Troubleshooting Your Macros

133

proc sql;
select * from dictionary.catalogs
where memname in ('SASMACR');
Output 10.1 Output from PROC SQL Program for Viewing Compiled Macros

Library
Member
Member
Object
Object
Date
Object
Name
Name
Type
Name
Type
Object Description
Modified Alias
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------WORK
SASMACR
CATALOG
FINDAUTO MACRO
05/28/96
SASDATA

SASMACR

CATALOG

CLAUSE

MACRO

Count words in clause

05/24/96

SASDATA

SASMACR

CATALOG

CMPRES

MACRO

CMPRES autocall macro

05/24/96

SASDATA

SASMACR

CATALOG

DATATYP

MACRO

DATATYP autocall macro

05/24/96

SASDATA

SASMACR

CATALOG

LEFT

MACRO

LEFT autocall macro

05/24/96

To display information about compiled macros when you invoke them, use the SAS
system options MLOGIC, MPRINT, and SYMBOLGEN. When you specify the SAS
system option MLOGIC, the libref and date of compilation of a stored compiled macro
are written to the log along with the usual information displayed during macro
execution.

Solving Problems with Expression Evaluation

The following macro statements use the %EVAL function:
Table 10.3

Macro Statements That Use the %EVAL Function

%DO

%IF-%THEN

%SCAN

%DO %UNTIL

%QSCAN

%SYSEVALF

%DO %WHILE

%QSUBSTR

%SUBSTR

In addition, you can use the %EVAL function to specify an expression evaluation.
The most common errors that occur while evaluating expressions are the presence of
character operands where numeric operands are required or ambiguity about whether a
token is a numeric operator or a character value. Macro Expressions on page 71
discusses these and other macro expression errors.
Quite often, an error occurs when a special character or a keyword appears in a character
string. Consider the following program:
%macro conjunct(word= );
%if &word = and or &word = but or &word = or %then
%do %put *** &word is a conjunction. ***;
%else
%do %put *** &word is not a conjunction. ***;
%mend conjunct;

/* ERROR */

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In the %IF statement, the values of WORD being tested are ambiguous they could
also be interpreted as the numeric operators AND and OR. Therefore, SAS generates the
following error messages in the log:
ERROR: A character operand was found in the %EVAL function or %IF
condition where a numeric operand is required. The condition
was:word = and or
&word = but or
&word = or
ERROR: The macro will stop executing.

To fix this problem, use the quoting functions %BQUOTE and %STR, as in the
following corrected program:
%macro conjunct(word= );
%if %bquote(&word) = %str(and) or %bquote(&word) = but or
%bquote(&word) = %str(or) %then
%do %put *** &word is a conjunction. ***;
%else
%do %put *** &word is not a conjunction. ***;
%mend conjunct;

In the corrected program, the %BQUOTE function quotes the result of the macro
variable resolution (in case the user passes in a word containing an unmatched quotation
mark or some other odd value). The %STR function quotes the comparison values AND
and OR at compile time, so they are not ambiguous. You do not need to use %STR on
the value BUT, because it is not ambiguous (not part of the SAS or macro languages).
See Macro Quoting on page 80 for more information about using macro quoting
functions.

Debugging Techniques
Using System Options to Track Problems
The SAS system options MLOGIC, MLOGICNEST, MPRINT, MPRINTNEST, and
SYMBOLGEN can help you track the macro code and SAS code generated by your
macro. Messages generated by these options appear in the SAS log, prefixed by the
name of the option responsible for the message.
Note: Whenever you use the macro facility, use the following macro options: MACRO,
MERROR, and SERROR. SOURCE is a system option that is helpful when using
the macro facility. It is also helpful to use the SOURCE2 system option when using
the %INCLUDE.
Although the following sections discuss each system option separately, you can, of
course, combine them. However, each option can produce a significant amount of
output, and too much information can be as confusing as too little. So, use only those
options that you think you might need and turn them off when you complete the
debugging.

Tracing the Flow of Execution with MLOGIC

The MLOGIC system option traces the flow of execution of your macro, including the
resolution of parameters, the scope of variables (global or local), the conditions of macro
expressions being evaluated, the number of loop iterations, and the beginning and end of

Debugging Techniques

135

each macro execution. Use the MLOGIC option when you think a bug lies in the
program logic (as opposed to simple syntax errors).
Note: MLOGIC can produce a lot of output, so use it only when necessary, and turn it
off when debugging is finished.
In the following example, the macro FIRST calls the macro SECOND to evaluate an
expression:
%macro second(param);
%let a = %eval(&param); &a
%mend second;
%macro first(exp);
%if (%second(&exp) ge 0) %then
%put **** result >= 0 ****;
%else
%put **** result < 0 ****;
%mend first;
options mlogic;
%first(1+2)

Submitting this example with option MLOGIC shows when each macro starts execution,
the values of passed parameters, and the result of the expression evaluation.
MLOGIC(FIRST):
MLOGIC(FIRST):
MLOGIC(SECOND):
MLOGIC(SECOND):
MLOGIC(SECOND):
MLOGIC(SECOND):
MLOGIC(FIRST):
MLOGIC(FIRST):
MLOGIC(FIRST):

Beginning execution.
Parameter EXP has value 1+2
Beginning execution.
Parameter PARAM has value 1+2
%LET (variable name is A)
Ending execution.
%IF condition (%second(&exp) ge 0) is TRUE
%PUT **** result >= 0 ****
Ending execution.

Nesting Information Generated by MLOGICNEST

MLOGICNEST allows the macro nesting information to be written to the SAS log in the
MLOGIC output. The setting of MLOGICNEST does not imply the setting of MLOGIC.
You must set both MLOGIC and MLOGICNEST in order for output (with nesting
information) to be written to the SAS log.
For more information and an example, see MLOGICNEST System Option on page
347.

Examining the Generated SAS Statements with MPRINT

The MPRINT system option writes to the SAS log each SAS statement generated by a
macro. Use the MPRINT option when you suspect your bug lies in code that is generated
in a manner that you did not expect.
For example, the following program generates a simple DATA step:
%macro second(param);
%let a = %eval(&param); &a
%mend second;

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%macro first(exp);
data _null_;
var=%second(&exp);
put var=;
run;
%mend first;
options mprint;
%first(1+2)

When you submit these statements with option MPRINT, these lines are written to the
SAS log:
MPRINT(FIRST):
DATA _NULL_;
MPRINT(FIRST):
VAR=
MPRINT(SECOND): 3
MPRINT(FIRST): ;
MPRINT(FIRST):
PUT VAR=;
MPRINT(FIRST):
RUN;
VAR=3

The MPRINT option shows you the generated text and identifies the macro that
generated it.

Nesting Information Generated by MPRINTNEST

MPRINTNEST allows the macro nesting information to be written to the SAS log in the
MPRINT output. This value has no effect on the MPRINT output that is sent to an
external file. For more information, see MFILE System Option on page 343.
The setting of MPRINTNEST does not imply the setting of MPRINT. You must set both
MPRINT and MPRINTNEST in order for output (with the nesting information) to be
written to the SAS log.
For more information and an example, see MPRINTNEST System Option on page
351.

Storing MPRINT Output in an External File

You can store text that is generated by the macro facility during macro execution in an
external file. Printing the statements generated during macro execution to a file is useful
for debugging macros when you want to test generated text in a later SAS session.
To use this feature, set both the MFILE and MPRINT system options on. Also assign
MPRINT as the fileref for the file to contain the output generated by the macro facility:
options mprint mfile;
filename mprint 'external-file';

The external file created by the MPRINT system option remains open until the SAS
session terminates. The MPRINT text generated by the macro facility is written to the
log during the SAS session and to the external file when the session ends. The text
consists of program statements generated during macro execution with macro variable
references and macro expressions resolved. Only statements generated by the macro are
stored in the external file. Any program statements outside the macro are not written to
the external file. Each statement begins on a new line with one space separating words.

Debugging Techniques

137

The text is stored in the external file without the MPRINT(macroname: prefix, which is
displayed in the log.
If MPRINT is not assigned as a fileref or if the file cannot be accessed, warnings are
written to the log and MFILE is turned off. To use the feature again, you must specify
MFILE again.
By default, the MPRINT and MFILE options are off.
The following example uses the MPRINT and MFILE options to store generated text in
the external file named TEMPOUT:
options mprint mfile;
filename mprint 'TEMPOUT';
%macro temp;
data one;
%do i=1 %to 3;
x&i=&i;
%end;
run;
%mend temp;
%temp

The macro facility writes the following lines to the SAS log and creates the external file
named TEMPOUT:
MPRINT(TEMP):
DATA ONE;
NOTE: The macro generated output from MPRINT will also be written
to external file '/u/local/abcdef/TEMPOUT' while OPTIONS
MPRINT and MFILE are set.
MPRINT(TEMP):
X1=1;
MPRINT(TEMP):
X2=2;
MPRINT(TEMP):
X3=3;
MPRINT(TEMP):
RUN;

When the SAS session ends, the file TEMPOUT contains:

DATA ONE;
X1=1;
X2=2;
X3=3;
RUN;

Note: Using MPRINT to write code to an external file is a debugging tool only. It
should not be used to create SAS code files for purposes other than debugging.

Examining Macro Variable Resolution with SYMBOLGEN

The SYMBOLGEN system option tells you what each macro variable resolves to by
writing messages to the SAS log. This option is especially useful in spotting quoting
problems, where the macro variable resolves to something other than what you intended
because of a special character.
For example, suppose you submit the following statements:
options symbolgen;
%let a1=dog;

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%let
%let
%let
%let
%let
%put
%put

b2=cat;
b=1;
c=2;
d=a;
e=b;
**** &&&d&b ****;
**** &&&e&c ****;

The SYMBOLGEN option writes these lines to the SAS log:

SYMBOLGEN: && resolves to
SYMBOLGEN: Macro variable
SYMBOLGEN: Macro variable
SYMBOLGEN: Macro variable
**** dog ****

&.
D resolves to a
B resolves to 1
A1 resolves to dog

SYMBOLGEN: && resolves to

SYMBOLGEN: Macro variable
SYMBOLGEN: Macro variable
SYMBOLGEN: Macro variable
**** cat ****

&.
E resolves to b
C resolves to 2
B2 resolves to cat

Reading the log provided by the SYMBOLGEN option is easier than examining the
program statements to trace the indirect resolution. Notice that the SYMBOLGEN
option traces each step of the macro variable resolution by the macro processor. When
the resolution is complete, the %PUT statement writes the value to the SAS log.
When you use SYMBOLGEN to trace the values of macro variables that have been
masked with a macro quoting function, you might see an additional message about the
quoting being stripped for printing. For example, suppose you submit the following
statements, with SYMBOLGEN set to on:
%let nickname = %str(My name%'s O%'Malley, but I%'m called Bruce);
%put *** &nickname ***;

The SAS log contains the following after these statements have executed:
SYMBOLGEN:

Macro variable NICKNAME resolves to

My name's O'Malley, but I'm called Bruce
SYMBOLGEN: Some characters in the above value which were
subject to macro quoting have been
unquoted for printing.
*** My name's O'Malley, but I'm called Bruce ***

You can ignore the unquoting message.

Using the %PUT Statement to Track Problems

Along with using the SYMBOLGEN system option to write the values of macro
variables to the SAS log, you might find it useful to use the %PUT statement while
developing and debugging your macros. When the macro is finished, you can delete or
comment out the %PUT statements. The following table provides some occasions where
you might find the %PUT statement helpful in debugging, and an example of each:

Debugging Techniques
Table 10.4

139

Example %PUT Statements That Are Useful when Debugging Macros

Situation

Example

show a macro variable's value

%PUT ****&=variable-name****;

check leading or trailing blanks in a variable's

value

%PUT ***&variable-name***;

check double-ampersand resolution, as during

a loop

%PUT ***variable-name&i =
&&variable-name***;

check evaluation of a condition

%PUT ***This condition was

met.***;

As you recall, macro variables are stored in symbol tables. There is a global symbol
table, which contains global macro variables, and a local symbol table, which contains
local macro variables. During the debugging process, you might find it helpful on
occasion to print these tables to examine the scope and values of a group of macro
variables. To do so, use the %PUT statement with one of the following options:
_ALL_
describes all currently defined macro variables, regardless of scope. User-generated
global and local variables as well as automatic macro variables are included.
_AUTOMATIC_
describes all automatic macro variables. The scope is listed as AUTOMATIC. All
automatic macro variables are global except SYSPBUFF.
_GLOBAL_
describes all global macro variables that were not created by the macro processor.
The scope is listed as GLOBAL. Automatic macro variables are not listed.
_LOCAL_
describes user-generated local macro variables defined within the currently executing
macro. The scope is listed as the name of the macro in which the macro variable is
defined.
_USER_
describes all user-generated macro variables, regardless of scope. For global macro
variables, the scope is GLOBAL; for local macro variables, the scope is the name of
the macro.
The following example uses the %PUT statement with the argument _USER_ to
examine the global and local variables available to the macro TOTINV. Notice the use
of the user-generated macro variable TRACE to control when the %PUT statement
writes values to the log.
%macro totinv(var);
%global macvar;
data inv;
retain total 0;
set sasuser.houses end=final;
total=total+&var;
if final then call symput("macvar",put(total,dollar14.2));
run;
%if &trace = ON

%then

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%do;
%put *** Tracing macro scopes. ***;
%put _USER_;
%end;
%mend totinv;
%let trace=ON;
%totinv(price)
%put *** TOTAL=&macvar ***;

When you submit these statements, the first %PUT statement in the macro TOTINV
writes the message about tracing being on and then writes the scope and value of all user
generated macro variables to the SAS log.
*** Tracing macro scopes. ***
TOTINV VAR price
GLOBAL TRACE ON
GLOBAL MACVAR $1,240,800.00
*** TOTAL= $1,240,800.00 ***

See Scopes of Macro Variables on page 43 for a more detailed discussion of macro
variable scopes.

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Macros

Writing Efficient and Portable Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Keeping Efficiency in Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Writing Efficient Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Use Macros Wisely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Use Name Style Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Avoid Nested Macro Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Assign Function Results to Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Turn Off System Options When Appropriate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Use the Stored Compiled Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Centrally Store Autocall Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Other Useful Efficiency Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Storing Only One Copy of a Long Macro Variable Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Writing Portable Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Using Portable SAS Language Functions with %SYSFUNC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Example Using %SYSFUNC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Using Automatic Variables with Host-Specific Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Example Using SYSPARM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
SYSPARM Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
SYSRC Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Macro Language Elements with System Dependencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Host-Specific Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Naming Macros and External Files for Use with the Autocall Facility . . . . . . . . . 154

Writing Efficient and Portable Macros

The macro facility is a powerful tool for making your SAS code development more
efficient. But macros are only as efficient as you make them. There are several
techniques and considerations for writing efficient macros. If you intend to extend the
power of the macro facility by creating macros that can be used on more than one host
environment, there are additional considerations for writing portable macros.

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Keeping Efficiency in Perspective

Efficiency is an elusive thing, hard to quantify and harder still to define. What works
with one application might not work with another, and what is efficient on one host
environment might be inefficient on a different system. However, there are some
generalities that you should keep in mind.
Usually, efficiency issues are discussed in terms of CPU cycles, elapsed time, I/O hits,
memory usage, disk storage, and so on. This section does not give benchmarks in these
terms because of all the variables involved. A program that runs only once needs
different tuning than a program that runs hundreds of times. An application running on a
mainframe has different hardware parameters than an application developed on a
desktop PC. You must keep efficiency in perspective with your environment.
There are different approaches to efficiency, depending on what resources you want to
conserve. Are CPU cycles more critical than I/O hits? Do you have lots of memory but
no disk space? Taking stock of your situation before deciding how to tune your
programs is a good idea.
The area of efficiency most affected by the SAS macro facility is human efficiency
how much time is required to both develop and maintain a program. Autocall macros are
particularly important in this area because the autocall facility provides code reusability.
Once you develop a macro that performs a task, you can save it and use it not only in the
application that you developed it for, but also in future applications without any further
work. A library of reusable, immediately callable macros is a boon to any application
development team.
The stored compiled macro facility (described in Storing and Reusing Macros on page
113) might reduce execution time by enabling previously compiled macros to be
accessed during different SAS jobs and sessions. But it is a tool that is efficient only for
production applications, not during application development. So the efficiency
techniques that you choose depend not only on your hardware and personnel situation,
but also on the stage that you have reached in your application development process.
Also, remember that incorporating macro code into a SAS application does not
automatically make the application more efficient. When designing a SAS application,
concentrate on making the basic SAS code that macros generate more efficient. There
are many sources for information about efficient SAS code, including SAS Programming
Tips: A Guide to Efficient SAS Processing.

Writing Efficient Macros

Use Macros Wisely
An application that uses a macro to generate only constant text is inefficient. In general,
for these situations consider using a %INCLUDE statement. Because the %INCLUDE
statement does not have to compile the code first (it is executed immediately), it might
be more efficient than using a macro (especially if the code is executed only once). If
you use the same code repeatedly, it might be more efficient to use a macro because a
macro is compiled only once during a SAS job, no matter how many times it is called.

Writing Efficient Macros

143

However, using %INCLUDE requires you to know exactly where the physical file is
stored and specify this name in the program itself. Because with the autocall facility all
you have to remember is the name of the macro (not a pathname), the gain in human
efficiency might more than offset the time gained by not compiling the macro. Also,
macros provide additional programming features, such as parameters, conditional
sections, and loops, as well as the ability to view macro variable resolution in the SAS
log.
So, be sure to use a macro only when necessary. And, balance the various efficiency
factors and gains (how many times you use the code, CPU time versus ease-of-use) to
reach a solution that is best for your application.

Use Name Style Macros

Macros come in three invocation types: name style, command style, and statement style.
Of the three, name style is the most efficient because name style macros always begin
with a %, which immediately tells the word scanner to pass the token to the macro
processor. With the other two types, the word scanner does not know immediately
whether the token should be sent to the macro processor. Therefore, time is wasted while
the word scanner determines whether the token should be sent.

Avoid Nested Macro Definitions

Nesting macro definitions inside other macros is usually unnecessary and inefficient.
When you call a macro that contains a nested macro definition, the macro processor
generates the nested macro definition as text and places it on the input stack. The word
scanner then scans the definition and the macro processor compiles it. If you nest the
definition of a macro that does not change, you cause the macro processor to compile the
same macro each time that section of the outer macro is executed.
As a rule, you should define macros separately. If you want to nest a macro's scope,
simply nest the macro call, not the macro definition.
For example, the macro STATS1 contains a nested macro definition for the macro
TITLE:
/* Nesting a Macro Definition--INEFFICIENT */
%macro stats1(product,year);
%macro title;
title "Statistics for &product in &year";
%if &year>1929 and &year<1935 %then
%do;
title2 "Some Data Might Be Missing";
%end;
%mend title;
proc means data=products;
where product="&product" and year=&year;
%title
run;
%mend stats1;
%stats1(steel,2002)
%stats1(beef,2000)
%stats1(fiberglass,2001)

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Each time the macro STATS1 is called, the macro processor generates the definition of
the macro TITLE as text, recognizes a macro definition, and compiles the macro TITLE.
In this case, STATS1 was called three times, which means the TITLE macro was
compiled three times. With only a few statements, this task takes only micro-seconds;
but in large macros with hundreds of statements, the wasted time could be significant.
The values of PRODUCT and YEAR are available to TITLE because its call is within
the definition of STATS1. Therefore, it is unnecessary to nest the definition of TITLE to
make values available to TITLE's scope. Nesting definitions are also unnecessary
because no values in the definition of the TITLE statement are dependent on values that
change during the execution of STATS1. (Even if the definition of the TITLE statement
depended on such values, you could use a global macro variable to effect the changes,
rather than nest the definition.)
The following program shows the macros defined separately:
/* Separating Macro Definitions--EFFICIENT */
%macro stats2(product,year);
proc means data=products;
where product="&product" and year=&year;
%title
run;
%mend stats2;
%macro title;
title "Statistics for &product in &year";
%if &year>1929 and &year<1935 %then
%do;
title2 "Some Data Might Be Missing";
%end;
%mend title;
%stats2(cotton,1999)
%stats2(brick,2002)
%stats2(lamb,2001)

Here, because the definition of the macro TITLE is outside the definition of the macro
STATS2, TITLE is compiled only once, even though STATS2 is called three times.
Again, the values of PRODUCT and YEAR are available to TITLE because its call is
within the definition of STATS2.
Note: Another reason to define macros separately is because it makes them easier to
maintain, each in a separate file.

Assign Function Results to Macro Variables

It is more efficient to resolve a variable reference than it is to evaluate a function.
Therefore, assign the results of frequently used functions to macro variables.
For example, the following macro is inefficient because the length of the macro variable
THETEXT must be evaluated at every iteration of the %DO %WHILE statement:
/* INEFFICIENT MACRO */
%macro test(thetext);
%let x=1;
%do %while (&x > %length(&thetext));
.
.

Writing Efficient Macros

145

.
%end;
%mend test;
%test(Four Score and Seven Years Ago)

A more efficient method would be to evaluate the length of THETEXT once and assign
that value to another macro variable. Then, use that variable in the %DO %WHILE
statement, as in the following program:
/* MORE EFFICIENT MACRO */
%macro test2(thetext);
%let x=1;
%let length=%length(&thetext);
%do %while (&x > &length);
.
.
.
%end;
%mend test2;
%test(Four Score and Seven Years Ago)

As another example, suppose you want to use the %SUBSTR function to pull the year
out of the value of SYSDATE. Instead of using %SUBSTR repeatedly in your code,
assign the value of the %SUBSTR(&SYSDATE, 6) to a macro variable, then use that
variable whenever you need the year.

Turn Off System Options When Appropriate

While the debugging system options, such as MPRINT and MLOGIC, are very helpful
at times, it is inefficient to run production (debugged) macros with this type of system
option set to on. For production macros, run your job with the following settings:
NOMLOGIC, NOMPRINT, NOMRECALL, and NOSYMBOLGEN.
Even if your job has no errors, if you run it with these options turned on you incur the
overhead that the options require. By turning them off, your program runs more
efficiently.
Note: Another approach to deciding when to use MPRINT versus NOMPRINT is to
match this option's setting with the setting of the SOURCE option. That is, if your
program uses the SOURCE option, it should also use MPRINT. If your program uses
NOSOURCE, then run it with NOMPRINT as well.
Note: If you do not use autocall macros, use the NOMAUTOSOURCE system option. If
you do not use stored compiled macros, use the NOMSTORED system option.

Use the Stored Compiled Macro Facility

The stored compiled macro facility reduces execution time by enabling macros compiled
in a previous SAS job or session to be accessed during subsequent SAS jobs and
sessions. Therefore, these macros do not need to be recompiled. Use the stored compiled
macro facility only for production (debugged) macros. It is not efficient to use this
facility when developing a macro application.

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CAUTION:
Save the source code. Because you cannot re-create the source code for a macro

from the compiled code, you should keep a copy of the source code in a safe place,
in case the compiled code becomes corrupted for some reason. Having a copy of the
source is also necessary if you intend to modify the macro at a later time.
See Storing and Reusing Macros on page 113 for more information about the stored
compiled macro facility.
Note: The compiled code generated by the stored compiled macro facility is not
portable. If you need to transfer macros to another host environment, you must move
the source code and recompile and store it on the new host.

Centrally Store Autocall Macros

When using the autocall facility, it is most efficient in terms of I/O to store all your
autocall macros in one library and append that library name to the beginning of the
SASAUTOS system option specification. Of course, you could store the autocall macros
in as many libraries as you want--but each time you call a macro, each library is
searched sequentially until the macro is found. Opening and searching only one library
reduces the time SAS spends looking for macros.
However, it might make more sense, if you have hundreds of autocall macros, to have
them separated into logical divisions according to purpose, levels of production, who
supports them, and so on. As usual, you must balance reduced I/O against ease-of-use
and ease-of-maintenance.
All autocall libraries in the concatenated list are opened and left open during a SAS job
or session. The first time you call an autocall macro, any library that did not open the
first time is tested again each time an autocall macro is used. Therefore, it is extremely
inefficient to have invalid pathnames in your SASAUTOS system option specification.
You see no warnings about this wasted effort on the part of SAS, unless no libraries at
all open.
There are two efficiency tips involving the autocall facility:

Do not store nonmacro code in autocall library files.

Do not store more than one macro in each autocall library file.

Although these two practices are used by SAS and do work, they contribute significantly
to code-maintenance effort and therefore are less efficient.

Other Useful Efficiency Tips

Here are some other efficiency techniques that you can try:

Reset macro variables to null if the variables are no longer going to be referenced.

Use triple ampersands to force an additional scan of macro variables with long
values, when appropriate. See Storing Only One Copy of a Long Macro Variable
Value on page 147 for more information.

Adjust the values of the MSYMTABMAX= System Option on page 354 and
MVARSIZE= System Option on page 355 to fit your situation. In general,
increase the values if disk space is in short supply; decrease the values if memory is
in short supply. MSYMTABMAX affects the space available for storing macro
variable symbol tables; MVARSIZE affects the space available for storing values of
individual macro variables.

Writing Efficient Macros

147

Storing Only One Copy of a Long Macro Variable Value

Because macro variables can have very long values, the way you store macro variables
can affect the efficiency of a program. Indirect references using three ampersands enable
you to store fewer copies of a long value.
For example, suppose your program contains long macro variable values that represent
sections of SAS programs:
%let pgm=%str(data flights;
set schedule;
totmiles=sum(of miles1-miles20);
proc print;
var flightid totmiles;);

You want the SAS program to end with a RUN statement:

%macro check(val);
/* first version */
&val
%if %index(&val,%str(run;))=0 %then %str(run;);
%mend check;

First, the macro CHECK generates the program statements contained in the parameter
VAL (a macro variable that is defined in the %MACRO statement and passed in from
the macro call). Then, the %INDEX function searches the value of VAL for the
characters run;. (The %STR function causes the semicolon to be treated as text.) If the
characters are not present, the %INDEX function returns 0. The %IF condition becomes
true, and the macro processor generates a RUN statement.
To use the macro CHECK with the variable PGM, assign the parameter VAL the value
of PGM in the macro call:
%check(&pgm)

As a result, SAS sees the following statements:

data flights;
set schedule;
totmiles=sum(of miles1-miles20);
proc print;
var flightid totmiles;
run;

The macro CHECK works properly. However, the macro processor assigns the value of
PGM as the value of VAL during the execution of CHECK. Thus, the macro processor
must store two long values (the value of PGM and the value of VAL) while CHECK is
executing.
To make the program more efficient, write the macro so that it uses the value of PGM
rather than copying the value into VAL:
%macro check2(val); /* more efficient macro */
&&&val
%if %index(&&&val,%str(run;))=0 %then %str(run;);
%mend check2;
%check2(pgm)

The macro CHECK2 produces the same result as the macro CHECK:

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data flights;
set schedule;
totmiles=sum(of miles1-miles20);
proc print;
var flightid totmiles;
run;

However, in the macro CHECK2, the value assigned to VAL is simply the name PGM,
not the value of PGM. The macro processor resolves &&&VAL into &PGM and then
into the SAS statements contained in the macro variable PGM. Thus, the long value is
stored only once.

Writing Portable Macros

Using Portable SAS Language Functions with %SYSFUNC
If your code runs in two different environments, you have essentially doubled the worth
of your development effort. But portable applications require some planning ahead. For
more details about any host-specific feature of SAS, see the SAS documentation for your
host environment.
You can use the %SYSFUNC macro function to access SAS language functions to
perform most host-specific operations, such as opening or deleting a file. For more
information, see %SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC Functions on page 268.
Using %SYSFUNC to access portable SAS language functions can save you a lot of
macro coding (and is therefore not only portable but also more efficient). The following
table lists some common host-specific tasks and the functions that perform those tasks.
Table 11.1

Portable SAS Language Functions and Their Uses

Task

SAS Language
Function or
Functions

Assign and verify existence of fileref and physical file

FILENAME,
FILEREF,
PATHNAME

Open a file

FOPEN, MOPEN

Verify existence of a file

FEXIST, FILEEXIST

Get information about a file

FINFO,
FOPTNAME,
FOPTNUM

Write data to a file

FAPPEND, FWRITE

Read from a file

FPOINT, FREAD,
FREWIND, FRLEN

Close a file

FCLOSE

Writing Portable Macros

149

Task

SAS Language
Function or
Functions

Delete a file

FDELETE

Open a directory

DOPEN

Return information about a directory

DINFO, DNUM,
DOPTNAME,
DOPTNUM, DREAD

Close a directory

DCLOSE

Read a host-specific option

GETOPTION

Interact with the File Data Buffer (FDB)

FCOL, FGET,
FNOTE, FPOS,
FPUT, FSEP

Assign and verify librefs

LIBNAME, LIBREF,
PATHNAME

Get information about executed host environment commands

SYSRC

Note: Of course, you can also use other functions, such as ABS, MAX, and
TRANWRD, with %SYSFUNC. A few SAS language functions are not available
with %SYSFUNC. See %SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC Functions on page 268
for more details.

Example Using %SYSFUNC

The following program deletes the file identified by the fileref MYFILE:
%macro testfile(filrf);
%let
rc=%sysfunc(filename(filrf,physical-filename));
%if &rc = 0 and %sysfunc(fexist(&filrf)) %then
%let rc=%sysfunc(fdelete(&filrf));
%let rc=%sysfunc(filename(filrf));
%mend testfile;
%testfile(myfile)

Using Automatic Variables with Host-Specific Values

Macro Variables by Task
The automatic macro variables are available under all host environments, but the values
are determined by each host. The following table lists the macro variables by task. The
Type column tells you if the variable can be changed (Read and Write) or can be
inspected (Read Only).

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Table 11.2

Automatic Macro Variables with Host-Specific Results

Automatic Macro
Variable

Type

List the name of the current graphics device

on DEVICE=.

SYSDEVIC

Read and write

List of the mode of execution (values are

FORE or BACK). Some host environments
allow only one mode, FORE.

SYSENV

Read-only

List the name of the currently executing batch

job, user ID, or process. For example, on
UNIX, SYSJOBID is the PID.

SYSJOBID

Read-only

List the last return code generated by your

host environment, based on commands
executed using the X statement in open code,
the X command in the SAS windowing
environment, or the %SYSEXEC (or %TSO
or %CMS) macro statements.

SYSRC

Read and write

List the abbreviation of the host environment

that you are using.

SYSSCP

Read-only

List a more detailed abbreviation of the host

environment that you are using.

SYSSCPL

Read-only

Retrieve a character string that was passed to

SAS by the SYSPARM= system option.

SYSPARM

Read and write

Task

The default value is 0.

Examples Using SYSSCP and SYSSCPL

The macro DELFILE uses the value of SYSSCP to determine the platform that is
running SAS and deletes a TMP file. FILEREF is a macro parameter that contains a
filename. Because the filename is host-specific, making it a macro parameter enables the
macro to use whatever filename syntax is necessary for the host environment.
%macro delfile(fileref);
/* Unix */
%if &sysscp=HP 800 or &sysscp=HP 300 %then %do;
X rm &fileref..TMP;
%end;
/* DOS-LIKE platforms */
%else %if &sysscp=OS2 or &sysscp=WIN %then %do;
X DEL &fileref..TMP;
%end;
/* CMS */
%else %if &sysscp=CMS %then %do;
X ERASE &fileref TMP A;
%end;
%mend delfile;

Writing Portable Macros

151

Here is a call to the macro DELFILE in a PC environment that deletes a file named C:
\SAS\SASUSER\DOC1.TMP:
%delfile(c:\sas\sasuser\doc1)

In this program, note the use of the portable %SYSEXEC statement to carry out the
host-specific operating system commands.
Now, suppose you know your macro application is going to run on some version of
Microsoft Windows. The SYSSCPL automatic macro variable provides information
about the name of the host environment, similar to the SYSSCP automatic macro
variable. However, SYSSCPL provides more information and enables you to further
tailor your macro code.

Example Using SYSPARM

Suppose the SYSPARM= system option is set to the name of a city. That means the
SYSPARM automatic variable is set to the name of that city. You can use that value to
subset a data set and generate code specific to that value. Simply by making a small
change to the command that invokes SAS (or to the configuration SAS file), your SAS
job will perform different tasks.
/* Create a data set, based on the value of the */
/* SYSPARM automatic variable. */
/* An example data set name could be MYLIB.BOSTON. */
data mylib.&sysparm;
set mylib.alltowns;
/* Use the SYSPARM SAS language function to */
/* compare the value (city name) */
/* of SYSPARM to a data set variable. */
if town=sysparm();
run;

When this program executes, you end up with a data set that contains data for only the
town that you are interested in, and you can change what data set is generated before you
start your SAS job.
Now suppose you want to further use the value of SYSPARM to control what
procedures your job uses. The following macro does just that:
%macro select;
%if %upcase(&sysparm) eq BOSTON %then
%do;
proc report ... more SAS code;
title "Report on &sysparm";
run;
%end;
%if %upcase(&sysparm) eq CHICAGO %then
%do;
proc chart ... more SAS code;
title "Growth Values for &sysparm";
run;
%end;
.
. /* more macro code */
.
%mend select;

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SYSPARM Details
The value of the SYSPARM automatic macro variable is the same as the value of the
SYSPARM= system option, which is equivalent to the return value of the SAS language
function SYSPARM. The default value is null. Because you can use the SYSPARM=
system option at SAS invocation, you can set the value of the SYSPARM automatic
macro variable before your SAS session begins.

SYSRC Details
The value of the SYSRC automatic macro variable contains the last return code
generated by your host environment. The code returned is based on commands that you
execute using the X statement in open code, the X command a windowing environment,
or the %SYSEXEC macro statement (as well as the nonportable %TSO and %CMS
macro statements). Use the SYSRC automatic macro variable to test the success or
failure of a host environment command.
Note: While it does not generate an error message in the SAS log, the SYSRC automatic
macro variable is not useful under all host environments. For example, under some
host environments, the value of this variable is always 99, regardless of the success
or failure of the host environment command. Check the SAS companion for your
host environment to determine whether the SYSRC automatic macro variable is
useful for your host environment.

Macro Language Elements with System Dependencies

Several macro language elements are host-specific, including the following:
any language element that relies on the sort sequence
Examples of such expressions include %DO, %DO %UNTIL, %DO %WHILE,
%IF-%THEN, and %EVAL.
For example, consider the following program:
%macro testsort(var);
%if &var < a %then %put *** &var is less than a ***;
%else %put *** &var is greater than a ***;
%mend testsort;
%testsort(1)
/* Invoke the macro with the number 1 as the parameter. */

On EBCDIC systems, such as z/OS, and VSE, this program causes the following to
be written to the SAS log:
*** 1 is greater than a ***

But on ASCII systems (such as UNIX or Windows), the following is written to the
SAS log:
*** 1 is less than a ***

MSYMTABMAX=
The MSYMTABMAX system option specifies the maximum amount of memory
available to the macro variable symbol tables. If this value is exceeded, the symbol
tables are stored in a WORK file on disk.

Writing Portable Macros

153

MVARSIZE=
The MVARSIZE system option specifies the maximum number of bytes for any
macro variable stored in memory. If this value is exceeded, the macro variable is
stored in a WORK file on disk.
%SCAN and %QSCAN
The default delimiters that the %SCAN and %QSCAN functions use to search for
words in a string are different on ASCII and EBCDIC systems. The default
delimiters are
ASCII systems
blank . < ( + & ! $ * ) ; ^ / , % |
EBCDIC systems
blank . < ( + | & ! $ * ) ; / , %
%SYSEXEC, %TSO, and %CMS
The %SYSEXEC, %TSO, and %CMS macro statements enable you to issue a host
environment command.
%SYSGET
On some host environments, the %SYSGET function returns the value of host
environment variables and symbols.
SYSPARM=
The SYSPARM= system option can supply a value for the SYSPARM automatic
macro variable at SAS invocation. It is useful in customizing a production job. For
example, to create a title based on a city as part of noninteractive execution, the
production program might contain the SYSPARM= system option in the SAS
configuration file or the command that invokes SAS. See SYSPARM Details on
page 152 for an example using the SYSPARM= system option in conjunction with
the SYSPARM automatic macro variable.
SASMSTORE=
The SASMSTORE= system option specifies the location of stored compiled macros.
SASAUTOS=
The SASAUTOS= system option specifies the location of autocall macros.

Host-Specific Macro Variables

Some host environments create unique macro variables. These macro variables are not
automatic macro variables. The following tables list some commonly used host-specific
macro variables. Additional host-specific macro variables might be available in future
releases. See your SAS companion for more details.
Table 11.3 Host-Specific Macro Variables for z/OS
Variable Name

Description

SYS99ERR

SVC99 error reason code

SYS99INF

SVC99 info reason code

SYS99MSG

YSC99 text message corresponding to the SVC error or info

reason code

SYS99R15

SVC99 return code

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Variable Name

Description

SYSJCTID

Value of the JCTUSER field in the JCT control block

SYSJMRID

Value of the JMRUSEID field in the JCT control block

SYSUID

TSO user ID associated with the SAS session

Naming Macros and External Files for Use with the Autocall Facility
When naming macros that will be stored in an autocall library, there are restrictions
depending on your host environment. Here is a list of some of the restrictions:

Every host environment has file naming conventions. If the host environment uses
file extensions, use .sas as the extension of your macro files.

Although SAS names can contain underscores, some host environments do not use
them in the names of external files. Some host environments that do not use
underscores do use the pound sign (#) and might automatically replace the # with _
when the macro is used.

Some host environments have reserved words, such as CON and NULL. Do not use
reserved words when naming autocall macros or external files.

Some hosts have host-specific autocall macros. Do not define a macro with the same
name as these autocall macros.

Macro catalogs are not portable. Remember to always save your macro source code
in a safe place.

On UNIX systems the filename that contains the autocall macro must be all
lowercase letters.

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Macro Language Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Macro Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Using Macro Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Macro Statements That Perform Automatic Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Macro Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Using Macro Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Macro Character Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Macro Evaluation Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Macro Quoting Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Compilation Quoting Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Execution of Macro Quoting Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Quotation Marks and Parentheses without a Match . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Macro Functions for Double-Byte Character Set (DBCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Other Macro Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Automatic Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Interfaces with the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Selected Autocall Macros Provided with SAS Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Overview of Provided Autocall Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Required System Options for Autocall Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Using Autocall Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Autocall Macros for Double-Byte Character Set (DBCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Selected System Options Used in the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Macro Language Elements

The SAS macro language consists of statements, functions, and automatic macro
variables. This section defines and lists these elements.

Macro Statements on page 156

Macro Functions on page 158

Automatic Macro Variables on page 164

Also covered are the interfaces to the macro facility provided by Base SAS software, the
SQL procedure, and SAS Component Language as well as selected autocall macros and
macro system options.

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Macro Statements
Using Macro Statements
A macro language statement instructs the macro processor to perform an operation. It
consists of a string of keywords, SAS names, and special characters and operators, and it
ends in a semicolon. Some macro language statements are used only in macro
definitions, but you can use others anywhere in a SAS session or job, either inside or
outside macro definitions (referred to as open code). The following table lists macro
language statements that you can use in both macro definitions and open code.
Table 12.1

Macro Language Statements Used in Macro Definitions and Open Code

Statement

Description

%* comment

Designates comment text.

%COPY

Copies specified items from a SAS library.

%DISPLAY

Displays a macro window.

%GLOBAL

Creates macro variables that are available during the execution of

an entire SAS session.

%INPUT

Supplies values to macro variables during macro execution.

%LET

Creates a macro variable and assigns it a value.

%MACRO

Begins a macro definition.

%PUT

Writes text or the values of macro variables to the SAS log.

%SYMDEL

Deletes the indicated macro variable named in the argument.

%SYSCALL

Invokes a SAS call routine.

%SYSEXEC

Issues operating system commands.

%SYSLPUT

Defines a new macro variable or modifies the value of an existing

macro variable on a remote host or server.

%SYSMACDELETE

Deletes a macro definition from the WORK.SASMACR catalog.

%SYSMSTORECLEAR

Closes stored compiled macros and clears the SASMSTORE=

library.

%SYSRPUT

Assigns the value of a macro variable on a remote host to a macro

variable on the local host.

%WINDOW

Defines customized windows.

Macro Statements

157

The following table lists macro language statements that you can use only in macro
definitions.
Table 12.2

Macro Language Statements Used in Macro Definitions Only

Statement

Description

%ABORT

Stops the macro that is executing along with the current DATA
step, SAS job, or SAS session.

%DO

Begins a %DO group.

%DO, Iterative

Executes statements repetitively, based on the value of an index

variable.

%DO %UNTIL

Executes statements repetitively until a condition is true.

%DO %WHILE

Executes statements repetitively while a condition is true.

%END

Ends a %DO group.

%GOTO

Branches macro processing to the specified label.

%IF-%THEN/%ELSE

Conditionally processes a portion of a macro.

%label:

Identifies the destination of a %GOTO statement.

%LOCAL

Creates macro variables that are available only during the

execution of the macro where they are defined.

%MEND

Ends a macro definition.

%RETURN

Causes normal termination of the currently executing macro.

Macro Statements That Perform Automatic Evaluation

Some macro statements perform an operation based on an evaluation of an arithmetic or
logical expression. They perform the evaluation by automatically calling the %EVAL
function. If you get an error message about a problem with %EVAL when a macro does
not use %EVAL only, check for one of these statements. The following macro
statements perform automatic evaluation:

%DO macro-variable=expression %TO expression <%BY expression>;

%DO %UNTIL(expression);

%DO %WHILE(expression);

%IF expression %THEN action;

For details about operands and operators in expressions, see Macro Expressions on
page 71.

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Macro Functions
Using Macro Functions
A macro language function processes one or more arguments and produces a result. You
can use all macro functions in both macro definitions and open code. Macro functions
include character functions, evaluation functions, and quoting functions. The macro
language functions are listed in the following table.
Table 12.3

Macro Functions

Function

Description

%BQUOTE,
%NRBQUOTE

Mask special characters and mnemonic operators in a resolved

value at macro execution.

%EVAL

Evaluates arithmetic and logical expressions using integer

arithmetic.

%INDEX

Returns the position of the first character of a string.

%LENGTH

Returns the length of a string.

%QUOTE, %NRQUOTE

Mask special characters and mnemonic operators in a resolved

value at macro execution. Unmatched quotation marks ( ) and
parentheses ( () ) must be marked with a preceding %.

%SCAN, %QSCAN

Search for a word specified by its number. %QSCAN masks

special characters and mnemonic operators in its result.

%STR, %NRSTR

Mask special characters and mnemonic operators in constant text

at macro compilation. Unmatched quotation marks ( ) and
parentheses ( () ) must be marked with a preceding %.

%SUBSTR, %QSUBSTR

Produce a substring of a character string. %QSUBSTR masks

special characters and mnemonic operators in its result.

%SUPERQ

Masks all special characters and mnemonic operators at macro

execution but prevents resolution of the value.

%SYMEXIST

Returns an indication as to whether the named macro variable

exists.

%SYMGLOBL

Returns an indication as to whether the named macro variable is

global in scope.

%SYMLOCAL

Returns an indication as to whether the named macro variable is

local in scope.

%SYSEVALF

Evaluates arithmetic and logical expressions using floating-point

arithmetic.

Macro Functions

159

Function

Description

%SYSFUNC,
%QSYSFUNC

Execute SAS functions or user-written functions. %QSYSFUNC

masks special characters and mnemonic operators in its result.

%SYSGET

Returns the value of a specified host environment variable.

%SYSMACEXEC

Indicates whether a macro is currently executing.

%SYSMACEXIST

Indicates whether there is a macro definition in the

WORK.SASMACR catalog.

%SYSMEXECDEPTH

Returns the depth of nesting from the point of call.

%SYSMEXECNAME

Returns the name of the macro executing at a nesting level.

%SYSPROD

Reports whether a SAS software product is licensed at the site.

%UNQUOTE

Unmasks all special characters and mnemonic operators for a

value.

%UPCASE, %QUPCASE

Convert characters to uppercase. %QUPCASE masks special

characters and mnemonic operators in its result.

Macro Character Functions

Character functions change character strings or provide information about them. The
following table lists the macro character functions.
Table 12.4

Macro Character Functions

Function

Description

%INDEX

Returns the position of the first character of a string.

%LENGTH

Returns the length of a string.

%SCAN, %QSCAN

Search for a word that is specified by a number. %QSCAN masks

special characters and mnemonic operators in its result.

%SUBSTR, %QSUBSTR

Produce a substring of a character string. %QSUBSTR masks

special characters and mnemonic operators in its result.

%UPCASE, %QUPCASE

Convert characters to uppercase. %QUPCASE masks special

characters and mnemonic operators in its result.

For macro character functions that have a Q form (for example, %SCAN and
%QSCAN), the two functions work alike except that the function beginning with Q
masks special characters and mnemonic operators in its result. Use the function
beginning with Q when an argument has been previously masked with a macro quoting
function or when you want the result to be masked (for example, when the result might

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contain an unmatched quotation mark or parenthesis). For details, see Macro Quoting
on page 80.
Many macro character functions have names corresponding to SAS character functions
and perform similar tasks (such as %SUBSTR and SUBSTR). But, macro functions
operate before the DATA step executes. Consider the following DATA step:
data out.%substr(&sysday,1,3);
/* macro function */
set in.weekly (keep=name code sales);
length location $4;
location=substr(code,1,4);
/* SAS function */
run;

Running the program on Monday creates the data set name OUT.MON:
data out.MON;
/* macro function */
set in.weekly (keep=name code sales);
length location $4;
location=substr(code,1,4);
/* SAS function */
run;

Suppose that the IN.WEEKLY variable CODE contains the values cary18593 and
apex19624. The SAS function SUBSTR operates during DATA step execution and
assigns these values to the variable LOCATION: cary and apex.

Macro Evaluation Functions

Evaluation functions evaluate arithmetic and logical expressions. They temporarily
convert the operands in the argument to numeric values. Then, they perform the
operation specified by the operand and convert the result to a character value. The macro
processor uses evaluation functions to do the following:

make character comparisons

evaluate logical (Boolean) expressions

assign numeric properties to a token, such as an integer in the argument of a function

For more information, see Macro Expressions on page 71. The following table lists the
macro evaluation functions.
Table 12.5

Macro Evaluation Functions

Function

Description

%EVAL

Evaluates arithmetic and logical expressions using integer

arithmetic.

%SYSEVALF

Evaluates arithmetic and logical expressions using floating-point

arithmetic.

%EVAL is called automatically by the macro processor to evaluate expressions in the

arguments to the statements that perform evaluation in the following functions:

%QSCAN(argument, n<, delimiters>)

%QSUBSTR(argument, position<, length>)

%SCAN(argument, n<, delimiters>)

%SUBSTR(argument, position<, length>)

Macro Functions

161

Macro Quoting Functions

Macro quoting functions mask special characters and mnemonic operators so the macro
processor interprets them as text instead of elements of the macro language.
The following table lists the macro quoting functions, and also describes the special
characters they mask and when they operate. (Although %QSCAN, %QSUBSTR, and
%QUPCASE mask special characters and mnemonic operations in their results, they are
not considered quoting functions because their purpose is to process a character value
and not simply to quote a value.) For more information, see Macro Quoting on page
80.
Table 12.6

Macro Quoting Functions

Function

Description

%BQUOTE,
%NRBQUOTE

Mask special characters and mnemonic operators in a resolved

value at macro execution. %BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE are
the most powerful functions for masking values at execution time
because they do not require that unmatched quotation marks ( )
and parentheses ( () ) be marked.

%QUOTE, %NRQUOTE

Mask special characters and mnemonic operators in a resolved

value at macro execution. Unmatched quotation marks ( ) and
parentheses ( () ) must be marked with a preceding %.

%STR, %NRSTR

Mask special characters and mnemonic operators in constant text

at macro compilation. Unmatched quotation marks ( ) and
parentheses ( () ) must be marked with a preceding %.

%SUPERQ

Masks all special characters and mnemonic operators at macro

execution but prevents resolution of the value.

%UNQUOTE

Unmasks all special characters and mnemonic operators for a

value.

Compilation Quoting Functions

%STR and %NRSTR mask special characters and mnemonic operators in values during
compilation of a macro definition or a macro language statement in open code. For
example, the %STR function prevents the following %LET statement from ending
prematurely. It keeps the semicolon in the PROC PRINT statement from being
interpreted as the semicolon for the %LET statement.
%let printit=%str(proc print; run;);

Execution of Macro Quoting Functions

%BQUOTE, %NRBQUOTE, %QUOTE, %NRQUOTE, and %SUPERQ mask special
characters and mnemonic operators in values during execution of a macro or a macro
language statement in open code. Except for %SUPERQ, these functions instruct the
macro processor to resolve a macro expression as far as possible and mask the result,
issuing warning messages for any macro variable references or macro invocations they

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cannot resolve. %SUPERQ protects the value of a macro variable from any attempt at
further resolution.
Of the quoting functions that resolve values during execution, %BQUOTE and
%NRBQUOTE are the most flexible. For example, the %BQUOTE function prevents
the following %IF statement from producing an error if the macro variable STATE
resolves to OR (for Oregon). Without %BQUOTE, the macro processor would interpret
the abbreviation for Oregon as the logical operator OR.
%if %bquote(&state)=nc %then %put North Carolina Dept. of
Revenue;

%SUPERQ fetches the value of a macro variable from the macro symbol table and
masks it immediately, preventing the macro processor from attempting to resolve any
part of the resolved value. For example, %SUPERQ prevents the following %LET
statement from producing an error when it resolves to a value with an ampersand, like
Smith&Jones. Without %SUPERQ, the macro processor would attempt to resolve
&Jones.
%let testvar=%superq(corpname);
/* No ampersand in argument to %superq. */

(%SUPERQ takes as its argument either a macro variable name without an ampersand or
a text expression that yields a macro variable name.)

Quotation Marks and Parentheses without a Match

Syntax errors result if the arguments of %STR, %NRSTR, %QUOTE, and %NRQUOTE
contain a quotation mark or parenthesis that does not have a match. To prevent these
errors, mark these quotation marks and parentheses by preceding them with a percent
sign. For example, write the following to store the value 345)in macro variable B:
%let b=%str(345%));

If an argument of %STR, %NRSTR, %QUOTE, or %NRQUOTE contains a percent

sign that precedes a quotation mark or parenthesis, use two percent signs (%%) to
specify that the argument's percent sign does not mark the quotation mark or parenthesis.
For example, Write the following to store the value TITLE "20%";in macro variable P:
%let p=%str(TITLE "20%%";);

If the argument for one of these functions contains a character string with the comment
symbols /* and -->, use a %STR function with each character. For example, consider
these statements:
%let instruct=Comments can start with %str(/)%str(*).;
%put &instruct;

They write the following line to the SAS log:

Comments can start with /*

Note: Unexpected results can occur if the comment symbols are not quoted with a
quoting function.
For more information about macro quoting, see Macro Quoting on page 80.

Macro Functions

163

Macro Functions for Double-Byte Character Set (DBCS)

Because East Asian languages have thousands of characters, double (two) bytes of
information are needed to represent each character. Each East Asian language usually
has more than one DBCS encoding system. SAS processes the DBCS encoding
information that is unique for the major East Asian languages. The following table
defines the macro functions that support DBCS.
Table 12.7

Macro Functions for DBCS

Functions

Description

%KCMPRES

Compresses multiple blanks and removes

leading and trailing blanks.

%KINDEX

Returns the position of the first character of a

string.

%KLEFT and %QKLEFT

Left-aligns an argument by removing leading

blanks.

%KLENGTH

Returns the length of a string.

%KSCAN and %QKSCAN

Searches for a word that is specified by its

position in a string.

%KSUBSTR and %QKSUBSTR

%KSUBSTR and %QKSUBSTR produces a

substring of a character string.

%KUPCASE and %QKUPCASE

Converts values to uppercase.

For more information, see Macro Functions for NLS in SAS National Language
Support (NLS): Reference Guide.

Other Macro Functions

Seven other macro functions do not fit into the earlier categories, but they provide
important information. The following table lists these functions.
Table 12.8

Other Macro Functions

Function

Description

%SYMEXIST

Returns an indication as to whether the named macro variable

exists.

%SYMGLOBL

Returns an indication as to whether the named macro variable is

global in scope.

%SYMLOCAL

Returns an indication as to whether the named macro variable is

local in scope.

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Function

Description

%SYSFUNC,
%QSYSFUNC

Execute SAS language functions or user-written functions within

the macro facility.

%SYSGET

Returns the value of the specified host environment variable. For

details, see the SAS Companion for your operating environment.

%SYSPROD

Reports whether a SAS software product is licensed at the site.

The %SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC functions enable most of the functions from Base
SAS software, a function written with the SAS/TOOLKIT software, or a function
created using the FCMP procedure available to the macro facility. Consider the
following examples:
/* in a DATA step or SCL program */
dsid=open("sasuser.houses","i");
/* in the macro facility */
%let dsid = %sysfunc(open(sasuser.houses,i));

For more information, see %SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC Functions on page 268.

Automatic Macro Variables

Automatic macro variables are created by the macro processor and they supply a variety
of information. They are useful in programs to check the status of a condition before
executing code. When you use automatic macro variables, you reference them the same
way that you do macro variables that you create such as &SYSLAST or &SYSJOBID.
CAUTION:
Do not create macro variable names that begin with SYS. The three-letter prefix

SYS is reserved for use by SAS for automatic macro variables. For a complete list of
reserved words in the macro language, see Reserved Words in the Macro Facility
on page 363.
For example, suppose you want to include the day and date that your current SAS
session was invoked. Write the FOOTNOTE statement to reference the automatic macro
variables SYSDAY and SYSDATE9:
footnote "Report for &sysday, &sysdate9";

If the current SAS session was invoked on June 13, 2007, macro variable resolution
causes SAS to see this statement:
FOOTNOTE "Report for Friday, 13JUN2007";

All automatic variables except for SYSPBUFF are global and are created when you
invoke SAS. The following table lists the automatic macro variables and describes their
READ and WRITE status.

Automatic Macro Variables

Table 12.9

Automatic Macro Variables

Variable

Read and Write Status

SYSADDRBITS

Read-only

SYSBUFFR

Read and write

SYSCC

Read and write

SYSCHARWIDTH

Read-only

SYSCMD

Read and write

SYSDATE

Read-only

SYSDATE9

Read-only

SYSDAY

Read-only

SYSDEVIC

Read and write

SYSDMG

Read and write

SYSDSN

Read and write

SYSENCODING

Read-only

SYSENDIAN

Read-only

SYSENV

Read-only

SYSERR

Read-only

SYSERRORTEXT

Read only

SYSFILRC

Read and write

SYSHOSTNAME

Read-only

SYSINDEX

Read-only

SYSINFO

Read-only

SYSJOBID

Read-only

SYSLAST

Read and write

SYSLCKRC

Read and write

SYSLIBRC

Read and write

SYSLOGAPPLNAME

Read-only

165

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Variable

Read and Write Status

SYSMACRONAME

Read-only

SYSMENV

Read-only

SYSMSG

Read and write

SYSNCPU

Read-only

SYSNOBS

Read-only

SYSODSESCAPECHAR

Read-only

SYSODSPATH

Read-only

SYSPARM

Read and write

SYSPBUFF

Read and write

SYSPROCESSID

Read-only

SYSPROCESSNAME

Read-only

SYSPROCNAME

Read-only

SYSRC

Read and write

SYSSCP

Read-only

SYSSCPL

Read-only

SYSSITE

Read-only

SYSSIZEOFLONG

Read-only

SYSSIZEOFPTR

Read-only

SYSSIZEOFUNICODE

Read-only

SYSSTARTID

Read-only

SYSSTARTNAME

Read-only

SYSTCPIPHOSTNAME

Read-only

SYSTIME

Read-only

SYSUSERID

Read-only

SYSVER

Read-only

SYSVLONG

Read-only

Interfaces with the Macro Facility

Variable

Read and Write Status

SYSVLONG4

Read-only

SYSWARNINGTEXT

Read-only

167

Interfaces with the Macro Facility

The DATA step, the SAS Component Language, and the SQL procedure provide
interfaces with the macro facility. The following tables list the elements that interact
with the SAS macro facility.
The DATA step provides elements that enable a program to interact with the macro
facility during DATA step execution.
Table 12.10

Interfaces to the DATA Steps

Element

Description

EXECUTE routine

Resolves an argument and executes the resolved value at the next

step boundary.

RESOLVE function

Resolves the value of a text expression during DATA step

execution.

SYMDEL routine

Deletes the indicated macro variable named in the argument.

SYMEXIST function

Returns an indication as to whether the named macro variable

exists.

SYMGET function

Returns the value of a macro variable to the DATA step during

DATA step execution.

SYMGLOBL function

Returns an indication as to whether the named macro variable is

global in scope.

SYMLOCAL function

Returns an indication as to whether the named macro variable is

local in scope.

SYMPUT/SYMPUTX
routines

Assigns a value produced in a DATA step to a macro variable.

The SAS Component Language (SCL) provides two elements for using the SAS macro
facility to define macros and macro variables for SCL programs.
Table 12.11

Interfaces to the SAS Component Language

Element

Description

SYMGETN

Returns the value of a global macro variable as a numeric value.

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Element

Description

SYMPUTN

Assigns a numeric value to a global macro variable.

The SQL procedure provides a feature for creating and updating macro variables with
values produced by the SQL procedure.
Table 12.12

Interfaces to the SQL Procedure

Element

Description

INTO

Assigns the result of a calculation or the value of a data column.

For more information, see Interfaces with the Macro Facility on page 101.

Selected Autocall Macros Provided with SAS

Software
Overview of Provided Autocall Macros
SAS supplies libraries of autocall macros to each SAS site. The libraries that you receive
depend on the SAS products licensed at your site. You can use autocall macros without
having to define or include them in your programs.
When SAS is installed, the autocall libraries are included in the value of the
SASAUTOS system option in the system configuration file. The autocall macros are
stored as individual members, each containing a macro definition. Each member has the
same name as the macro definition that it contains.
Although the macros available in the autocall libraries supplied by SAS are working
utility programs, you can also use them as models for your own routines. In addition,
you can call them in macros that you write yourself.
To explore these macro definitions, browse the commented section at the beginning of
each member. See the setting of SAS system option SASAUTOS, to find the location of
the autocall libraries. To view the SASAUTOS value, use one of the following:

the OPTIONS command in the SAS windowing environment to open the OPTIONS
window

the OPTIONS procedure

the VERBOSE system option

the OPLIST system option

For details about these options, see SAS System Options, in SAS System Options:
Reference.
The following table lists selected autocall macros.

Selected Autocall Macros Provided with SAS Software

Table 12.13

169

Selected Autocall Macros

Macro

Description

CMPRES and QCMPRES

Compresses multiple blanks and removes leading and trailing

blanks. QCMPRES masks the result so special characters and
mnemonic operators are treated as text instead of being
interpreted by the macro facility.

COMPSTOR

Compiles macros and stores them in a catalog in a permanent

SAS library.

DATATYP

Returns the data type of a value.

LEFT and QLEFT

Left-aligns an argument by removing leading blanks. QLEFT

masks the result so special characters and mnemonic operators are
treated as text instead of being interpreted by the macro facility.

SYSRC

Returns a value corresponding to an error condition.

TRIM and QTRIM

Trims trailing blanks. QTRIM masks the result so special

characters and mnemonic operators are treated as text instead of
being interpreted by the macro facility.

VERIFY

Returns the position of the first character unique to an expression.

Required System Options for Autocall Macros

To use autocall macros, you must set two SAS system options:
MAUTOSOURCE
activates the autocall facility. NOMAUTOSOURCE disables the autocall facility.
SASAUTOS=library-specification | (library-specification-1..., library-specification-n)
specifies the autocall library or libraries. For more information, see the SAS
companion for your operating system.
If your site has installed the autocall libraries supplied by SAS and uses the standard
configuration of SAS software supplied by SAS, you need only to ensure that the SAS
system option MAUTOSOURCE is in effect to begin using the autocall macros.
Although the MAUTOLOCDISPLAY system option is not required, it displays the
source location of the autocall macros in the SAS log when the autocall macro is
invoked. For more information, see MAUTOLOCDISPLAY System Option on page
333.

Using Autocall Macros

To use an autocall macro, call it in your program with the statement %macro-name. The
macro processor searches first in the WORK library for a compiled macro definition
with that name. If the macro processor does not find a compiled macro and if the
MAUTOSOURCE is in effect, the macro processor searches the libraries specified by
the SASAUTOS option for a member with that name. When the macro processor finds
the member, it does the following:
1. compiles all of the source statements in that member, including all macro definitions

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2. executes any open code (macro statements or SAS source statements not within any
macro definition) in that member
3. executes the macro with the name that you invoked
After the macro is compiled, it is stored in the WORK.SASMACR catalog and is
available for use in the SAS session without having to be recompiled.
You can also create your own autocall macros and store them in libraries for easy
execution. For more information, see Storing and Reusing Macros on page 113.

Autocall Macros for Double-Byte Character Set (DBCS)

Because East Asian languages have thousands of characters, double (two) bytes of
information are needed to represent each character. Each East Asian language usually
has more than one DBCS encoding system. SAS processes the DBCS encoding
information that is unique for the major East Asian languages. The following table
contains definitions for the autocall macros that support DBCS.
Table 12.14

Autocall Macros for DBCS

Autocall Macros

Description

%KLOWCASE and %QKLOWCAS

Changes the uppercase characters to lowercase.

%KTRIM and %QKTRIM

Trims the trailing blanks.

%KVERIFY

Returns the position of the first character unique to an expression.

For more information, see Autocall Macros for NLS in SAS National Language
Support (NLS): Reference Guide.

Selected System Options Used in the Macro

Facility
The following table lists the SAS system options that apply to the macro facility.
Table 12.15

System Options Used in the Macro Facility

Option

Description

CMDMAC

Controls command-style macro invocation.

IMPLMAC

Controls statement-style macro invocation.

MACRO

Controls whether the SAS macro language is available.

MAUTOCOMPLOC

Displays in the SAS log the source location of the autocall macros
when the autocall macro is compiled.

Selected System Options Used in the Macro Facility

171

Option

Description

MAUTOLOCDISPLAY

Displays the source location of the autocall macros in the SAS log
when the autocall macro is invoked.

MAUTOLOCINDES

Specifies whether the macro processor prepends the full

pathname of the autocall source file to the description field of the
catalog entry of compiled auto call macro definition in the
WORK.SASMACR catalog.

MAUTOSOURCE

Controls whether the macro autocall feature is available.

MCOMPILE

Allows new definitions of macros.

MCOMPILENOTE

Issues a NOTE to the SAS log upon the completion of the

compilation of a macro.

MCOVERAGE

Enables the generation of coverage analysis data.

MCOVERAGELOC

Specifies the location of the coverage analysis data file.

MERROR

Controls whether the macro processor issues a warning message

when a macro-like name (%name) does not match a compiled
macro.

MEXECNOTE

Displays macro execution information in the SAS log at macro

invocation.

MEXECSIZE

Specifies the maximum macro size that can be executed in

memory.

MFILE

Determines whether MPRINT output is routed to an external file.

MINDELIMITER

Specifies the character to be used as the delimiter for the macro

IN operator.

MINOPERATOR

Controls whether the macro processor recognizes the IN (#)

logical operator.

MLOGIC

Controls whether macro execution is traced for debugging.

MLOGICNEST

Allows the macro nesting information to be displayed in the

MLOGIC output in the SAS log.

MPRINT

Controls whether SAS statements generated by macro execution

are traced for debugging.

MPRINTNEST

Allows the macro nesting information to be displayed in the

MPRINT output in the SAS log.

MRECALL

Controls whether the macro processor searches the autocall

libraries for a member that was not found during an earlier search.

MREPLACE

Enables existing macros to be redefined.

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Option

Description

MSTORED

Controls whether stored compiled macros are available.

MSYMTABMAX

Specifies the maximum amount of memory available to the macro

variable symbol table or tables.

MVARSIZE

Specifies the maximum size for in-memory macro variable

values.

SASAUTOS

Specifies one or more autocall libraries.

SASMSTORE

Specifies the libref of a SAS library containing a catalog of stored

compiled SAS macros.

SERROR

Controls whether the macro processor issues a warning message

when a macro variable reference does not match a macro variable.

SYMBOLGEN

Controls whether the results of resolving macro variable

references are displayed for debugging.

SYSPARM

Specifies a character string that can be passed to SAS programs.

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Chapter 13
AutoCall Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Chapter 14
Automatic Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Chapter 15
DATA Step Call Routines for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Chapter 16
DATA Step Functions for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Chapter 17
Macro Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Chapter 18
SQL Clauses for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Chapter 19
Macro Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Chapter 20
System Options for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

174

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AutoCall Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
%CMPRES and %QCMPRES Autocall Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
%COMPSTOR Autocall Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
%DATATYP Autocall Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
%KVERIFY Autocall Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
%LEFT and %QLEFT Autocall Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
%LOWCASE and %QLOWCASE Autocall Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
%QCMPRES Autocall Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
%QLEFT Autocall Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
%QLOWCASE Autocall Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
%QTRIM Autocall Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
%SYSRC Autocall Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
%TRIM and %QTRIM Autocall Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
%VERIFY Autocall Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

AutoCall Macros
SAS supplies libraries of autocall macros to each SAS site. The libraries that you receive
depend on the SAS products licensed at your site. You can use autocall macros without
having to define or include them in your programs.

Dictionary
%CMPRES and %QCMPRES Autocall Macros
Compress multiple blanks and remove leading and trailing blanks.
Type:
Requirement:

Autocall macros
MAUTOSOURCE system option

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Syntax
%CMPRES (text | text expression)
%QCMPRES (text | text expression)

Details
Note: Autocall macros are included in a library supplied by SAS Institute. This library
might not be installed at your site or might be a site-specific version. If you cannot
access this macro or if you want to find out if it is a site-specific version, see your
on-site SAS support personnel. For more information, see Storing and Reusing
Macros on page 113.
The CMPRES and QCMPRES macros compress multiple blanks and remove leading
and trailing blanks. If the argument might contain a special character or mnemonic
operator, listed below, use %QCMPRES.
CMPRES returns an unquoted result, even if the argument is quoted. QCMPRES
produces a result with the following special characters and mnemonic operators masked,
so the macro processor interprets them as text instead of as elements of the macro
language:
& % ' " ( ) + * / < > = ^ ~ ; , # blank
AND OR NOT EQ NE LE LT GE GT IN

Examples
Example 1: Removing Unnecessary Blanks with %CMPRES
%macro createft;
%let footnote="The result of &x &op &y is %eval(&x &op &y).";
footnote1 &footnote;
footnote2 %cmpres(&footnote);
%mend createft;
data _null_;
x=5;
y=10;
call symput('x',x);
/* Uses BEST12. format */
call symput('y',y);
/* Uses BEST12. format */
call symput('op','+'); /* Uses $1. format
*/
run;
%createft

The CREATEFT macro generates two footnote statements.

FOOTNOTE1 "The result of 5 + _________10 is _________15.";
FOOTNOTE2 "The result of 5 + 10 is 15.";

Example 2: Contrasting %QCMPRES and %CMPRES

%let
%let
%let
%put
%put

x=5;
y=10;
a=%nrstr(%eval(&x
+
QCMPRES: %qcmpres(&a);
CMPRES: %cmpres(&a);

&y));

The %PUT statements write the following lines to the log:

%DATATYP Autocall Macro

177

QCMPRES: %eval(&x + &y)

CMPRES: 15

%COMPSTOR Autocall Macro

Compiles macros and stores them in a catalog in a permanent SAS library.
Type:
Requirement:

Autocall macro
MAUTOSOURCE system option

Syntax
%COMPSTOR (PATHNAME=SAS library)

Required Argument
SAS-data-library
is the physical name of a SAS library on your host system. The COMPSTOR macro
uses this value to automatically assign a libref. Do not enclose SAS library in
quotation marks.

Details
Note: Autocall macros are included in a library supplied by SAS. This library might not
be installed at your site or might be a site-specific version. If you cannot access this
macro or if you want to find out if it is a site-specific version, see your on-site SAS
support personnel. For more information, see Storing and Reusing Macros on page
113.
The COMPSTOR macro compiles the following autocall macros in a SAS catalog
named SASMACR in a permanent SAS library. The overhead of compiling is saved
when these macros are called for the first time in a SAS session. You can use the
COMPSTOR macro as an example of how to create compiled stored macros. For more
information about the autocall macros that are supplied by SAS or about using stored
compiled macros, see Storing and Reusing Macros on page 113.
%CMPRES
%DATATYP
%LEFT
%QCMPRES

%QLEFT
%QTRIM
%TRIM
%VERIFY

%DATATYP Autocall Macro

Returns the data type of a value.
Type:
Restriction:

Requirement:

Autocall macro
Autocall macros are included in a library supplied by SAS. This library might not be
installed at your site or might be a site-specific version. If you cannot access this
macro or if you want to find out if it is a site-specific version, see your on-site SAS
support personnel.
MAUTOSOURCE system option

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Syntax
%DATATYP (text | text expression)

Details
The DATATYP macro returns a value of NUMERIC when an argument consists of digits
and a leading plus or minus sign, a decimal, or a scientific or floating-point exponent (E
or D in uppercase or lowercase letters). Otherwise, it returns the value CHAR.
Note: %DATATYP does not identify hexadecimal numbers.

Example: Determining the Data Type of a Value

%macro add(a,b);
%if (%datatyp(&a)=NUMERIC and %datatyp(&b)=NUMERIC) %then %do;
%put The result is %sysevalf(&a+&b).;
%end;
%else %do;
%put Error: Addition requires numbers.;
%end;
%mend add;

You can invoke the ADD macro as:

%add(5.1E2,225)

The macro then writes this message to the SAS log:

The result is 735.

Similarly, you can invoke the ADD macro as:

%add(0c1x, 12)

The macro then writes this message to the SAS log:

Error:

Addition requires numbers.

%KVERIFY Autocall Macro

Returns the position of the first character unique to an expression.
Category:
Type:
Requirement:

DBCS
Autocall macro for NLS
MAUTOSOURCE system option

Syntax
%KVERIFY(source, excerpt)

%LEFT and %QLEFT Autocall Macro

179

Required Arguments
source
text or a text expression. This is the text that you want to examine for characters that
do not exist in the excerpt.
excerpt
text or a text expression. This is the text that defines the set of characters that
%KVERIFY uses to examine the source.

Details
Note: Autocall macros are included in a library supplied by SAS. This library might not
be installed at your site or might be a site-specific version. If you cannot access this
macro or if you want to find out if it is a site-specific version, see your on-site SAS
support personnel.
%KVERIFY returns the position of the first character in the source that is not also
present in excerpt. If all the characters in source are present in the excerpt, %KVERIFY
returns a value of 0.

%LEFT and %QLEFT Autocall Macro

Left-align an argument by removing leading blanks.
Type:
Requirement:

Autocall macro
MAUTOSOURCE system option

Syntax
%LEFT(text | text expression)
%QLEFT(text | text expression)

Details
Note: Autocall macros are included in a library supplied by SAS. This library might not
be installed at your site or might be a site-specific version. If you cannot access this
macro or if you want to find out if it is a site-specific version, see your on-site SAS
support personnel. For more information, see Storing and Reusing Macros on page
113.
The LEFT macro and the QLEFT macro both left-align arguments by removing leading
blanks. If the argument might contain a special character or mnemonic operator, listed
below, use %QLEFT.
%LEFT returns an unquoted result, even if the argument is quoted. %QLEFT produces a
result with the following special characters and mnemonic operators masked so the
macro processor interprets them as text instead of as elements of the macro language:
& % ' " ( ) + * / < > = ^ ~ ; , # blank
AND OR NOT EQ NE LE LT GE GT IN

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Example: Contrasting %LEFT and %QLEFT

In this example, both the LEFT and QLEFT macros remove leading blanks. However,
the QLEFT macro protects the leading & in the macro variable SYSDAY so it does not
resolve.
%let d=%nrstr(
&sysday
);
%put *&d* *%qleft(&d)* *%left(&d)*;

The %PUT statement writes the following line to the SAS log:
*

&sysday

* *&sysday

* *Tuesday

%LOWCASE and %QLOWCASE Autocall Macros

Change uppercase characters to lowercase.
Type:
Requirement:

Autocall macros
MAUTOSOURCE system option

Syntax
%LOWCASE (text | text expression)
%QLOWCASE (text | text expression)

Details
Note: Autocall macros are included in a library supplied by SAS. This library might not
be installed at your site or might be a site-specific version. If you cannot access this
macro or if you want to find out if it is a site-specific version, see your on-site SAS
support personnel. For more information, see Storing and Reusing Macros on page
113.
The %LOWCASE and %QLOWCASE macros change uppercase alphabetic characters
to their lowercase equivalents. If the argument might contain a special character or
mnemonic operator, listed below, use %QLOWCASE.
%LOWCASE returns a result without quotation marks, even if the argument has
quotation marks. %QLOWCASE produces a result with the following special characters
and mnemonic operators masked so the macro processor interprets them as text instead
of as elements of the macro language:
& % ' " ( ) + * / < > = ^ ~ ; , # blank
AND OR NOT EQ NE LE LT GE GT IN

Example: Creating a Title with Initial Letters Capitalized

%macro initcaps(title);
%global newtitle;
%let newtitle=;
%let lastchar=;
%do i=1 %to %length(&title);
%let char=%qsubstr(&title,&i,1);
%if (&lastchar=%str( ) or &i=1) %then %let char=%qupcase(&char);
%else %let char=%qlowcase(&char);

%QLEFT Autocall Macro

181

%let newtitle=&newtitle&char;
%let lastchar=&char;
%end;
TITLE "&newtitle";
%mend;
%initcaps(%str(sales: COMMAND REFERENCE, VERSION 2, SECOND EDITION))

Submitting this example generates the following statement:

TITLE "Sales: Command Reference, Version 2, Second Edition";

%QCMPRES Autocall Macro

Compresses multiple blanks, removes leading and trailing blanks, and returns a result that masks special
characters and mnemonic operators.
Type:
Requirement:

Autocall macro
MAUTOSOURCE system option

Syntax
%QCMPRES (text | text expression)

Without Arguments
See %CMPRES and %QCMPRES Autocall Macros on page 175.

Details
Note: Autocall macros are included in a library supplied by SAS. This library might not
be installed at your site or might be a site-specific version. If you cannot access this
macro or if you want to find out if it is a site-specific version, see your on-site SAS
support personnel. For more information, see Storing and Reusing Macros on page
113.

%QLEFT Autocall Macro

Left-aligns an argument by removing leading blanks and returns a result that masks special characters and
mnemonic operators.
Type:
Requirement:

Autocall macro
MAUTOSOURCE system option

Syntax
%QLEFT (text | text expression)

Without Arguments
See %LEFT and %QLEFT Autocall Macro on page 179.

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Details
Note: Autocall macros are included in a library supplied by SAS. This library might not
be installed at your site or might be a site-specific version. If you cannot access this
macro or if you want to find out if it is a site-specific version, see your on-site SAS
support personnel. For more information, see Storing and Reusing Macros on page
113.

%QLOWCASE Autocall Macro

Changes uppercase characters to lowercase and returns a result that masks special characters and
mnemonic operators.
Type:
Requirement:

Autocall macro
MAUTOSOURCE system option

Syntax
%QLOWCASE(text | text expression)

Without Arguments
See %LOWCASE and %QLOWCASE Autocall Macros on page 180.

Details
Note: Autocall macros are included in a library supplied by SAS. This library might not
be installed at your site or might be a site-specific version. If you cannot access this
macro or if you want to find out if it is a site-specific version, see your on-site SAS
support personnel. For more information, see Storing and Reusing Macros on page
113.

%QTRIM Autocall Macro

Trims trailing blanks and returns a result that masks special characters and mnemonic operators.
Type:
Requirement:

Autocall macro
MAUTOSOURCE system option

Syntax
%QTRIM (text | text expression)

Without Arguments
See %TRIM and %QTRIM Autocall Macro on page 188.

Details
Note: Autocall macros are included in a library supplied by SAS. This library might not
be installed at your site or might be a site-specific version. If you cannot access this
macro or if you want to find out if it is a site-specific version, see your on-site SAS

%SYSRC Autocall Macro

183

support personnel. For more information, see Storing and Reusing Macros on page
113.

%SYSRC Autocall Macro

Returns a value corresponding to an error condition.
Type:
Requirement:

Autocall macro
MAUTOSOURCE system option

Syntax
%SYSRC(character-string)

Required Argument
character-string
is one of the mnemonic values listed in Table 13.1 on page 183 or a text expression
that produces the mnemonic value.

Details
Note: Autocall macros are included in a library supplied by SAS. This library might not
be installed at your site or might be a site-specific version. If you cannot access this
macro or if you want to find out if it is a site-specific version, see your on-site SAS
support personnel. For more information, see Storing and Reusing Macros on page
113.
The SYSRC macro enables you to test for return codes produced by SCL functions, the
MODIFY statement, and the SET statement with the KEY= option. The SYSRC autocall
macro tests for the error conditions by using mnemonic strings rather than the numeric
values associated with the error conditions.
When you invoke the SYSRC macro with a mnemonic string, the macro generates a
SAS return code. The mnemonics are easier to read than the numeric values, which are
not intuitive and subject to change.
You can test for specific errors in SCL functions by comparing the value returned by the
function with the value returned by the SYSRC macro with the corresponding
mnemonic. To test for errors in the most recent MODIFY or SET statement with the
KEY= option, compare the value of the _IORC_ automatic variable with the value
returned by the SYSRC macro when you invoke it with the value of the appropriate
mnemonic.
The following table lists the mnemonic values to specify with the SYSRC function and a
description of the corresponding error.
Table 13.1
Mnemonic

Mnemonics for Warning and Error Conditions

Description

Library Assign or Deassign Messages

_SEDUPLB

The libref refers to the same physical library as another libref.

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Mnemonic

Description

_SEIBASN

The specified libref is not assigned.

_SEINUSE

The library or member is not available for use.

_SEINVLB

The library is not in a valid format for the access method.

_SEINVLN

The libref is not valid.

_SELBACC

The action requested cannot be performed because you do not

have the required access level on the library.

_SELBUSE

The library is still in use.

_SELGASN

The specified libref is not assigned.

_SENOASN

The libref is not assigned.

_SENOLNM

The libref is not available for use.

_SESEQLB

The library is in sequential (tape) format.

_SWDUPLB

The libref refers to the same physical file as another libref.

_SWNOLIB

The library does not exist.

Fileref Messages
_SELOGNM

The fileref is assigned to an invalid file.

_SWLNASN

The fileref is not assigned.

SAS Data Set Messages

_DSENMR

The TRANSACTION data set observation does not exist in

the MASTER data set.

_DSEMTR

Multiple TRANSACTION data set observations do not exist

in MASTER data set.

_DSENOM

No matching observation was found in MASTER data set.

_SEBAUTH

The data set has passwords.

_SEBDIND

The index name is not a valid SAS name.

_SEDSMOD

The data set is not open in the correct mode for the specified
operation.

_SEDTLEN

The data length is invalid.

_SEINDCF

The new name conflicts with an index name.

%SYSRC Autocall Macro

185

Mnemonic

Description

_SEINVMD

The open mode is invalid.

_SEINVPN

The physical name is invalid.

_SEMBACC

You do not have the level of access required to open the data
set in the requested mode.

_SENOLCK

A record-level lock is not available.

_SENOMAC

Member-level access to the data set is denied.

_SENOSAS

The file is not a SAS data set.

_SEVARCF

The new name conflicts with an existing variable name.

_SWBOF

You tried to read the previous observation when you were on

the first observation.

_SWNOWHR

The record no longer satisfies the WHERE clause.

_SWSEQ

The task requires reading observations in a random order, but

the engine that you are using allows only sequential access.

_SWWAUG

The WHERE clause has been augmented.

_SWWCLR

The WHERE clause has been cleared.

_SWWREP

The WHERE clause has been replaced.

SAS File Open and Update Messages

_SEBDSNM

The filename is not a valid SAS name.

_SEDLREC

The record has been deleted from the file.

_SEFOPEN

The file is currently open.

_SEINVON

The option name is invalid.

_SEINVOV

The option value is invalid.

_SEINVPS

The value of the File Data Buffer pointer is invalid.

_SELOCK

The file is locked by another user.

_SENOACC

You do not have the level of access required to open the file
in the requested mode.

_SENOALL

_ALL_ is not allowed as part of a filename in this release.

_SENOCHN

The record was not changed because it would cause a

duplicate value for an index that does not allow duplicates.

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Mnemonic

Description

_SENODEL

Records cannot be deleted from this file.

_SENODLT

The file could not be deleted.

_SENOERT

The file is not open for writing.

_SENOOAC

You are not authorized for the requested open mode.

_SENOOPN

The file or directory is not open.

_SENOPF

The physical file does not exist.

_SENORD

The file is not opened for reading.

_SENORDX

The file is not radix addressable.

_SENOTRD

No record has been read from the file yet.

_SENOUPD

The file cannot be opened for update because the engine is

read only.

_SENOWRT

You do not have write access to the member.

_SEOBJLK

The file or directory is in exclusive use by another user.

_SERECRD

No records have been read from the input file.

_SWACMEM

Access to the directory will be provided one member at a

time.

_SWDLREC

The record has been deleted from file.

_SWEOF

End of file.

_SWNOFLE

The file does not exist.

_SWNOPF

The file or directory does not exist.

_SWNOREP

The file was not replaced because of the NOREPLACE

option.

_SWNOTFL

The item pointed to exists but is not a file.

_SWNOUPD

This record cannot be updated at this time.

Library/Member/Entry Messages
_SEBDMT

The member type specification is invalid.

_SEDLT

The member was not deleted.

_SELKUSR

The library or library member is locked by another user.

%SYSRC Autocall Macro

Mnemonic

Description

_SEMLEN

The member name is too long for this system.

_SENOLKH

The library or library member is not currently locked.

_SENOMEM

The member does not exist.

_SWKNXL

You have locked a library, member, or entry, that does not

exist yet.

_SWLKUSR

The library or library member is locked by another user.

_SWLKYOU

You have already locked the library or library member.

_SWNOLKH

The library or library member is not currently locked.

187

Miscellaneous Operations
_SEDEVOF

The device is offline or unavailable.

_SEDSKFL

The disk or tape is full.

_SEINVDV

The device type is invalid.

_SENORNG

There is no write ring in the tape opened for write access.

_SOK

The function was successful.

_SWINVCC

The carriage-control character is invalid.

_SWNODSK

The device is not a disk.

_SWPAUAC

Pause in I/O, process accumulated data up to this point.

_SWPAUSL

Pause in I/O, slide data window forward and process

accumulated data up to this point.

_SWPAUU1

Pause in I/O, extra user control point 1.

_SWPAUU2

Pause in I/O, extra user control point 2.

Comparisons
The SYSRC autocall macro and the SYSRC automatic macro variable are not the same.
For more information, see SYSRC Automatic Macro Variable on page 212.

Example: Examining the Value of _IORC_

The following DATA step illustrates using the autocall macro SYSRC and the automatic
variable _IORC_ to control writing a message to the SAS log:

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data big;
modify big trans;
by id;
if _iorc_=%sysrc(_dsenmr) then put 'WARNING: Check ID=' id;
run;

%TRIM and %QTRIM Autocall Macro

Trim trailing blanks.
Type:
Requirement:

Autocall macro
MAUTOSOURCE system option

Syntax
%TRIM(text | text expression)
%QTRIM(text | text expression)

Details
Note: Autocall macros are included in a library supplied by SAS. This library might not
be installed at your site or might be a site-specific version. If you cannot access this
macro or if you want to find out if it is a site-specific version, see your on-site SAS
support personnel. For more information, see Storing and Reusing Macros on page
113.
The TRIM macro and the QTRIM macro both trim trailing blanks. If the argument
contains a special character or mnemonic operator, listed below, use %QTRIM.
QTRIM produces a result with the following special characters and mnemonic operators
masked so the macro processor interprets them as text instead of as elements of the
macro language:
& % ' " ( ) + * / < > = ~ ; , #
AND OR NOT EQ NE LE LT GE GT IN

blank

Examples
Example 1: Removing Trailing Blanks
In this example, the TRIM autocall macro removes the trailing blanks from a message
that is written to the SAS log.
%macro numobs(dsn);
%local num;
data _null_;
set &dsn nobs=count;
call symput('num', left(put(count,8.)));
stop;
run;
%if &num eq 0 %then
%put There were NO observations in %upcase(&dsn).;
%else
%put There were %trim(&num) observations in %upcase(&dsn).;

%VERIFY Autocall Macro

189

%mend numobs;
%numobs(sample)

Invoking the NUMOBS macro generates the following statements:

DATA _NULL_;
SET SAMPLE NOBS=COUNT;
CALL SYMPUT('num', LEFT(PUT(COUNT,8.)));
STOP;
RUN;

If the data set SAMPLE contains six observations, then the %PUT statement writes this
line to the SAS log:
There were 6 observations in SAMPLE.

Example 2: Contrasting %TRIM and %QTRIM

These statements are executed January 28, 1999:
%let date=%nrstr(
&sysdate
);
%put *&date* *%qtrim(&date)* *%trim(&date)*;

The %PUT statement writes this line to the SAS log:

*

&sysdate

* *

&sysdate* *

28JAN99*

%VERIFY Autocall Macro

Returns the position of the first character unique to an expression.
Type:
Requirement:

Autocall macro
MAUTOSOURCE system option

Syntax
%VERIFY(source, excerpt)

Required Arguments
source
is text or a text expression that you want to examine for characters that do not exist
in excerpt.
excerpt
is text or a text expression. This is the text that defines the set of characters that
%VERIFY uses to examine source.

Details
Note: Autocall macros are included in a library supplied by SAS. This library might not
be installed at your site or might be a site-specific version. If you cannot access this
macro or if you want to find out if it is a site-specific version, see your on-site SAS
support personnel. For more information, see Storing and Reusing Macros on page
113.
%VERIFY returns the position of the first character in source that is not also present in
excerpt. If all characters in source are present in excerpt, %VERIFY returns 0.

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Example: Testing for a Valid Fileref

The ISNAME macro checks a string to verify that it is a valid fileref and prints a
message in the SAS log that explains why a string is or is not valid.
%macro isname(name);
%let name=%upcase(&name);
%if %length(&name)>8 %then
%put &name: The fileref must be 8 characters or less.;
%else %do;
%let first=ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ_;
%let all=&first.1234567890;
%let chk_1st=%verify(%substr(&name,1,1),&first);
%let chk_rest=%verify(&name,&all);
%if &chk_rest>0 %then
%put &name: The fileref cannot contain
"%substr(&name,&chk_rest,1)".;
%if &chk_1st>0 %then
%put &name: The first character cannot be
"%substr(&name,1,1)".;
%if (&chk_1st or &chk_rest)=0 %then
%put &name is a valid fileref.;
%end;
%mend isname;
%isname(file1)
%isname(1file)
%isname(filename1)
%isname(file$)

When this program executes, the following is written to the SAS log:
FILE1 is a
1FILE: The
FILENAME1:
FILE$: The

valid fileref.
first character cannot be "1".
The fileref must be 8 characters or less.
fileref cannot contain "$".

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Automatic Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
SYSADDRBITS Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
SYSBUFFR Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
SYSCC Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
SYSCHARWIDTH Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
SYSCMD Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
SYSDATE Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
SYSDATE9 Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
SYSDAY Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
SYSDEVIC Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
SYSDMG Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
SYSDSN Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
SYSENCODING Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
SYSENDIAN Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
SYSENV Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
SYSERR Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
SYSERRORTEXT Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
SYSFILRC Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
SYSHOSTNAME Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
SYSINDEX Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
SYSINFO Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
SYSJOBID Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
SYSLAST Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
SYSLCKRC Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
SYSLIBRC Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
SYSLOGAPPLNAME Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
SYSMACRONAME Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
SYSMENV Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
SYSMSG Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
SYSNCPU Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
SYSNOBS Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
SYSODSESCAPECHAR Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
SYSODSPATH Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
SYSPARM Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
SYSPBUFF Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
SYSPROCESSID Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
SYSPROCESSNAME Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
SYSPROCNAME Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
SYSRC Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
SYSSCP and SYSSCPL Automatic Macro Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

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SYSSCPL Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

SYSSITE Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
SYSSIZEOFLONG Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
SYSSIZEOFPTR Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
SYSSIZEOFUNICODE Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
SYSSTARTID Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
SYSSTARTNAME Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
SYSTCPIPHOSTNAME Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
SYSTIME Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
SYSUSERID Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
SYSVER Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
SYSVLONG Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
SYSVLONG4 Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
SYSWARNINGTEXT Automatic Macro Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Automatic Macro Variables

Automatic macro variables are created by the macro processor and they supply a variety
of information. They are useful in programs to check the status of a condition before
executing code.

Dictionary
SYSADDRBITS Automatic Macro Variable
Contains the number of bits of an address.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
The SYSADDRBITS automatic macro variable contains the number of bits needed for
an address.

SYSBUFFR Automatic Macro Variable

Contains text that is entered in response to a %INPUT statement when there is no corresponding macro
variable.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read and write)

Details
Until the first execution of a %INPUT statement, SYSBUFFR has a null value.
However, SYSBUFFR receives a new value during each execution of a %INPUT
statement, either the text entered in response to the %INPUT statement where there is no

SYSCC Automatic Macro Variable

193

corresponding macro variable or a null value. If a %INPUT statement contains no macro

variable names, all characters entered are assigned to SYSBUFFR.

Example: Assigning Text to SYSBUFFR

This %INPUT statement accepts the values of the two macro variables WATRFALL and
RIVER:
%input watrfall river;

If you enter the following text, there is not a one-to-one match between the two variable
names and the text:
Angel Tributary of Caroni

For example, you can submit these statements:

%put WATRFALL contains: *&watrfall*;
%put RIVER contains: *&river*;
%put SYSBUFFR contains: *&sysbuffr*;

After execution, they produce this output in the SAS log:

WATRFALL contains: *Angel*
RIVER contains: *Tributary*
SYSBUFFR contains: * of Caroni*

As the SAS log demonstrates, the text stored in SYSBUFFR includes leading and
embedded blanks.

SYSCC Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the current condition code that SAS returns to your operating environment (the operating
environment condition code).
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read and write)

Details
SYSCC is a read and write automatic macro variable that enables you to reset the job
condition code and to recover from conditions that prevent subsequent steps from
running.
A normal exit internally to SAS is 0. The host code translates the internal value to a
meaningful condition code by each host for each operating environment. &SYSCC of 0
at SAS termination is the value of success for that operating environment's return code.
The following are examples of successful condition codes:
Table 14.1

SYSCC Operating Environments and Values

Operating Environment

Value

z/OS

RC 0

OpenVMS

$STATUS = 1

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The method to check the operating environment return code is host dependent.
The warning condition code in SAS sets &SYSCC to 4.
Note: When the ERRORCHECK= SAS system option is set at NORMAL, the value of
SYSCC will be 0 even if an error exists in a LIBNAME or FILENAME statement, or
in a LOCK statement in SAS/SHARE software. The value of SYSCC will also be 0
when the %INCLUDE statement fails due to a nonexistent file. For more
information, see the ERRORCHECK= System Option in SAS System Options:
Reference.

SYSCHARWIDTH Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the character width value.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
The character width value is either 1 (narrow) or 2 (wide).

SYSCMD Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the last unrecognized command from the command line of a macro window.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read and write)

Details
The value of SYSCMD is null before each execution of a %DISPLAY statement. If you
enter a word or phrase on the command line of a macro window and the windowing
environment does not recognize the command, SYSCMD receives that word or phrase as
its value. This method is the only way to change the value of SYSCMD, which
otherwise is a read-only variable. Use SYSCMD to enter values on the command line
that work like user-created windowing commands.

Example: Processing Commands Entered in a Macro

Window
The macro definition START creates a window in which you can use the command line
to enter any windowing command. If you type an invalid command, a message informs
you that the command is not recognized. When you type QUIT on the command line, the
window closes and the macro terminates.
%macro start;
%window start
#5 @28 'Welcome to the SAS System'
#10 @28 'Type QUIT to exit';
%let exit = 0;
%do %until (&exit=1);
%display start;
%if &syscmd ne %then %do;

SYSDATE9 Automatic Macro Variable

195

%if %upcase(&syscmd)=QUIT %then %let exit=1;

%else %let sysmsg=&syscmd not recognized;
%end;
%end;
%mend start;

SYSDATE Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the date that a SAS job or session began executing.
Type:
See:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

SYSDATE9 Automatic Macro Variable on page 195

Details
SYSDATE contains a SAS date value in the DATE7. format, which displays a two-digit
date, the first three letters of the month name, and a two-digit year. The date does not
change during the individual job or session. For example, you could use SYSDATE in
programs to check the date before you execute code that you want to run on certain dates
of the month.

Example: Formatting a SYSDATE Value

Macro FDATE assigns a format that you specify to the value of SYSDATE:
%macro fdate(fmt);
%global fdate;
data _null_;
call symput("fdate",left(put("&sysdate"d,&fmt)));
run;
%mend fdate;
%fdate(worddate.)
title "Tests for &fdate";

If you execute this macro on July 28, 1998, SAS sees the statements:
DATA _NULL_;
CALL SYMPUT("FDATE",LEFT(PUT("28JUL98"D,WORDDATE.)));
RUN;
TITLE "Tests for July 28, 1998";

For another method of formatting the current date, see the %SYSFUNC and
%QSYSFUNC functions.

SYSDATE9 Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the date that a SAS job or session began executing.
Type:
See:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

SYSDATE Automatic Macro Variable on page 195

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Details
SYSDATE9 contains a SAS date value in the DATE9. format, which displays a twodigit date, the first three letters of the month name, and a four-digit year. The date does
not change during the individual job or session. For example, you could use SYSDATE9
in programs to check the date before you execute code that you want to run on certain
dates of the month.

Example: Formatting a SYSDATE9 Value

Macro FDATE assigns a format that you specify to the value of SYSDATE9:
%macro fdate(fmt);
b
%global fdate;
data _null_;
call symput("fdate",left(put("&sysdate9"d,&fmt)));
run;
%mend fdate;
%fdate(worddate.)
title "Tests for &fdate";

If you execute this macro on July 28, 2008, SAS sees the statements:
DATA _NULL_;
CALL SYMPUT("FDATE",LEFT(PUT("28JUL2008"D,WORDDATE.)));
RUN;
TITLE "Tests for July 28, 2008";

For another method of formatting the current date, see the %SYSFUNC and
%QSYSFUNC functions.

SYSDAY Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the day of the week that a SAS job or session began executing.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
You can use SYSDAY to check the current day before executing code that you want to
run on certain days of the week, provided you initialized your SAS session today.

Example: Identifying the Day When a SAS Session

Started
The following statement identifies the day and date when a SAS session started running.
%put This SAS session started running on: &sysday, &sysdate9.;

When this statement executes on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 for a SAS session that
began executing on Monday, December 17, 2007, the following line is written to the
SAS log:
This SAS session started running on: Monday, 17DEC2007

SYSDMG Automatic Macro Variable

197

SYSDEVIC Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the name of the current graphics device.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read and write)

Details
The current graphics device is the one specified at invocation of SAS. You can specify
the graphics device on the command line in response to a prompt when you use a
product that uses SAS/GRAPH. You can also specify the graphics device in a
configuration file. The name of the current graphics device is also the value of the SAS
system option DEVICE=.
For details, see the SAS documentation for your operating environment.
Note: The macro processor always stores the value of SYSDEVIC in unquoted form. To
quote the resolved value of SYSDEVIC, use the %SUPERQ macro quoting function.

Comparisons
Assigning a value to SYSDEVIC is the same as specifying a value for the DEVICE=
system option.

SYSDMG Automatic Macro Variable

Contains a return code that reflects an action taken on a damaged data set.
Type:
Default:

Automatic macro variable (read and write)

0

Details
You can use the value of SYSDMG as a condition to determine further action to take.
SYSDMG can contain the following values:
Table 14.2

SYSDMG Values and Descriptions

Value

Description

No repair of damaged data sets in this session. (Default)

One or more automatic repairs of damaged data sets has occurred.

One or more user-requested repairs of damaged data sets has occurred.

One or more opens failed because the file was damaged.

One or more SAS tasks were terminated because of a damaged data set.

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Value

Description

One or more automatic repairs of damaged data sets has occurred; the lastrepaired data set has index file removed, as requested.

One or more user requested repairs has occurred; the last-repaired data set
has index file removed, as requested.

SYSDSN Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the libref and name of the most recently created SAS data set.
Type:
See:

Automatic macro variable (read and write)

SYSLAST Automatic Macro Variable on page 204

Details
The libref and data set name are displayed in two left-aligned fields. If no SAS data set
has been created in the current program, SYSDSN returns eight blanks followed by
_NULL_ followed by two more blanks.
Note: The macro processor always stores the value of SYSDSN in unquoted form. To
quote the resolved value of SYSDSN, use the %SUPERQ macro quoting function.

Comparisons

Assigning a value to SYSDSN is the same as specifying a value for the _LAST_=
system option.

The value of SYSLAST is often more useful than SYSDSN because the value of
SYSLAST is formatted so that you can insert a reference to it directly into SAS code
in place of a data set name.

Example: Comparing Values Produced by SYSDSN and

SYSLAST
Create a data set WORK.TEST and then enter the following statements:
%put Sysdsn produces: *&sysdsn*;
%put Syslast produces: *&syslast*;

When these statements execute, the following lines are written to the SAS log:
Sysdsn produces: *WORK
TEST
Syslast produces: *WORK.TEST
*

When the libref or data set name contain fewer than eight characters, SYSDSN
maintains the blanks for the unused characters. SYSDSN does not display a period
between the libref and data set name fields.

SYSENV Automatic Macro Variable

199

SYSENCODING Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the name of the SAS session encoding.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (ready only)

Details
SYSENCODING displays the name with a maximum length of 12 bytes.

Example: Using SYSENCODING to Display the SAS

Session Encoding
The following statement displays the encoding for the SAS session:
%put The encoding for this SAS session is: &sysencoding;

When this statement executes, the following comment is written to the SAS log:
The encoding for this SAS session is: wlatin1

SYSENDIAN Automatic Macro Variable

Contains an indication of the byte order of the current session. The possible values are LITTLE or BIG.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
The SYSENDIAN automatic macro variable indicates the byte order of the current SAS
session. There are two possible values: LITTLE and BIG.

SYSENV Automatic Macro Variable

Reports whether SAS is running interactively.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
The value of SYSENV is independent of the source of input. The following are values
for SYSENV:
FORE
when the SAS system option TERMINAL is in effect. For example, the value is
FORE when you run SAS interactively through a windowing environment.
BACK
when the SAS system option NOTERMINAL is in effect. For example, the value is
BACK when you submit a SAS job in batch mode.

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You can use SYSENV to check the execution mode before submitting code that requires
interactive processing. To use a %INPUT statement, the value of SYSENV must be
FORE. For details, see the SAS documentation for your operating environment.
Operating Environment Information
Some operating environments do not support the submission of jobs in batch mode.
In this case the value of SYSENV is always FORE. For details, see the SAS
documentation for your operating environment.

SYSERR Automatic Macro Variable

Contains a return code status set by some SAS procedures and the DATA step.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
You can use the value of SYSERR as a condition to determine further action to take or
to decide which parts of a SAS program to execute. SYSERR is used to detect major
system errors, such as out of memory or failure of the component system when used in
some procedures and DATA steps. SYSERR automatic macro variable is reset at each
step boundary. For the return code of a complete job, see SYSCC Automatic Macro
Variable on page 193.
SYSERR can contain the following values:
Table 14.3

SYSERR Values

Value

Description

Execution completed successfully and without warning messages.

Execution was canceled by a user with a RUN CANCEL statement.

Execution was canceled by a user with an ATTN or BREAK command.

An error in a program run in batch or non-interactive mode caused SAS to

enter syntax-check mode.

Execution completed successfully but with warning messages.

Execution was canceled by a user with an ABORT CANCEL statement.

Execution was canceled by a user with an ABORT CANCEL FILE

statement.

>6

An error occurred. The value returned is procedure-dependent.

The following table contains warning return codes. The codes do not indicate any
specific problems. These codes are guidelines to identify the nature of a problem.

SYSERR Automatic Macro Variable

Table 14.4

201

SYSERR Warning Codes

Warning Code

Description

108

Problem with one or more BY groups

112

Error with one or more BY groups

116

Memory problems with one or more BY groups

120

I/O problems with one or more BY groups

The following table contains error return codes. The codes do not indicate any specific
problems. These codes are guidelines to identify the nature of a problem.
Table 14.5

SYSERR Error Codes

Error Code

Description

1008

General data problem

1012

General error condition

1016

Out-of-memory condition

1020

I/O problem

2000

Semantic action problem

2001

Attribute processing problem

3000

Syntax error

4000

Not a valid procedure

9999

Bug in the procedure

20000

A step was stopped or an ABORT statement was issued.

20001

An ABORT RETURN statement was issued.

20002

An ABORT ABEND statement was issued.

25000

Severe system error. The system cannot initialize or continue.

Example: Using SYSERR

The example creates an error message and uses %PUT &SYSERR to write the return
code number (1012) to the SAS log.
data NULL;
set doesnotexist;

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run;
%put &syserr;

The following SAS log output contains the return code number:
75
data NULL;
76
set doesnotexist;
ERROR: File WORK.DOESNOTEXIST.DATA does not exist.
77
78
run;
NOTE: The SAS System stopped processing this step because of errors.
WARNING: The data set WORK.NULL might be incomplete. When this step was
stopped there were 0 observations and 0 variables.
WARNING: Data set WORK.NULL was not replaced because this step was stopped.
NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time):
real time
0.00 seconds
cpu time
0.00 seconds
79
80
%put &syserr;
1012

To retrieve error and warning text instead of the return code number, see
SYSERRORTEXT Automatic Macro Variable on page 202 and
SYSWARNINGTEXT Automatic Macro Variable on page 219.

SYSERRORTEXT Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the text of the last error message formatted for display in the SAS log.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
The value of SYSERRORTEXT is the text of the last error message generated in the
SAS log. For a list of SYSERR warnings and errors, see SYSERR Automatic Macro
Variable on page 200.
Note: If the last error message text that was generated contains an & or % and you are
using the %PUT statement, you must use the %SUPERQ macro quoting function to
mask the special characters to prevent further resolution of the value. The following
example uses the %PUT statement and the %SUPERQ macro quoting function:
%put %superq(syserrortext);

For more information, see %SUPERQ Function on page 259.

Example: Using SYSERRORTEXT

This example creates an error message:
data NULL;
set doesnotexist;
run;
%put &syserrortext;

When these statements are executed, the following record is written to the SAS log:

SYSHOSTNAME Automatic Macro Variable

203

1
data NULL;
2
set doesnotexist;
ERROR: File WORK.DOESNOTEXIST.DATA does not exist.
3
run;
NOTE: The SAS System stopped processing this step because of errors.
WARNING: The data set WORK.NULL might be incomplete. When this step was
stopped there were 0 observations and 0 variables.
NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time):
real time
11.16 seconds
cpu time
0.07 seconds
4 %put &syserrortext;
File WORK.DOESNOTEXIST.DATA does not exist.

SYSFILRC Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the return code from the last FILENAME statement.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read and write)

Details
SYSFILRC checks whether the file or storage location referenced by the last
FILENAME statement exists. You can use SYSFILRC to confirm that a file or location
is allocated before attempting to access an external file.
The following are values for SYSFILRC:
Table 14.6

SYSFILRC Values and Descriptions

Value

Description

The last FILENAME statement executed correctly.

The last FILENAME statement did not execute correctly.

SYSHOSTNAME Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the host name of a computer.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
SYSHOSTNAME contains the host name of the system that is running a single TCPIP
stack. For more information about TCPIP stacks, see your SAS host companion
documentation.

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SYSINDEX Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the number of macros that have started execution in the current SAS job or session.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
You can use SYSINDEX in a program that uses macros when you need a unique number
that changes after each macro invocation.

SYSINFO Automatic Macro Variable

Contains return codes provided by some SAS procedures.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
Values of SYSINFO are described with the procedures that use it. You can use the value
of SYSINFO as a condition for determining further action to take or parts of a SAS
program to execute.
For example, PROC COMPARE, which compares two data sets, uses SYSINFO to store
a value that provides information about the result of the comparison.

SYSJOBID Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the name of the current batch job or user ID.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
The value stored in SYSJOBID depends on the operating environment that you use to
run SAS. You can use SYSJOBID to check who is currently executing the job to restrict
certain processing or to issue commands that are specific to a user.

SYSLAST Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the name of the SAS data file created most recently.
Type:
See:

Automatic macro variable (read and write)

SYSDSN Automatic Macro Variable on page 198

SYSLCKRC Automatic Macro Variable

205

Details
The name is stored in the form libref.dataset. You can insert a reference to SYSLAST
directly into SAS code in place of a data set name. If no SAS data set has been created in
the current program, the value of SYSLAST is _NULL_, with no leading or trailing
blanks.
Note: The macro processor always stores the value of SYSLAST in unquoted form. To
quote the resolved value of SYSLAST, use the %SUPERQ macro quoting function.

Comparisons

Assigning a value to SYSLAST is the same as specifying a value for the _LAST_=
system option.

The value of SYSLAST is often more useful than SYSDSN because the value of
SYSLAST is formatted so that you can insert a reference to it directly into SAS code
in place of a data set name.

Example: Comparing Values Produced by SYSLAST and

SYSDSN
Create the data set FIRSTLIB.SALESRPT and then enter the following statements:
%put Sysdsn produces: *&sysdsn*;
%put Syslast produces: *&syslast*;

When these statements are executed, the following is written to the SAS log:
Sysdsn produces: *FIRSTLIBSALESRPT*
Syslast produces: *FIRSTLIB.SALESRPT*

The name stored in SYSLAST contains the period between the libref and data set name.

SYSLCKRC Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the return code from the most recent LOCK statement.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read and write)

Details
The LOCK statement is a Base SAS software statement used to acquire and release an
exclusive lock on data objects in data libraries accessed through SAS/SHARE software.
The following are values for SYSLCKRC:
Table 14.7

LCKRC Values and Descriptions

Value

Description

The last LOCK statement was successful.

>0

The last LOCK statement was not successful.

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Value

Description

<0

The last LOCK statement was completed, but a WARNING or NOTE was
written to the SAS log.

For more information, see the documentation for SAS/SHARE software.

SYSLIBRC Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the return code from the last LIBNAME statement.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read and write)

Details
The code reports whether the last LIBNAME statement executed correctly. SYSLIBRC
checks whether the SAS library referenced by the last LIBNAME statement exists. For
example, you could use SYSLIBRC to confirm that a libref is allocated before you
attempt to access a permanent data set.
The following are values for SYSLIBRC:
Table 14.8

SYSLIBRC Values and Descriptions

Value

Description

The last LIBNAME statement executed correctly.

The last LIBNAME statement did not execute correctly.

SYSLOGAPPLNAME Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the value of the LOGAPPLNAME= system option.
Type:
Default:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

null

Details
The following code, when submitted from the current SAS session, writes the
LOGAPPLNAME for the current SAS session to the log:
%put &syslogapplname;

SYSMACRONAME Automatic Macro Variable

Returns the name of the currently executing macro.

SYSMSG Automatic Macro Variable

Type:

207

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
When referenced outside of an executing macro, SYSMACRONAME returns the null
string.

SYSMENV Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the invocation status of the macro that is currently executing.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
The following are values for SYSMENV:
Table 14.9

SMENV Values and Descriptions

Value

Description

The macro currently executing was invoked as part of a SAS program.

The macro currently executing was invoked from the command line of a
SAS window.

SYSMSG Automatic Macro Variable

Contains text to display in the message area of a macro window.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read and write)

Details
Values assigned to SYSMSG do not require quotation marks. The value of SYSMSG is
set to null after each execution of a %DISPLAY statement.

Example: %DISPLAY Statement

This example shows that text assigned to SYSMSG is cleared after the %DISPLAY
statement.
%let sysmsg=Press ENTER to continue.;
%window start
#5 @28 'Welcome to SAS';
%display start;
%put Sysmsg is: *&sysmsg*;

When this program executes, the following is written to the SAS log:

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Sysmsg is: **

SYSNCPU Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the current number of processors available to SAS for computations.
Type:

Automatic Macro Variable (Read Only)

Details
SYSNCPU is an automatic macro variable that provides the current value of the
CPUCOUNT option. For more information about CPUCOUNT= System Option in
SAS System Options: Reference.

Comparisons
The following example shows the option CPUCOUNT set to 265.
options cpucount=265;
%put &sysncpu;

The output of the above example is 265.

SYSNOBS Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the number of observations read from the last data set that was closed by the previous procedure
or DATA step.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
The SYSNOBS contains the number of observations read from the last data set that was
closed by the previous procedure or DATA step.
Note: If the number of observations for the data set was not calculated by the previous
procedure or DATA step, the value of SYSNOBS is set to -1.

SYSODSESCAPECHAR Automatic Macro Variable

Displays the value of the ODS ESCAPECHAR= from within the program.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
SYSODSESCAPECHAR automatic macro variable contains the current ODS escape
character.

SYSPARM Automatic Macro Variable

209

SYSODSPATH Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the current Output Delivery System (ODS) pathname.
Type:
Restriction:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

The SYSODSPATH automatic macro variable exists only when an ODS or PROC
TEMPLATE statement is invoked.

Details
The SYSODSPATH automatic macro variable contains the current ODS pathname.

SYSPARM Automatic Macro Variable

Contains a character string that can be passed from the operating environment to SAS program steps.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read and write)

Details
SYSPARM enables you to pass a character string from the operating environment to
SAS program steps and provides a means of accessing or using the string while a
program is executing. For example, you can use SYSPARM from the operating
environment to pass a title statement or a value for a program to process. You can also
set the value of SYSPARM within a SAS program. SYSPARM can be used anywhere in
a SAS program. The default value of SYSPARM is null (zero characters).
SYSPARM is most useful when specified at invocation of SAS. For details, see the SAS
documentation for your operating environment.
Note: The macro processor always stores the value of SYSPARM in unquoted form. To
quote the resolved value of SYSPARM, use the %SUPERQ macro quoting function.

Comparisons

Assigning a value to SYSPARM is the same as specifying a value for the

SYSPARM= system option.

Retrieving the value of SYSPARM is the same as using the SYSPARM() SAS
function.

Example: Passing a Value to a Procedure

In this example, you invoke SAS on a UNIX operating environment on September 20,
2011 (the librefs DEPT and TEST are defined in the config.sas file) with a command
like the following:
sas program-name -sysparm dept.projects -config /myid/config.sas

Macro variable SYSPARM supplies the name of the data set for PROC REPORT:
proc report data=&sysparm
report=test.resorces.priority.rept;

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title "%sysfunc(date(),worddate.)";
title2;
title3 'Active Projects By Priority';
run;

SAS sees the following:

proc report data=dept.projects
report=test.resorces.priority.rept;
title "September 20, 2011";
title2;
title3 'Active Projects By Priority';
run;

SYSPBUFF Automatic Macro Variable

Contains text supplied as macro parameter values.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read and write, local scope)

Details
SYSPBUFF resolves to the text supplied as parameter values in the invocation of a
macro that is defined with the PARMBUFF option. For name-style invocations, this text
includes the parentheses and commas. Using the PARMBUFF option and SYSPBUFF,
you can define a macro that accepts a varying number of parameters at each invocation.
If the macro definition includes both a set of parameters and the PARMBUFF option, the
macro invocation causes the parameters to receive values and the entire invocation list of
values to be assigned to SYSPBUFF.

Example: Using SYSPBUFF to Display Macro Parameter

Values
The macro PRINTZ uses the PARMBUFF option to define a varying number of
parameters and SYSPBUFF to display the parameters specified at invocation.
%macro printz/parmbuff;
%put Syspbuff contains: &syspbuff;
%let num=1;
%let dsname=%scan(&syspbuff,&num);
%do %while(&dsname ne);
proc print data=&dsname;
run;
%let num=%eval(&num+1);
%let dsname=%scan(&syspbuff,&num);
%end;
%mend printz;
%printz(purple,red,blue,teal)

When this program executes, this line is written to the SAS log:
Syspbuff contains: (purple,red,blue,teal)

SYSPROCNAME Automatic Macro Variable

211

SYSPROCESSID Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the process ID of the current SAS process.
Type:
Default:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

null

Details
The process ID is a 32character hexadecimal string. The default value is null.

Example: Using SYSPROCESSID to Display the Current

SAS Process ID
The following code writes the current SAS process ID to the SAS log:
%put &sysprocessid;

A process ID, such as the following, is written to the SAS log:

41D1B269F86C7C5F4010000000000000

SYSPROCESSNAME Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the process name of the current SAS process.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Example: Using SYSPROCESSNAME to Display the

Current SAS Process Name
The following statement writes the name of the current SAS process to the log:
%put &sysprocessname;

If you submit this statement in the SAS windowing environment of your second SAS
session, the following line is written to the SAS log:
DMS Process (2)

SYSPROCNAME Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the name of the procedure (or DATASTEP for DATA steps) currently being processed by the
SAS Language Processor.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

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Details
The value of SYSPROCNAME contains the name of the procedure specified by the user
in the PROC statement until a step boundary is reached.

SYSRC Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the last return code generated by your operating system.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read and write)

Details
The code returned by SYSRC is based on commands that you execute using the X
statement in open code, the X command in a windowing environment, or the
%SYSEXEC, %TSO, or %CMS macro statements. Return codes are integers. The
default value of SYSRC is 0.
You can use SYSRC to check the return code of a system command before you continue
with a job. For return code examples, see the SAS companion for your operating
environment.

SYSSCP and SYSSCPL Automatic Macro Variables

Contain an identifier for your operating environment.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
SYSSCP and SYSSCPL resolve to an abbreviation of the name of your operating
environment. In some cases, SYSSCPL provides a more specific value than SYSSCP.
You could use SYSSCP and SYSSCPL to check the operating environment to execute
appropriate system commands.
The following table lists the values for SYSSCP and SYSSCPL.
Table 14.10

SYSSCP and SYSSCPL Values for Platforms Running SAS 9.2 or Later

Platform

SYSSCP Value

SYSSCPL Value

z/OS

OS

z/OS

VMI or OpenVMS on Itanium

- supported for Foundation
SAS only

VMS ITAN

OpenVMS

UNIX
HP-UX PA-RISC or H64

HP 64

HP-UX

H61 or HP-UX IPF or HP-UX

on Itanium

HP IPF

HP-UX

SYSSCP and SYSSCPL Automatic Macro Variables

Platform

SYSSCP Value

SYSSCPL Value

LAX or LINUX on X64

(x86-64)

LIN X64

LINUX

LNX or LINUX or LINUX

32-bit (x86)

LINUX

LINUX

R64 or AIX64 or AIX on

POWER

AIX 64

AIX

S64 or SUN64 or Solaris on

SPARC

SUN 64

SUNOS or SunOS

SAX or Solaris 10 on X64

(x86-64)

SUN X64

SUNOS

Windows
Windows XP Pro

WIN

XP_PRO

Windows Server 2003

WIN

NET_SRV

Windows Enterprise Server

2003

WIN

NET_ASRV

Windows Data Center Server

2003

WIN

NET_DSRV

Windows XP Pro x64

WIN

X64_PRO

Windows Server 2003 x64

WIN

X64_SRV

Windows Enterprise Server

2003 x64

WIN

X64_ESRV

Windows Data Center Server

2003 x64

WIN

X64_DSRV

Windows Vista Business

WIN

W32_VSPRO

Windows Server 2008

WIN

W32_SRV08

Windows Enterprise Server

2008

WIN

W32_ESRV08

Windows Data Center Server

2008

WIN

W32_DSRV08

Windows Vista Business x64

WIN

X64_VSPRO

Windows Server 2008 x64

WIN

X64_SRV08

Windows Enterprise Server

2008 x64

WIN

X64_ESRV08

213

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Platform

SYSSCP Value

SYSSCPL Value

Windows Data Center Server

2008 x64

WIN

X64_DSRV08

Windows Server 2008 Itanium

WIN

W64_ESRV08

Windows Itanium Enterprise

Server 2003 or W64_ASRV

WIN

W64_ASRV

Windows Itanium Data Center

Server 2003 or W64_DSRV

WIN

W64_DSRV

Windows Itanium Server 2003

WIN

W64_SRV

Example: Deleting a Temporary File on a Platform

Running SAS
The macro DELFILE locates the platform that is running SAS and deletes the TMP file.
FILEREF is a global macro variable that contains the fileref for the TMP file.
%macro delfile;
%if /* HP Unix */&sysscp=HP 800 or &sysscp=HP 300
%then
%do;
X "rm &fileref..TMP";
%end;
%else %if /* DOS-LIKE PLATFORMS */&sysscp=OS2 or &sysscp=WIN
%then
%do;
X "DEL &fileref..TMP";
%end;
%else %if /* CMS */&sysscp=CMS
%then
%do;
X "ERASE &fileref TEMP A";
%end;
%mend delfile;

SYSSCPL Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the name of your operating environment.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
See SYSSCP and SYSSCPL Automatic Macro Variables on page 212.

SYSSTARTID Automatic Macro Variable

215

SYSSITE Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the number assigned to your site.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
SAS assigns a site number to each site that licenses SAS software. The number displays
in the SAS log.

SYSSIZEOFLONG Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the length in bytes of a long integer in the current session.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
The SYSSIZEOFLONG automatic macro variable contains the length of a long integer
in the current SAS session.

SYSSIZEOFPTR Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the size in bytes of a pointer.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
The SYSSIZEOFPTR automatic macro variable contains the size in bytes of a pointer.

SYSSIZEOFUNICODE Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the length in bytes of a Unicode character in the current session.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
The SYSSIZEOFUNICODE automatic macro variable contains the length of the
Unicode character in the current SAS session.

SYSSTARTID Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the ID generated from the last STARTSAS statement (experimental).

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Type:
Default:
Note:

Automatic Macro Variables

Automatic macro variable (read only)

null
STARTSAS statement is an experimental feature of the SAS System.

Details
The ID is a 32-character hexadecimal string that can be passed to the WAITSAS
statement or the ENDSAS statement. The default value is null.

Example: Using SYSSTARTID to Display the SAS Process

ID from the Most Recent STARTSAS Statement
(experimental)
Submit the following code from the SAS process in which you have submitted the most
recent STARTSAS statement to write the value of the SYSSTARTID variable to the
SAS log:
%put &sysstartid

A process ID value, such as the following, is written to the SAS log:

41D20425B89FCED94036000000000000

SYSSTARTNAME Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the process name generated from the last STARTSAS statement (experimental).
Type:
Default:
Note:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

null
STARTSAS statement is an experimental feature of the SAS System.

Example: Using SYSSTARTNAME to Display the SAS

Process Name from the Most Recent STARTSAS
Statement (experimental)
Submit the following code from the SAS process in which you have submitted the most
recent STARTSAS statement to write the value of the SYSSTARTNAME variable to
the SAS log:
%put &sysstartname;

An example of a process name that can appear in the SAS log is as follows:
DMS Process (2)

SYSTCPIPHOSTNAME Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the host names of the local and remote computers when multiple TCP/IP stacks are supported.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

SYSUSERID Automatic Macro Variable

217

Details
SYSTCPIPHOSTNAME contains the host name of the system that is running multiple
TCPIP stacks. For more information about TCPIP stacks, see your SAS host companion
documentation.

SYSTIME Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the time a SAS job or session began executing.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
The value is displayed in TIME5. format and does not change during the individual job
or session.

Example: Using SYSTIME to Display the Time that a SAS

Session Started
The following statement displays the time a SAS session started.
%put This SAS session started running at: &systime;

When this statement executes at 3 p.m., but your SAS session began executing at 9:30
a.m., the following comment is written to the SAS log:
This SAS session started running at: 09:30

SYSUSERID Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the user ID or login of the current SAS process.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Example: Using SYSUSERID to Display the User ID for

the Current SAS Process
The following code, when submitted from the current SAS process, writes the user ID or
login for the current SAS process to the SAS log:
%put &sysuserid;

A user ID, such as the following, is written to the SAS log:

MyUserid

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SYSVER Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the release number of SAS software that is running.
Type:
See:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

SYSVLONG Automatic Macro Variable on page 218 and SYSVLONG4 Automatic
Macro Variable on page 218

Comparisons
SYSVER provides the release number of the SAS software that is running. You can use
SYSVER to check for the release of SAS before running a job with newer features.

Example: Identifying SAS Software Release

The following statement displays the release number of a user's SAS software.
%put I am using release: &sysver;

Submitting this statement (for a user of SAS 9.2) writes the following to the SAS log:
I am using release: 9.2

SYSVLONG Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the release number and maintenance level of SAS software that is running.
Type:
See:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

SYSVER Automatic Macro Variable on page 218 and SYSVLONG4 Automatic
Macro Variable on page 218

Comparisons
SYSVLONG provides the release number and maintenance level of SAS software, in
addition to the release number.

Example: Identifying a SAS Maintenance Release

The following statement displays information identifying the SAS release being used.
%put I am using release: &sysvlong;

Submitting this statement (for a user of SAS 9.2) writes the following to the SAS log:
I am using release: 9.02.02M2D071609

SYSVLONG4 Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the release number and maintenance level of SAS software that is running and has a four digit
year.

SYSWARNINGTEXT Automatic Macro Variable 219

Type:
See:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

SYSVER Automatic Macro Variable on page 218 and SYSVLONG Automatic
Macro Variable on page 218

Comparisons
SYSVLONG4 provides a four digit year and the release number and maintenance level
of SAS software. SYSVLONG does not contain the four digit year but everything else is
the same.

Example: Using SYSVLONG4 Automatic Macro Variable

The following statement displays information that identifies the SAS release being used.
%put I am using maintenance release: &sysvlong4;

Submitting this statement (for a user of SAS 9.2) writes this comment to the SAS log:
I am using maintenance release: 9.02.01B0D09112007

SYSWARNINGTEXT Automatic Macro Variable

Contains the text of the last warning message formatted for display in the SAS log.
Type:

Automatic macro variable (read only)

Details
The value of SYSWARNINGTEXT is the text of the last warning message generated in
the SAS log. For a list of SYSERR warnings and errors, see SYSERR Automatic
Macro Variable on page 200.
Note: If the last warning message text that was generated contains an & or % and you are
using the %PUT statement, you must use the %SUPERQ macro quoting function to
mask the special characters to prevent further resolution of the value. The following
example uses the %PUT statement and the %SUPERQ macro quoting function:
%put %superq(syswarningtext);

For more information, see %SUPERQ Function on page 259.

Example: Using SYSWARNINGTEXT

This example creates a warning message:
data NULL;
set doesnotexist;
run;
%put &syswarningtext;

When these statements execute, the following comments are written to the SAS log:

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1 data NULL;
2 set doesnotexist;
ERROR: File WORK.DOESNOTEXIST.DATA does not exist.
3 run;
NOTE: The SAS System stopped processing this step because of errors.
WARNING: The data set WORK.NULL might be incomplete. When this step
was stopped there were 0 observations and 0 variables.
NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time):
real time
11.16 seconds
cpu time
0.07 seconds
4 %put &syswarningtext;
The data set WORK.NULL might be incomplete. When this step was
stopped there were 0 observations and 0 variables.

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Macros

DATA Step Call Routines for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
CALL EXECUTE Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
CALL SYMDEL Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
CALL SYMPUT Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
CALL SYMPUTN Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
CALL SYMPUTX Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

DATA Step Call Routines for Macros

You can interact with the Macro Facility using DATA step call routines.

Dictionary
CALL EXECUTE Routine
Resolves the argument, and issues the resolved value for execution at the next step boundary.
Type:

DATA step call routine

Syntax
CALL EXECUTE (argument);

Required Argument
argument
can be one of the following:

a character string, enclosed in quotation marks. Argument within single quotation

marks resolves during program execution. Argument within double quotation
marks resolves while the DATA step is being constructed. For example, to
invoke the macro SALES, you can use the following code:
call execute('%sales');

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the name of a DATA step character variable whose value is a text expression or a
SAS statement to be generated. Do not enclose the name of the DATA step
variable in quotation marks. For example, to use the value of the DATA step
variable FINDOBS, which contains a SAS statement or text expression, you can
use the following code:
call execute(findobs);

a character expression that is resolved by the DATA step to a macro text

expression or a SAS statement. For example, to generate a macro invocation
whose parameter is the value of the variable MONTH, you use the following
code:
call execute('%sales('||month||')');

Details
If an EXECUTE routine argument is a macro invocation or resolves to one, the macro
executes immediately. Execution of SAS statements generated by the execution of the
macro will be delayed until after a step boundary. SAS macro statements, including
macro variable references, will execute immediately.
Note: Because of the delay of the execution of the SAS statements until after a step
boundary, references in SAS macro statements to macro variables created or updated
by the SAS statements will not resolve properly.
Note: Because macro references execute immediately and SAS statements do not
execute until after a step boundary, you cannot use CALL EXECUTE to invoke a
macro that contains references for macro variables that are created by CALL
SYMPUT in that macro. For a workaround, see the following TIP.
The following example uses the %NRSTR macro quoting function to mask the
macro statement. This function will delay the execution of macro statements until
after a step boundary.

TIP

call execute('%nrstr(%sales('||month||'))');

Comparisons
Unlike other elements of the macro facility, a CALL EXECUTE statement is available
regardless of the setting of the SAS system option MACRO|NOMACRO. In both cases,
EXECUTE places the value of its argument in the program stack. However, when
NOMACRO is set, any macro calls or macro functions in the argument are not resolved.

Examples
Example 1: Executing a Macro Conditionally
The following DATA step uses CALL EXECUTE to execute a macro only if the DATA
step writes at least one observation to the temporary data set.
%macro overdue;
proc print data=late;
title "Overdue Accounts As of &sysdate";
run;
%mend overdue;
data late;
set sasuser.billed end=final;
if datedue<=today()-30 then

CALL SYMDEL Routine

223

do;
n+1;
output;
end;
if final and n then call execute('%overdue');
run;

Example 2: Passing DATA Step Values into a Parameter List

CALL EXECUTE passes the value of the DATE variable in the DATES data set to
macro REPT for its DAT parameter, the value of the VAR1 variable in the REPTDATA
data set for its A parameter, and REPTDATA as the value of its DSN parameter. After
the DATA _NULL_ step finishes, three PROC GCHART statements are submitted, one
for each of the three dates in the DATES data set.
data dates;
input date $;
datalines;
10nov11
11nov11
12nov11
;
data reptdata;
input date $ var1 var2;
datalines;
10nov11 25 10
10nov11 50 11
11nov11 23 10
11nov11 30 29
12nov11 33 44
12nov11 75 86
;
%macro rept(dat,a,dsn);
proc chart data=&dsn;
title "Chart for &dat";
where(date="&dat");
vbar &a;
run;
%mend rept;
data _null_;
set dates;
call execute('%rept('||date||','||'var1,reptdata)');
run;

CALL SYMDEL Routine

Deletes the specified variable from the macro global symbol table.
Type:

DATA step call routine

Syntax
CALL SYMDEL(macro-variable<, option> );

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Required Arguments
macro-variable
can be any of the following:

the name of a macro variable within quotation marks but without an ampersand.
When a macro variable value contains another macro variable reference,
SYMDEL does not attempt to resolve the reference.

the name of a DATA step character variable, specified with no quotation marks,
which contains the name of a macro variable. If the value is not a valid SAS
name, or if the macro processor cannot find a macro variable of that name, SAS
writes a warning to the log.

a character expression that constructs a macro variable name.

option(s)
NOWARN
suppresses the warning message when an attempt is made to delete a non-existent
macro variable. NOWARN must be within quotation marks.

Details
CALL SYMDEL issues a warning when an attempt is made to delete a non-existent
macro variable. To suppress this message, use the NOWARN option.

CALL SYMPUT Routine

Assigns a value produced in a DATA step to a macro variable.
Type:
See:

DATA step call routine

SYMGET Function on page 234 and CALL SYMPUTX Routine on page 229

Syntax
CALL SYMPUT(macro-variable, value);

Required Arguments
macro-variable
can be one of the following items:

a character string that is a SAS name, enclosed in quotation marks. For example,
to assign the character string testing to macro variable NEW, submit the
following statement:
call symput('new','testing');

the name of a character variable whose values are SAS names. For example, this
DATA step creates the three macro variables SHORTSTP, PITCHER, and
FRSTBASE and respectively assign them the values ANN, TOM, and BILL.
data team1;
input position : $8. player : $12.;
call symput(position,player);
datalines;
shortstp Ann
pitcher Tom

CALL SYMPUT Routine

225

frstbase Bill
;

a character expression that produces a macro variable name. This form is useful
for creating a series of macro variables. For example, the CALL SYMPUT
statement builds a series of macro variable names by combining the character
string POS and the left-aligned value of _N_ and assigns values to the macro
variables POS1, POS2, and POS3.
data team2;
input position : $12. player $12.;
call symput('POS'||left(_n_), position);
datalines;
shortstp Ann
pitcher Tom
frstbase Bill
;

value
is the value to be assigned, which can be

a string enclosed in quotation marks. For example, this statement assigns the
string testing to the macro variable NEW:
call symput('new','testing');

the name of a numeric or character variable. The current value of the variable is
assigned as the value of the macro variable. If the variable is numeric, SAS
performs an automatic numeric-to-character conversion and writes a message in
the log. Later sections on formatting rules describe the rules that SYMPUT
follows in assigning character and numeric values of DATA step variables to
macro variables.
Note: This form is most useful when macro-variable is also the name of a SAS
variable or a character expression that contains a SAS variable. A unique
macro variable name and value can be created from each observation, as
shown in the previous example for creating the data set TEAM1.
If macro-variable is a character string, SYMPUT creates only one macro
variable, and its value changes in each iteration of the program. Only the value
assigned in the last iteration remains after program execution is finished.

a DATA step expression. The value returned by the expression in the current
observation is assigned as the value of macro-variable. In this example, the
macro variable named HOLDATE receives the value July 4,1997:
data c;
input holiday mmddyy.;
call symput('holdate',trim(left(put(holiday,worddate.))));
datalines;
070497
;
run;

If the expression is numeric, SAS performs an automatic numeric-to-character

conversion and writes a message in the log. Later sections on formatting rules
describe the rules that SYMPUT follows in assigning character and numeric
values of expressions to macro variables.

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Details
If macro-variable does not exist, SYMPUT creates it. SYMPUT makes a macro variable
assignment when the program executes.
SYMPUT can be used in all SAS language programs, including SCL programs. Because
it resolves variables at program execution instead of macro execution, SYMPUT should
be used to assign macro values from DATA step views, SQL views, and SCL programs.
Scope of Variables Created with SYMPUT
SYMPUT puts the macro variable in the most local nonempty symbol table. A symbol
table is nonempty if it contains the following:

a value

a computed %GOTO (A computed %GOTO contains %or & and resolves to a label.)

the macro variable &SYSPBUFF, created at macro invocation time.

However, there are three cases where SYMPUT creates the variable in the local symbol
table, even if that symbol table is empty:

Beginning with Version 8, if SYMPUT is used after a PROC SQL, the variable will
be created in a local symbol table.

If an executing macro contains a computed %GOTO statement and uses SYMPUT to

create a macro variable, the variable is created in the local symbol table.

If an executing macro uses &SYSPBUFF and SYMPUT to create a macro variable,

the macro variable is created in the local symbol table.

For more information about creating a variable with SYMPUT, see Scopes of Macro
Variables on page 43.
Problem Trying to Reference a SYMPUT-Assigned Value Before It Is Available
One of the most common problems in using SYMPUT is trying to reference a macro
variable value assigned by SYMPUT before that variable is created. The failure
generally occurs because the statement referencing the macro variable compiles before
execution of the CALL SYMPUT statement that assigns the variable's value. The most
important fact to remember in using SYMPUT is that it assigns the value of the macro
variable during program execution. Macro variable references resolve during the
compilation of a step, a global statement used outside a step, or an SCL program. As a
result:

You cannot use a macro variable reference to retrieve the value of a macro variable
in the same program (or step) in which SYMPUT creates that macro variable and
assigns it a value.

You must specify a step boundary statement to force the DATA step to execute
before referencing a value in a global statement following the program (for example,
a TITLE statement). The boundary could be a RUN statement or another DATA or
PROC statement. For example:
data x;
x='December';
call symput('var',x);
proc print;
title "Report for &var";
run;

Processing on page 33 provides details about compilation and execution.

Formatting Rules For Assigning Character Values

CALL SYMPUT Routine

227

If value is a character variable, SYMPUT writes it using the $w. format, where w is the
length of the variable. Therefore, a value shorter than the length of the program variable
is written with trailing blanks. For example, in the following DATA step the length of
variable C is 8 by default. Therefore, SYMPUT uses the $8. format and assigns the letter
x followed by seven trailing blanks as the value of CHAR1. To eliminate the blanks, use
the TRIM function as shown in the second SYMPUT statement.
data char1;
input c $;
call symput('char1',c);
call symput('char2',trim(c));
datalines;
x
;
run;
%put char1 = ***&char1***;
%put char2 = ***&char2***;

When this program executes, these lines are written to the SAS log:
char1 = ***x
char2 = ***x***

***

Formatting Rules For Assigning Numeric Values

If value is a numeric variable, SYMPUT writes it using the BEST12. format. The
resulting value is a 12-byte string with the value right-aligned within it. For example,
this DATA step assigns the value of numeric variable X to the macro variables NUM1
and NUM2. The last CALL SYMPUT statement deletes undesired leading blanks by
using the LEFT function to left-align the value before the SYMPUT routine assigns the
value to NUM2.
data _null_;
x=1;
call symput('num1',x);
call symput('num2',left(x));
call symput('num3',trim(left(put(x,8.)))); /*preferred technique*/
run;
%put num1 = ***&num1***;
%put num2 = ***&num2***;
%put num3 = ***&num3***;

When this program executes, these lines are written to the SAS log:
num1 = ***
num2 = ***1
num3 = ***1***

1***
***

Comparisons

SYMPUT assigns values produced in a DATA step to macro variables during

program execution, but the SYMGET function returns values of macro variables to
the program during program execution.

SYMPUT is available in DATA step and SCL programs, but SYMPUTN is available
only in SCL programs.

SYMPUT assigns character values, but SYMPUTN assigns numeric values.

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Example: Creating Macro Variables and Assigning Them

Values from a Data Set
data dusty;
input dept $ name $ salary @@;
datalines;
bedding Watlee 18000
bedding Ives 16000
bedding Parker 9000
bedding George 8000
bedding Joiner 8000
carpet Keller 20000
carpet Ray 12000
carpet Jones 9000
gifts Johnston 8000
gifts Matthew 19000
kitchen White 8000
kitchen Banks 14000
kitchen Marks 9000
kitchen Cannon 15000
tv Jones 9000
tv Smith 8000
tv Rogers 15000
tv Morse 16000
;
proc means noprint;
class dept;
var salary;
output out=stats sum=s_sal;
run;
data _null_;
set stats;
if _n_=1 then call symput('s_tot',trim(left(s_sal)));
else call symput('s'||dept,trim(left(s_sal)));
run;
%put _user_;

When this program executes, this list of variables is written to the SAS log:
GLOBAL
GLOBAL
GLOBAL
GLOBAL
GLOBAL
GLOBAL

SCARPET 41000
SKITCHEN 46000
STV 48000
SGIFTS 27000
SBEDDING 59000
S_TOT 221000

CALL SYMPUTN Routine

In SCL programs, assigns a numeric value to a global macro variable.
Type:
See:

SCL call routine

SYMGET Function on page 234, SYMGETN Function on page 237, and CALL
SYMPUT Routine on page 224

Syntax
CALL SYMPUTN('macro-variable', value);

CALL SYMPUTX Routine

229

Required Arguments
macro-variable
is the name of a global macro variable with no ampersand note the single quotation
marks. Or, it is the name of an SCL variable that contains the name of a global macro
variable.
value
is the numeric value to assign, which can be a number or the name of a numeric SCL
variable.

Details
The SYMPUTN routine assigns a numeric value to a global SAS macro variable.
SYMPUTN assigns the value when the SCL program executes. You can also use
SYMPUTN to assign the value of a macro variable whose name is stored in an SCL
variable. For example, to assign the value of SCL variable UNITNUM to SCL variable
UNITVAR, which contains 'UNIT', submit the following:
call symputn(unitvar,unitnum)

You must use SYMPUTN with a CALL statement.

Note: It is inefficient to use an ampersand (&) to reference a macro variable that was
created with CALL SYMPUTN. Instead, use SYMGETN. It is also inefficient to use
CALL SYMPUTN to store a variable that does not contain a numeric value.

Comparisons

SYMPUTN assigns numeric values, but SYMPUT assigns character values.

SYMPUTN is available only in SCL programs, but SYMPUT is available in DATA

step programs and SCL programs.

SYMPUTN assigns numeric values, but SYMGETN retrieves numeric values.

Example: Storing the Value 1000 in the Macro Variable

UNIT When the SCL Program Executes
This statement stores the value 1000 in the macro variable UNIT when the SCL program
executes:
call symputn('unit',1000);

CALL SYMPUTX Routine

Assigns a value to a macro variable, and removes both leading and trailing blanks.
Category:
See:

Macro
CALL SYMPUTX Routine in SAS Functions and CALL Routines: Reference

Syntax
CALL SYMPUTX(macro-variable, value <,symbol-table> );

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DATA Step Functions for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
RESOLVE Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
SYMEXIST Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
SYMGET Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
SYMGETN Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
SYMGLOBL Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
SYMLOCAL Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

DATA Step Functions for Macros

You can interact with the Macro Facility using DATA step functions.

Dictionary
RESOLVE Function
Resolves the value of a text expression during DATA step execution.
Type:

DATA step function

Syntax
RESOLVE(argument)

Required Argument
argument
can be one of the following items:

a text expression enclosed in single quotation marks (to prevent the macro
processor from resolving the argument while the DATA step is being
constructed). When a macro variable value contains a macro variable reference,
RESOLVE attempts to resolve the reference. If argument references a

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nonexistent macro variable, RESOLVE returns the unresolved reference. These

examples using text expressions show how to assign the text generated by macro
LOCATE or assign the value of the macro variable NAME:
x=resolve('%locate');
x=resolve('&name');

the name of a DATA step variable whose value is a text expression. For example,
this example assigns the value of the text expression in the current value of the
DATA step variable ADDR1 to X:
addr1='&locate';
x=resolve(addr1);

a character expression that produces a text expression for resolution by the macro
facility. For example, this example uses the current value of the DATA step
variable STNUM in building the name of a macro:
x=resolve('%state'||left(stnum));

Details
The RESOLVE function returns a character value that is the maximum length of a
DATA step character variable unless you specifically assign the target variable a shorter
length. A returned value that is longer is truncated.
If RESOLVE cannot locate the macro variable or macro identified by the argument, it
returns the argument without resolution and the macro processor issues a warning
message.
You can create a macro variable with the SYMPUT routine and use RESOLVE to
resolve it in the same DATA step.

Comparisons

RESOLVE resolves the value of a text expression during execution of a DATA step
or SCL program. Whereas a macro variable reference resolves when a DATA step is
being constructed or an SCL program is being compiled. For this reason, the
resolved value of a macro variable reference is constant during execution of a DATA
step or SCL program. However, RESOLVE can return a different value for a text
expression in each iteration of the program.

RESOLVE accepts a wider variety of arguments than the SYMGET function

accepts. SYMGET resolves only a single macro variable but RESOLVE resolves any
macro expression. Using RESOLVE might result in the execution of macros and
resolution of more than one macro variable.

When a macro variable value contains an additional macro variable reference,

RESOLVE attempts to resolve the reference, but SYMGET does not.

If argument references a nonexistent macro variable, RESOLVE returns the

unresolved reference, whereas SYMGET returns a missing value.

Because of its greater flexibility, RESOLVE requires slightly more computer

resources than SYMGET.

Example: Resolving Sample References

This example shows RESOLVE used with a macro variable reference, a macro
invocation, and a DATA step variable whose value is a macro invocation.

SYMEXIST Function

233

%let event=Holiday;
%macro date;
New Year
%mend date;
data test;
length var1-var3 $ 15;
when='%date';
var1=resolve('&event'); /* macro variable reference */
var2=resolve('%date'); /* macro invocation */
var3=resolve(when);
/* DATA step variable with macro invocation */
put var1= var2= var3=;
run;

When this program executes, these lines are written to the SAS log:
VAR1=Holiday VAR2=New Year VAR3=New Year
NOTE: The data set WORK.TEST has 1 observations and 4 variables.

SYMEXIST Function
Returns an indication of the existence of a macro variable.
Type:

DATA step function

Syntax
SYMEXIST (argument)

Required Argument
argument
can be one of the following items:

the name of a macro variable within quotation marks but without an ampersand

the name of a DATA step character variable, specified with no quotation marks,
which contains a macro variable name

a character expression that constructs a macro variable name

Details
The SYMEXIST function searches any enclosing local symbol tables and then the global
symbol table for the indicated macro variable. The SYMEX/IST function returns one of
the following values:

1 if the macro variable is found

0 if the macro variable is not found

Example: Using SYMEXIST Function

The following example of the %TEST macro contains the SYMEXIST function:

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%global x;
%macro test;
%local y;
data null;
if symexist("x") then put "x EXISTS";
else put "x does not EXIST";
if symexist("y") then put "y EXISTS";
else put "y does not EXIST";
if symexist("z") then put "z EXISTS";
else put "z does not EXIST";
run;
%mend test;
%test;

In the previous example, executing the %TEST macro, which contains the SYMEXIST
function, writes the following output to the SAS log:
x EXISTS
y EXISTS
z does not EXIST

SYMGET Function
Returns the value of a macro variable to the DATA step during DATA step execution.
Type:
See:

DATA step function

RESOLVE Function on page 231, SYMGETN Function on page 237, CALL
SYMPUT Routine on page 224, and CALL SYMPUTN Routine on page 228

Syntax
SYMGET(argument)

Required Argument
argument
can be one of the following items:

the name of a macro variable within quotation marks but without an ampersand.
When a macro variable value contains another macro variable reference,
SYMGET does not attempt to resolve the reference. If argument references a
nonexistent macro variable, SYMGET returns a missing value. This example
shows how to assign the value of the macro variable G to the DATA step
variable X.
x=symget('g');

the name of a DATA step character variable, specified with no quotation marks,
which contains names of one or more macro variables. If the value is not a valid
SAS name, or if the macro processor cannot find a macro variable of that name,
SAS writes a note to the log that the function has an illegal argument and sets the
resulting value to missing. For example, these statements assign the value stored
in the DATA step variable CODE, which contains a macro variable name, to the
DATA step variable KEY:

SYMGET Function 235

length key $ 8;
input code $;
key=symget(code);

Each time the DATA step iterates, the value of CODE supplies the name of a
macro variable whose value is then assigned to KEY.

a character expression that constructs a macro variable name. For example, this
statement assigns the letter s and the number of the current iteration (using the
automatic DATA step variable _N_).
score=symget('s'||left(_n_));

Details
SYMGET returns a character value that is the maximum length of a DATA step
character variable. A returned value that is longer is truncated.
If SYMGET cannot locate the macro variable identified as the argument, it returns a
missing value, and the program issues a message for an illegal argument to a function.
SYMGET can be used in all SAS language programs, including SCL programs. Because
it resolves variables at program execution instead of macro execution, SYMGET should
be used to return macro values to DATA step views, SQL views, and SCL programs.

Comparisons

SYMGET returns values of macro variables during program execution, whereas the
SYMPUT function assigns values that are produced by a program to macro variables
during program execution.

SYMGET accepts fewer types of arguments than the RESOLVE function. SYMGET
resolves only a single macro variable. Using RESOLVE might result in the execution
of macros and further resolution of values.

SYMGET is available in all SAS programs, but SYMGETN is available only in SCL
programs.

Example: Retrieving Variable Values Previously Assigned

from a Data Set
data dusty;
input dept $ name $ salary @@;
datalines;
bedding Watlee 18000
bedding Ives 16000
bedding Parker 9000
bedding George 8000
bedding Joiner 8000
carpet Keller 20000
carpet Ray 12000
carpet Jones 9000
gifts Johnston 8000
gifts Matthew 19000
kitchen White 8000
kitchen Banks 14000
kitchen Marks 9000
kitchen Cannon 15000
tv Jones 9000
tv Smith 8000
tv Rogers 15000
tv Morse 16000
;
proc means noprint;
class dept;
var salary;
output out=stats sum=s_sal;

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run;
proc print data=stats;
var dept s_sal;
title "Summary of Salary Information";
title2 "For Dusty Department Store";
run;
data _null_;
set stats;
if _n_=1 then call symput('s_tot',s_sal);
else call symput('s'||dept,s_sal);
run;
data new;
set dusty;
pctdept=(salary/symget('s'||dept))*100;
pcttot=(salary/&s_tot)*100;
run;
proc print data=new split="*";
label dept
="Department"
name
="Employee"
pctdept="Percent of *Department* Salary"
pcttot ="Percent of *
Store * Salary";
format pctdept pcttot 4.1;
title "Salary Profiles for Employees";
title2 "of Dusty Department Store";
run;

This program produces the following output:

Output 16.1

Summary of Salary Information

SYMGETN Function 237

Output 16.2 Salary Profiles for Employees

SYMGETN Function
In SAS Component Control Language (SCL) programs, returns the value of a global macro variable as a
numeric value.
Type:
See:

SCL function
SYMGET Function on page 234, CALL SYMPUT Routine on page 224, and
CALL SYMPUTN Routine on page 228

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Syntax
SCL-variable=SYMGETN('macro-variable');

Required Arguments
SCL variable
is the name of a numeric SCL variable to contain the value stored in macro-variable.
macro-variable
is the name of a global macro variable with no ampersand note the single quotation
marks. Or, the name of an SCL variable that contains the name of a global macro
variable.

Details
SYMGETN returns the value of a global macro variable as a numeric value and stores it
in the specified numeric SCL variable. You can also use SYMGETN to retrieve the
value of a macro variable whose name is stored in an SCL variable. For example, to
retrieve the value of SCL variable UNITVAR, whose value is 'UNIT', submit the
following code:
unitnum=symgetn(unitvar)

SYMGETN returns values when SCL programs execute. If SYMGETN cannot locate
macro-variable, it returns a missing value.
To return the value stored in a macro variable when an SCL program compiles, use a
macro variable reference in an assignment statement:
SCL variable=&macro-variable;

Note: It is inefficient to use SYMGETN to retrieve values that are not assigned with
SYMPUTN and values that are not numeric.

Comparisons

SYMGETN is available only in SCL programs, but SYMGET is available in DATA

step programs and SCL programs.

SYMGETN retrieves values, but SYMPUTN assigns values.

Example: Storing a Macro Variable Value as a Numeric

Value in an SCL Program
This statement stores the value of the macro variable UNIT in the SCL variable
UNITNUM when the SCL program executes:
unitnum=symgetn('unit');

SYMGLOBL Function
Returns an indication as to whether a macro variable is global in scope to the DATA step during DATA step
execution.
Type:

DATA step function

SYMLOCAL Function

239

Syntax
SYMGLOBL (argument)

Required Argument
argument
can be one of the following items:

the name of a macro variable within quotation marks but without an ampersand

the name of a DATA step character variable, specified with no quotation marks,
that contains a macro variable name

a character expression that constructs a macro variable name

Details
The SYMGLOBL function searches enclosing scopes for the indicated macro variable
and returns a value of 1 if the macro variable is found in the global symbol table,
otherwise it returns a 0. See Scopes of Macro Variables on page 43 for more
information about the global and local symbol tables and macro variable scopes.

Example: Using SYMGLOBL Function

The following example of the %TEST macro contains the SYMGLOBL function:
%global x;
%macro test;
%local y;
data null;
if symglobl("x") then put "x is
else put
if symglobl("y") then put "y is
else put
if symglobl("z") then put "z is
else put
run;
%mend test;
%test;

GLOBAL";
"x is not GLOBAL";
GLOBAL";
"y is not GLOBAL";
GLOBAL";
"z is not GLOBAL";

In the previous example, executing the %TEST macro, which contains the SYMGLOBL
function, writes the following output to the SAS log:
x is GLOBAL
y is not GLOBAL
z is not GLOBAL

SYMLOCAL Function
Returns an indication as to whether a macro variable is local in scope to the DATA step during DATA step
execution.
Type:

DATA step function

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Syntax
SYMLOCAL (argument)

Required Argument
argument
can be one of the following items:

the name of a macro variable within quotation marks but without an ampersand

the name of a DATA step character variable, specified with no quotation marks,
that contains a macro variable name

a character expression that constructs a macro variable name

Details
The SYMLOCAL function searches enclosing scopes for the indicated macro variable
and returns a value of 1 if the macro variable is found in a local symbol table, otherwise
it returns a 0. See Scopes of Macro Variables on page 43 for more information about
the global and local symbol tables and macro variable scopes.

Example: Using SYMLOCAL Function

The following example of the %TEST macro contains the SYMLOCAL function:
%global x;
%macro test;
%local y;
data null;
if symlocal("x") then put "x is
else put
if symlocal("y") then put "y is
else put
if symlocal("z") then put "z is
else put
run;
%mend test;
%test;

LOCAL";
"x is not LOCAL";
LOCAL";
"y is not LOCAL";
LOCAL";
"z is not LOCAL";

In the previous example, executing the %TEST macro, which contains the SYMLOCAL
function, writes the following output to the SAS log:
x is not LOCAL
y is LOCAL
z is not LOCAL

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Macro Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
%EVAL Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
%INDEX Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
%LENGTH Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
%NRBQUOTE Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
%NRQUOTE Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
%NRSTR Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
%QSCAN Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
%QSUBSTR Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
%QSYSFUNC Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
%QUOTE and %NRQUOTE Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
%QUPCASE Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
%SCAN and %QSCAN Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
%STR and %NRSTR Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
%SUBSTR and %QSUBSTR Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
%SUPERQ Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
%SYMEXIST Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
%SYMGLOBL Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
%SYMLOCAL Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
%SYSEVALF Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
%SYSMACEXEC Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
%SYSMACEXIST Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
%SYSMEXECDEPTH Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
%SYSMEXECNAME Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
%SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
%SYSGET Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
%SYSPROD Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
%UNQUOTE Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
%UPCASE and %QUPCASE Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

Macro Functions
A macro language function processes one or more arguments and produces a result.

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Dictionary
%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE Functions
Mask special characters and mnemonic operators in a resolved value at macro execution.
Type:
See:

Macro quoting function

%QUOTE and %NRQUOTE Functions on page 248 and %SUPERQ Function on
page 259

Syntax
%BQUOTE (character string | text expression)
%NRBQUOTE (character string | text expression)

Details
The %BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE functions mask a character string or resolved value
of a text expression during execution of a macro or macro language statement. They
mask the following special characters and mnemonic operators:
' " ( ) + * / < > = ^ ~ ; , # blank
AND OR NOT EQ NE LE LT GE GT IN

In addition, %NRBQUOTE masks:

& %

%NRBQUOTE is most useful when the resolved value of an argument might contain

strings that look like macro variable references but are not, so the macro processor
should not attempt to resolve them when it next encounters them.

macro invocations that you do not want the macro processor to attempt to resolve
when it next encounters them.

Note: The maximum level of nesting for the macro quoting functions is 10.
Tip: You can use %BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE for all execution-time macro quoting
because they mask all characters and mnemonic operators that can be interpreted as
elements of macro language.
Quotation marks ('") do not have to be marked.
For a description of quoting in SAS macro language, see Macro Quoting on page 80.

Comparisons
%NRBQUOTE and the %SUPERQ function mask the same items. However,
%SUPERQ does not attempt to resolve a macro variable reference or a macro invocation
that occurs in the value of the specified macro variable. %NRBQUOTE does attempt to
resolve such references.%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE do not require that you mark
quotation marks.

%EVAL Function

243

Example: Quoting a Variable

This example tests whether a filename passed to the macro FILEIT starts with a
quotation mark. Based on that evaluation, the macro creates the correct FILE command.
%macro fileit(infile);
%if %bquote(&infile) NE %then
%do;
%let char1 = %bquote(%substr(&infile,1,1));
%if %bquote(&char1) = %str(%')
or %bquote(&char1) = %str(%")
%then %let command=FILE &infile;
%else %let command=FILE "&infile";
%end;
%put &command;
%mend fileit;
%fileit(myfile)
%fileit('myfile')

When this program executes, the following is written to the log:

FILE "myfile"
FILE 'myfile'

%EVAL Function
Evaluates arithmetic and logical expressions using integer arithmetic.
Type:
See:

Macro evaluation function

%SYSEVALF Function on page 263

Syntax
%EVAL (arithmetic or logical expression)

Details
The %EVAL function evaluates integer arithmetic or logical expressions. %EVAL
operates by converting its argument from a character value to a numeric or logical
expression. Then, it performs the evaluation. Finally, %EVAL converts the result back
to a character value and returns that value.
If all operands can be interpreted as integers, the expression is treated as arithmetic. If at
least one operand cannot be interpreted as numeric, the expression is treated as logical. If
a division operation results in a fraction, the fraction is truncated to an integer.
Logical, or Boolean, expressions return a value that is evaluated as true or false. In the
macro language, any numeric value other than 0 is true and a value of 0 is false.
%EVAL accepts only operands in arithmetic expressions that represent integers (in
standard or hexadecimal form). Operands that contain a period character cause an error
when they are part of an integer arithmetic expression. The following examples show
correct and incorrect usage, respectively:

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%let d=%eval(10+20);
%let d=%eval(10.0+20.0);

/* Correct usage
*/
/* Incorrect usage */

Because %EVAL does not convert a value containing a period to a number, the operands
are evaluated as character operands. When %EVAL encounters a value containing a
period, it displays an error message about finding a character operand where a numeric
operand is required.
An expression that compares character values in the %EVAL function uses the sort
sequence of the operating environment for the comparison. Refer to The SORT
PROCEDURE in the Base SAS Procedures Guide for more information about operating
environment sort sequences.
All parts of the macro language that evaluate expressions (for example, %IF and %DO
statements) call %EVAL to evaluate the condition. For a complete discussion of how
macro expressions are evaluated, see Macro Expressions on page 71.

Comparisons
%EVAL performs integer evaluations, but %SYSEVALF performs floating point
evaluations.

Examples
Example 1: Illustrating Integer Arithmetic Evaluation
These statements illustrate different types of evaluations:
%let
%let
%let
%let
%let
%let
%put
%put
%put

a=1+2;
b=10*3;
c=5/3;
eval_a=%eval(&a);
eval_b=%eval(&b);
eval_c=%eval(&c);
&a is &eval_a;
&b is &eval_b;
&c is &eval_c;

When these statements are submitted, the following is written to the SAS log:
1+2 is 3
10*3 is 30
5/3 is 1

The third %PUT statement shows that %EVAL discards the fractional part when it
performs division on integers that would result in a fraction:

Example 2: Incrementing a Counter

The macro TEST uses %EVAL to increment the value of the macro variable I by 1.
Also, the %DO %WHILE statement calls %EVAL to evaluate whether I is greater than
the value of the macro variable FINISH.
%macro test(finish);
%let i=1;
%do %while (&i<&finish);
%put the value of i is &i;
%let i=%eval(&i+1);
%end;

%INDEX Function

245

%mend test;
%test(5)

When this program executes, these lines are written to the SAS log:
The
The
The
The

value
value
value
value

of
of
of
of

i
i
i
i

is
is
is
is

1
2
3
4

Example 3: Evaluating Logical Expressions

Macro COMPARE compares two numbers.
%macro compare(first,second);
%if &first>&second %then %put &first > &second;
%else %if &first=&second %then %put &first = &second;
%else %put &first<&second;
%mend compare;
%compare(1,2)
%compare(-1,0)

When this program executes, these lines are written to the SAS log:
1 < 2
-1 < 0

%INDEX Function
Returns the position of the first character of a string.
Type:

Macro function

Syntax
%INDEX (source, string)

Required Arguments
source
is a character string or text expression.
string
is a character string or text expression.

Details
The %INDEX function searches source for the first occurrence of string and returns the
position of its first character. If string is not found, the function returns 0.

Example: Locating a Character

The following statements find the first character V in a string:
%let a=a very long value;
%let b=%index(&a,v);
%put V appears at position &b..;

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When these statements execute, the following line is written to the SAS log:
V appears at position 3.

%LENGTH Function
Returns the length of a string.
Type:

Macro function

Syntax
%LENGTH (character string | text expression)

Details
If the argument is a character string, %LENGTH returns the length of the string. If the
argument is a text expression, %LENGTH returns the length of the resolved value. If the
argument has a null value, %LENGTH returns 0.

Example: Returning String Lengths

The following statements find the lengths of character strings and text expressions.
%let
%let
%put
%put
%put

a=Happy;
b=Birthday;
The length of &a is %length(&a).;
The length of &b is %length(&b).;
The length of &a &b To You is %length(&a &b to you).;

When these statements execute, the following is written to the SAS log:
The length of Happy is 5.
The length of Birthday is 8.
The length of Happy Birthday To You is 21.

%NRBQUOTE Function
Masks special characters, including & and %, and mnemonic operators in a resolved value at macro
execution.
Type:
See:

Macro quoting function

%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE Functions on page 242

Syntax
%NRBQUOTE (character string | text expression)

Without Arguments
Note that the maximum level of nesting for the macro quoting functions is 10.

%QSCAN Function

%NRQUOTE Function
Masks special characters, including & and %, and mnemonic operators in a resolved value at macro
execution.
Type:
See:

Macro quoting function

%QUOTE and %NRQUOTE Functions on page 248

Syntax
%NRQUOTE (character string | text expression)

Without Arguments
Note that the maximum level of nesting for the macro quoting functions is 10.

%NRSTR Function
Masks special characters, including & and %, and mnemonic operators in constant text during macro
compilation.
Type:
See:

Macro quoting function

%STR and %NRSTR Functions on page 254

Syntax
%NRSTR (character-string)

Without Arguments
Note that the maximum level of nesting for the macro quoting functions is 10.

%QSCAN Function
Searches for a word and masks special characters and mnemonic operators.
Type:

Macro function

Syntax
%QSCAN (argument,n<,charlist<,modifiers>> )

Without Arguments
%SCAN and %QSCAN Functions on page 250

247

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%QSUBSTR Function
Produces a substring and masks special characters and mnemonic operators.
Type:

Macro function

Syntax
%QSUBSTR (argument, position<, length> )

Without Arguments
See %SUBSTR and %QSUBSTR Functions on page 257

%QSYSFUNC Function
Executes functions and masks special characters and mnemonic operators.
Type:

Macro function

Syntax
%QSYSFUNC (function(argument-1 <...argument-n>)<, format> )

Without Arguments
See%SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC Functions on page 268

%QUOTE and %NRQUOTE Functions

Mask special characters and mnemonic operators in a resolved value at macro execution.
Type:
See:

Macro quoting function

%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE Functions on page 242, %NRBQUOTE Function
on page 246, %NRSTR Function on page 247, and %SUPERQ Function on page
259

Syntax
%QUOTE (character string | text expression)
%NRQUOTE (character string | text expression)

Details
The %QUOTE and %NRQUOTE functions mask a character string or resolved value of
a text expression during execution of a macro or macro language statement. They mask
the following special characters and mnemonic operators:
+ * / < > = ^ ~ ; , # blank
AND OR NOT EQ NE LE LT GE GT IN

%QUOTE and %NRQUOTE Functions 249

They also mask the following characters when they occur in pairs and when they are not
matched and are marked by a preceding %
' "

In addition, %NRQUOTE masks

& %

%NRQUOTE is most useful when an argument might contain a macro variable

reference or macro invocation that you do not want resolved.
For a description of quoting in SAS macro language, see Macro Quoting on page 80.
Note that the maximum level of nesting for the macro quoting functions is 10.

Comparisons

%QUOTE and %NRQUOTE mask the same items as %STR and %NRSTR,
respectively. However, %STR and %NRSTR mask constant text instead of a
resolved value. And, %STR and %NRSTR work when a macro compiles, while
%QUOTE and %NRQUOTE work when a macro executes.

The %BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE functions do not require that quotation marks
without a match be marked with a preceding %, while %QUOTE and %NRQUOTE
do.

%QUOTE and %NRQUOTE mask resolved values, while the %SUPERQ function
prevents resolution of any macro invocations or macro variable references that might
occur in a value.

Example: Quoting a Value that Might Contain a Mnemonic

Operator
The macro DEPT1 receives abbreviations for states and therefore might receive the
value OR for Oregon.
%macro dept1(state);
/* without %quote -- problems might occur */
%if &state=nc %then
%put North Carolina Department of Revenue;
%else %put Department of Revenue;
%mend dept1;
%dept1(or)

When the macro DEPT1 executes, the %IF condition executes a %EVAL function,
which evaluates or as a logical operator in this expression. Then the macro processor
produces an error message for an invalid operand in the expression or=nc.
The macro DEPT2 uses the %QUOTE function to treat characters that result from
resolving &STATE as text:
%macro dept2(state);
/* with %quote function--problems are prevented */
%if %quote(&state)=nc %then
%put North Carolina Department of Revenue;
%else %put Department of Revenue;
%mend dept2;
%dept2(or)

The %IF condition now compares the strings or and nc and writes to the SAS log:

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Department of Revenue

%QUPCASE Function
Converts a value to uppercase and returns a result that masks special characters and mnemonic
operators.
Type:

Macro function

Syntax
%QUPCASE (character string | text expression)

Without Arguments
See %UPCASE and %QUPCASE Functions on page 275

%SCAN and %QSCAN Functions

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

Macro function
%NRBQUOTE Function on page 246 and %STR and %NRSTR Functions on
page 254

Syntax
%SCAN(argument, n<,charlist<,modifiers>> )
%QSCAN(argument, n<,charlist<,modifiers>> )

Required Arguments
argument
is a character string or a text expression. If argument might contain a special
character or mnemonic operator, listed below, use %QSCAN. If argument contains a
comma, enclose argument in a quoting function such as %BQUOTE(argument).
n
is an integer or a text expression that yields an integer, which specifies the position
of the word to return. (An implied %EVAL gives n numeric properties.) If n is
greater than the number of words in argument, the functions return a null string.
Note: When you are using Version 8 or greater, if n is negative, %SCAN examines
the character string and selects the word that starts at the end of the string and
searches backward.
charlist
specifies an optional character expression that initializes a list of characters. This list
determines which characters are used as the delimiters that separate words. The
following rules apply:

By default, all characters in charlist are used as delimiters.

%SCAN and %QSCAN Functions

251

If you specify the K modifier in the modifier argument, then all characters that
are not in charlist are used as delimiters.

Tip: You can add more characters to charlist by using other modifiers.

modifier
specifies a character constant, a variable, or an expression in which each non-blank
character modifies the action of the %SCAN function. Blanks are ignored. You can
use the following characters as modifiers:
a or A

adds alphabetic characters to the list of characters.

b or B

scans backward from right to left instead of from left to right,

regardless of the sign of the count argument.

c or C

adds control characters to the list of characters.

d or D

adds digits to the list of characters.

f or F

adds an underscore and English letters (that is, valid first characters in
a SAS variable name using VALIDVARNAME=V7) to the list of
characters.

g or G

adds graphic characters to the list of characters. Graphic characters

are characters that, when printed, produce an image on paper.

h or H

adds a horizontal tab to the list of characters.

i or I

ignores the case of the characters.

k or K

causes all characters that are not in the list of characters to be treated
as delimiters. That is, if K is specified, then characters that are in the
list of characters are kept in the returned value rather than being
omitted because they are delimiters. If K is not specified, then all
characters that are in the list of characters are treated as delimiters.

l or L

adds lowercase letters to the list of characters.

m or M

specifies that multiple consecutive delimiters, and delimiters at the

beginning or end of the string argument, refer to words that have a
length of zero. If the M modifier is not specified, then multiple
consecutive delimiters are treated as one delimiter, and delimiters at
the beginning or end of the string argument are ignored.

n or N

adds digits, an underscore, and English letters (that is, the characters
that can appear in a SAS variable name using
VALIDVARNAME=V7) to the list of characters.

o or O

processes the charlist and modifier arguments only once, rather than
every time the %SCAN function is called. Using the O modifier in the
DATA step (excluding WHERE clauses), or in the SQL procedure
can make %SCAN run faster when you call it in a loop where the
charlist and modifier arguments do not change. The O modifier
applies separately to each instance of the %SCAN function in your
SAS code, and does not cause all instances of the %SCAN function to
use the same delimiters and modifiers.

p or P

adds punctuation marks to the list of characters.

q or Q

ignores delimiters that are inside of substrings that are enclosed in

quotation marks. If the value of the string argument contains
unmatched quotation marks, then scanning from left to right will
produce different words than scanning from right to left.

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r or R

removes leading and trailing blanks from the word that %SCAN
returns. If you specify both the Q and R modifiers, then the %SCAN
function first removes leading and trailing blanks from the word.
Then, if the word begins with a quotation mark, %SCAN also
removes one layer of quotation marks from the word.

s or S

adds space characters to the list of characters (blank, horizontal tab,

vertical tab, carriage return, line feed, and form feed).

t or T

trims trailing blanks from the string and charlist arguments. If you
want to remove trailing blanks from only one character argument
instead of both character arguments, then use the TRIM function
instead of the %SCAN function with the T modifier.

u or U

adds uppercase letters to the list of characters.

w or W

adds printable (writable) characters to the list of characters.

x or X

adds hexadecimal characters to the list of characters.

Tip: If the modifier argument is a character constant, then enclose it in quotation

marks. Specify multiple modifiers in a single set of quotation marks. A modifier

argument can also be expressed as a character variable or expression.

Details
The %SCAN and %QSCAN functions search argument and return the nth word. A word
is one or more characters separated by one or more delimiters.
%SCAN does not mask special characters or mnemonic operators in its result, even
when the argument was previously masked by a macro quoting function. %QSCAN
masks the following special characters and mnemonic operators in its result:
& % ' " ( ) + * / < > = ^ ~ ; , # blank
AND OR NOT EQ NE LE LT GE GT IN

Definition of Delimiter and Word

A delimiter is any of several characters that are used to separate words. You can specify
the delimiters in the charlist and modifier arguments.
If you specify the Q modifier, then delimiters inside of substrings that are enclosed in
quotation marks are ignored.
In the %SCAN function, word refers to a substring that has all of the following
characteristics:

is bounded on the left by a delimiter or the beginning of the string

is bounded on the right by a delimiter or the end of the string

contains no delimiters

A word can have a length of zero if there are delimiters at the beginning or end of the
string, or if the string contains two or more consecutive delimiters. However, the
%SCAN function ignores words that have a length of zero unless you specify the M
modifier.
Using Default Delimiters in ASCII and EBCDIC Environments
If you use the %SCAN function with only two arguments, then the default delimiters
depend on whether your computer uses ASCII or EBCDIC characters.

If your computer uses ASCII characters, then the default delimiters are as follows:

%SCAN and %QSCAN Functions

253

blank ! $ % & ( ) * + , - . / ; < ^

In ASCII environments that do not contain the ^ character, the %SCAN function
uses the ~ character instead.

If your computer uses EBCDIC characters, then the default delimiters are as follows:
blank ! $ % & ( ) * + , - . / ; < |

If you use the modifier argument without specifying any characters as delimiters, then
the only delimiters that will be used are delimiters that are defined by the modifier
argument. In this case, the lists of default delimiters for ASCII and EBCDIC
environments are not used. In other words, modifiers add to the list of delimiters that are
specified by the charlist argument. Modifiers do not add to the list of default modifiers.
Using the %SCAN Function with the M Modifier
If you specify the M modifier, then the number of words in a string is defined as one
plus the number of delimiters in the string. However, if you specify the Q modifier,
delimiters that are inside quotation marks are ignored.
If you specify the M modifier, then the %SCAN function returns a word with a length of
zero if one of the following conditions is true:

The string begins with a delimiter and you request the first word.

The string ends with a delimiter and you request the last word.

The string contains two consecutive delimiters and you request the word that is
between the two delimiters.

Using the %SCAN Function without the M Modifier

If you do not specify the M modifier, then the number of words in a string is defined as
the number of maximal substrings of consecutive non-delimiters. However, if you
specify the Q modifier, delimiters that are inside quotation marks are ignored.
If you do not specify the M modifier, then the %SCAN function does the following:

ignores delimiters at the beginning or end of the string

treats two or more consecutive delimiters as if they were a single delimiter

If the string contains no characters other than delimiters, or if you specify a count that is
greater in absolute value than the number of words in the string, then the %SCAN
function returns one of the following:

a single blank when you call the %SCAN function from a DATA step

a string with a length of zero when you call the %SCAN function from the macro
processor

Using Null Arguments

The %SCAN function allows character arguments to be null. Null arguments are treated
as character strings with a length of zero. Numeric arguments cannot be null.

Comparisons
%QSCAN masks the same characters as the %NRBQUOTE function.

Example: Comparing the Actions of %SCAN and

%QSCAN
This example illustrates the actions of %SCAN and %QSCAN.

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Chapter 17

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%macro a;
aaaaaa
%mend a;
%macro b;
bbbbbb
%mend b;
%macro c;
cccccc
%mend c;
%let x=%nrstr(%a*%b*%c);
%put X: &x;
%put The third word in X, with SCAN: %scan(&x,3,*);
%put The third word in X, with QSCAN: %qscan(&x,3,*);

The %PUT statement writes these lines to the log:

X: %a*%b*%c
The third word in X, with SCAN: cccccc
The third word in X, with QSCAN: %c

%STR and %NRSTR Functions

Mask special characters and mnemonic operators in constant text at macro compilation.
Type:
See:

Macro quoting function

%NRQUOTE Function on page 247

Syntax
%STR (character-string)
%NRSTR (character-string)

Details
The %STR and %NRSTR functions mask a character string during compilation of a
macro or macro language statement. They mask the following special characters and
mnemonic operators:
+ * / < > = ^ ~ ; , # blank
AND OR NOT EQ NE LE LT GE GT IN

They also mask the following characters when they occur in pairs and when they are not
matched and are marked by a preceding %
' " ( )

In addition, %NRSTR also masks the following characters:

& %

%STR and %NRSTR Functions

Table 17.1

255

Using %STR and %NSTR Arguments

Argument

Use

Percent sign before a quotation mark - for

example, %' or %,

Percent sign with quotation mark

EXAMPLE: %let percent=%str(Jim%'s
office);

Percent sign before a parenthesis - for example,

%( or %)

Two percent signs (%%):

Character string with the comment symbols /*

or -->

%STR with each character

EXAMPLE: %let x=%str(20%%);

EXAMPLE: %str(/) %str(*) comment-text

%str(*)%str(/)

%STR is most useful for character strings that contain

a semicolon that should be treated as text rather than as part of a macro program
statement

blanks that are significant

a quotation mark or parenthesis without a match

Putting the same argument within nested %STR and %QUOTE functions is redundant.
This example shows an argument that is masked at macro compilation by the %STR
function and so remains masked at macro execution. Thus, in this example, the
%QUOTE function used here has no effect.
%quote(%str(argument))

CAUTION:
Do not use %STR to enclose other macro functions or macro invocations that
have a list of parameter values. Because %STR masks parentheses without a

match, the macro processor does not recognize the arguments of a function or the
parameter values of a macro invocation.
For a description of quoting in SAS macro language, see Macro Quoting on page 80.
Note: The maximum level of nesting for macro quoting functions is 10.

Comparisons

Of all the macro quoting functions, only %NRSTR and %STR take effect during
compilation. The other macro quoting functions take effect when a macro executes.

%STR and %NRSTR mask the same items as %QUOTE and %NRQUOTE.
However, %QUOTE and %NRQUOTE work during macro execution.

If resolution of a macro expression produces items that need to be masked, use the
%BQUOTE or %NRBQUOTE function instead of the %STR or %NRSTR function.

Examples
Example 1: Maintaining Leading Blanks
This example enables the value of the macro variable TIME to contain leading blanks.

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%let time=%str(
now);
%put Text followed by the value of time:&time;

When this example is executed, these lines are written to the SAS log:
Text followed by the value of time:

now

Example 2: Protecting a Blank So That It Will Be Compiled as Text

This example specifies that %QSCAN use a blank as the delimiter between words.
%macro words(string);
%local count word;
%let count=1;
%let word=%qscan(&string,&count,%str( ));
%do %while(&word ne);
%let count=%eval(&count+1);
%let word=%qscan(&string,&count,%str( ));
%end;
%let count=%eval(&count-1);
%put The string contains &count words.;
%mend words;
%words(This is a very long string)

When this program executes, these lines are written to the SAS log:
The string contains 6 words.

Example 3: Quoting a Value That Might Contain a Macro Reference

The macro REVRS reverses the characters produced by the macro TEST. %NRSTR in
the %PUT statement protects %test&test so that it is compiled as text and not
interpreted.
%macro revrs(string);
%local nstring;
%do i=%length(&string) %to 1 %by -1;
%let nstring=&nstring%qsubstr(&string,&i,1);
%end;
&nstring
%mend revrs;
%macro test;
Two words
%mend test;
%put %nrstr(%test%test) - %revrs(%test%test);

When this program executes, the following lines are written to the SAS log:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
%test%test

%macro revrs(string);
%local nstring;
%do i=%length(&string) %to 1 %by -1;
%let nstring=&nstring%qsubstr(&string,&i,1);
%end;&nstring
%mend revrs;
%macro test;
Two words
%mend test;
%put %nrstr(%test%test) - %revrs(%test%test);
- sdrow owTsdrow owT

%SUBSTR and %QSUBSTR Functions

257

NOTE: SAS Institute Inc., SAS Campus Drive, Cary, NC USA 27513-2414
NOTE: The SAS System used:
real time
0.28 seconds
cpu time
0.12 seconds

%SUBSTR and %QSUBSTR Functions

Produce a substring of a character string.
Type:
See:

Macro function
%NRBQUOTE Function on page 246

Syntax
%SUBSTR (argument, position<, length> )
%QSUBSTR (argument, position<, length> )

Required Arguments
argument
is a character string or a text expression. If argument might contain a special
character or mnemonic operator, listed below, use %QSUBSTR.
position
is an integer or an expression (text, logical, or arithmetic) that yields an integer,
which specifies the position of the first character in the substring. If position is
greater than the number of characters in the string, %SUBSTR and %QSUBSTR
issue a warning message and return a null value. An automatic call to %EVAL
causes n to be treated as a numeric value.
length
is an optional integer or an expression (text, logical, or arithmetic) that yields an
integer that specifies the number of characters in the substring. If length is greater
than the number of characters following position in argument, %SUBSTR and
%QSUBSTR issue a warning message and return a substring containing the
characters from position to the end of the string. By default, %SUBSTR and
%QSUBSTR produce a string containing the characters from position to the end of
the character string.

Details
The %SUBSTR and %QSUBSTR functions produce a substring of argument, beginning
at position, for length number of characters.
%SUBSTR does not mask special characters or mnemonic operators in its result, even
when the argument was previously masked by a macro quoting function. %QSUBSTR
masks the following special characters and mnemonic operators:
& % ' " ( ) + * / < > = ^ ~ ; , #
AND OR NOT EQ NE LE LT GE GT IN

blank

Comparisons
%QSUBSTR masks the same characters as the %NRBQUOTE function.

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Chapter 17

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Examples
Example 1: Limiting a Fileref to Eight Characters
The macro MAKEFREF uses %SUBSTR to assign the first eight characters of a
parameter as a fileref, in case a user assigns one that is longer.
%macro makefref(fileref,file);
%if %length(&fileref) gt 8 %then
%let fileref = %substr(&fileref,1,8);
filename &fileref "&file";
%mend makefref;
%makefref(humanresource,/dept/humanresource/report96)

SAS sees the following statement:

FILENAME HUMANRES "/dept/humanresource/report96";

Example 2: Storing a Long Macro Variable Value in Segments

The macro SEPMSG separates the value of the macro variable MSG into 40-character
units and stores each unit in a separate variable.
%macro sepmsg(msg);
%let i=1;
%let start=1;
%if %length(&msg)>40 %then
%do;
%do %until(%length(&&msg&i)<40);
%let msg&i=%qsubstr(&msg,&start,40);
%put Message &i is: &&msg&i;
%let i=%eval(&i+1);
%let start=%eval(&start+40);
%let msg&i=%qsubstr(&msg,&start);
%end;
%put Message &i is: &&msg&i;
%end;
%else %put No subdivision was needed.;
%mend sepmsg;
%sepmsg(%nrstr(A character operand was found in the %EVAL function
or %IF condition where a numeric operand is required. A character
operand was found in the %EVAL function or %IF condition where a
numeric operand is required.));

When this program executes, these lines are written to the SAS log:
Message
Message
Message
Message
Message
Message

1
2
3
4
5
6

is:
is:
is:
is:
is:
is:

A character operand was found in the %EV

AL function or %IF condition where a nu
meric operand is required. A character
operand was found in the %EVAL function
or %IF condition where a numeric operan
d is required.

Example 3: Comparing Actions of %SUBSTR and %QSUBSTR

Because the value of C is masked by %NRSTR, the value is not resolved at compilation.
%SUBSTR produces a resolved result because it does not mask special characters and
mnemonic operators in C before processing it, even though the value of C had
previously been masked with the %NRSTR function.

%SUPERQ Function
%let
%let
%let
%put
%put
%put

259

a=one;
b=two;
c=%nrstr(&a &b);
C: &c;
With SUBSTR: %substr(&c,1,2);
With QSUBSTR: %qsubstr(&c,1,2);

When these statements execute, these lines are written to the SAS log:
C: &a &b
With SUBSTR: one
With QSUBSTR: &a

%SUPERQ Function
Masks all special characters and mnemonic operators at macro execution but prevents further resolution of
the value.
Type:
See:

Macro quoting function

%NRBQUOTE Function on page 246 and %BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE
Functions on page 242

Syntax
%SUPERQ (argument)

Required Argument
argument
is the name of a macro variable with no leading ampersand or a text expression that
produces the name of a macro variable with no leading ampersand.

Details
The %SUPERQ function returns the value of a macro variable without attempting to
resolve any macros or macro variable references in the value. %SUPERQ masks the
following special characters and mnemonic operators:
& % ' " ( ) + * / < > = ^ ~ ; , #
AND OR NOT EQ NE LE LT GE GT IN

blank

%SUPERQ is particularly useful for masking macro variables that might contain an
ampersand or a percent sign when they are used with the %INPUT or %WINDOW
statement, or the SYMPUT routine.
For a description of quoting in SAS macro language, see Macro Quoting on page 80.
Note: The maximum level of nesting for the macro quoting functions is 10.

Comparisons

%SUPERQ is the only quoting function that prevents the resolution of macro
variables and macro references in the value of the specified macro variable.

%SUPERQ accepts only the name of a macro variable as its argument, without an
ampersand, while the other quoting functions accept any text expression, including
constant text, as an argument.

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%SUPERQ masks the same characters as the %NRBQUOTE function. However,

%SUPERQ does not attempt to resolve anything in the value of a macro variable.
%NRBQUOTE attempts to resolve any macro references or macro variable values in
the argument before masking the result.

Example: Passing Unresolved Macro Variable Values

In this example, %SUPERQ prevents the macro processor from attempting to resolve
macro references in the values of MV1 and MV2 before assigning them to macro
variables TESTMV1 and TESTMV2.
data _null_;
call symput('mv1','Smith&Jones');
call symput('mv2','%macro abc;');
run;
%let testmv1=%superq(mv1);
%let testmv2=%superq(mv2);
%put Macro variable TESTMV1 is &testmv1;
%put Macro variable TESTMV2 is &testmv2;

When this program executes, these lines are written to the SAS log:
Macro variable TESTMV1 is Smith&Jones
Macro variable TESTMV2 is %macro abc;

You might think of the values of TESTMV1 and TESTMV2 as pictures of the original
values of MV1 and MV2. The %PUT statement then writes the pictures in its text. The
macro processor does not attempt resolution. It does not issue a warning message for the
unresolved reference &JONES or an error message for beginning a macro definition
inside a %LET statement.

%SYMEXIST Function
Returns an indication of the existence of a macro variable.
Type:

Macro function

Syntax
%SYMEXIST(macro-variable-name)

Required Argument
macro-variable-name
is the name of a macro variable or a text expression that yields the name of a macro
variable.

Details
The %SYMEXIST function searches any enclosing local symbol tables and then the
global symbol table for the indicated macro variable and returns one of the following
values:

1 if the macro variable is found

0 if the macro variable is not found

%SYMGLOBL Function

261

Example: Using %SYMEXIST Macro Function

The following example uses the %IF %THEN %ELSE macro statement to change the
value of 1 and 0 to TRUE and FALSE respectively:
%global x;
%macro test;
%local y;
%if %symexist(x) %then
%else
%if %symexist(y) %then
%else
%if %symexist(z) %then
%else
%mend test;
%test;

%put
%put
%put
%put
%put
%put

%nrstr(%symexist(x))
%nrstr(%symexist(x))
%nrstr(%symexist(y))
%nrstr(%symexist(y))
%nrstr(%symexist(z))
%nrstr(%symexist(z))

=
=
=
=
=
=

TRUE;
FALSE;
TRUE;
FALSE;
TRUE;
FALSE;

In the previous example, executing the %TEST macro writes the following output to the
SAS log:
%symexist(x) = TRUE
%symexist(y) = TRUE
%symexist(z) = FALSE

%SYMGLOBL Function
Returns an indication as to whether a macro variable is global in scope.
Type:

Macro function

Syntax
%SYMGLOBL(macro-variable-name)

Required Argument
macro-variable-name
is a name of a macro variable or a text expression that yields the name of a macro
variable.

Details
The %SYMGLOBL function searches enclosing scopes for the indicated macro variable
and returns a value of 1 if the macro variable is found in the global symbol table,
otherwise it returns a 0. See Scopes of Macro Variables on page 43 for more
information about the global and local symbol tables and macro variable scopes.

Example: Using %SYMGLOBL Macro Function

The following example uses the %IF %THEN %ELSE macro statement to change the
values of 1 and 0 to TRUE and FALSE respectively:

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Macro Functions
%global x;
%macro test;
%local y;
%if %symglobl(x) %then
%else
%if %symglobl(y) %then
%else
%if %symglobl(z) %then
%else
%mend test;
%test;

%put
%put
%put
%put
%put
%put

%nrstr(%symglobl(x))
%nrstr(%symglobl(x))
%nrstr(%symglobl(y))
%nrstr(%symglobl(y))
%nrstr(%symglobl(z))
%nrstr(%symglobl(z))

=
=
=
=
=
=

TRUE;
FALSE;
TRUE;
FALSE;
TRUE;
FALSE;

In the example above, executing the %TEST macro writes the following output to the
SAS log:
%symglobl(x) = TRUE
%symglobl(y) = FALSE
%symglobl(z) = FALSE

%SYMLOCAL Function
Returns an indication as to whether a macro variable is local in scope.
Type:

Macro function

Syntax
%SYMLOCAL(macro-variable-name)

Required Argument
macro-variable-name
is the name of a macro variable or a text expression that yields the name of a macro
variable.

Details
The %SYMLOCAL searches enclosing scopes for the indicated macro variable and
returns a value of 1 if the macro variable is found in a local symbol table, otherwise it
returns a 0. See Scopes of Macro Variables on page 43 for more information about the
global and local symbol tables and macro variable scopes.

Example: Using %SYMLOCAL Macro Function

The following example uses the %IF %THEN %ELSE macro statement to change the
values of 1 and 0 to TRUE and FALSE respectively:
%global x;
%macro test;
%local y;
%if %symlocal(x) %then %put %nrstr(%symlocal(x)) = TRUE;
%else %put %nrstr(%symlocal(x)) = FALSE;
%if %symlocal(y) %then %put %nrstr(%symlocal(y)) = TRUE;

%SYSEVALF Function

263

%else %put %nrstr(%symlocal(y)) = FALSE;

%if %symlocal(z) %then %put %nrstr(%symlocal(z)) = TRUE;
%else %put %nrstr(%symlocal(z)) = FALSE;
%mend test;
%test;

In the example above, executing the %TEST macro writes the following output to the
SAS log:
%symlocal(x) = FALSE
%symlocal(y) = TRUE
%symlocal(z) = FALSE

%SYSEVALF Function
Evaluates arithmetic and logical expressions using floating-point arithmetic.
Type:
See:

Macro function
%EVAL Function on page 243

Syntax
%SYSEVALF(expression<, conversion-type> )

Required Arguments
expression
is an arithmetic or logical expression to evaluate.
conversion-type
converts the value returned by %SYSEVALF to the type of value specified. The
value can then be used in other expressions that require a value of that type.
Conversion-type can be one of the following:
BOOLEAN
returns

0 if the result of the expression is 0 or missing

1 if the result is any other value.

Here is an example:
%sysevalf(1/3,boolean)
%sysevalf(10+.,boolean)

/* returns 1 */
/* returns 0 */

CEIL
returns a character value representing the smallest integer that is greater than or
equal to the result of the expression. If the result is within 1012 of an integer, the
function returns a character value representing that integer. An expression
containing a missing value returns a missing value along with a message noting
that fact:
%sysevalf(1 + 1.1,ceil)
%sysevalf(-1 -2.4,ceil)

/* returns 3 */
/* returns 3 */

264

Chapter 17

Macro Functions
%sysevalf(-1 + 1.e-11,ceil)
%sysevalf(10+.)

/* returns
/* returns

0 */
. */

FLOOR
returns a character value representing the largest integer that is less than or equal
to the result of the expression. If the result is within 1012 of an integer, the
function returns that integer. An expression with a missing value produces a
missing value:
%sysevalf(-2.4,floor)
%sysevalf(3,floor)
%sysevalf(1.-1.e-13,floor)
%sysevalf(.,floor)

/*
/*
/*
/*

returns 3 */
returns 3 */
returns 1 */
returns . */

INTEGER
returns a character value representing the integer portion of the result (truncates
the decimal portion). If the result of the expression is within 1012 of an integer,
the function produces a character value representing that integer. If the result of
the expression is positive, INTEGER returns the same result as FLOOR. If the
result of the expression is negative, INTEGER returns the same result as CEIL.
An expression with a missing value produces a missing value:
%put
%put
%put
%put
%put

%sysevalf(2.1,integer);
%sysevalf(-2.4,integer);
%sysevalf(3,integer);
%sysevalf(-1.6,integer);
%sysevalf(1.-1.e-13,integer);

/*
/*
/*
/*
/*

returns 2 */
returns 2 */
returns 3 */
returns 1 */
returns 1 */

Details
The %SYSEVALF function performs floating-point arithmetic and returns a value that is
formatted using the BEST32. format. The result of the evaluation is always text.
%SYSEVALF is the only macro function that can evaluate logical expressions that
contain floating-point or missing values. Specify a conversion type to prevent problems
when %SYSEVALF returns one of the following:

missing or floating-point values to macro expressions

macro variables that are used in other macro expressions that require an integer value

If the argument to the %SYSEVALF function contains no operator and no conversion

type is specified, then the argument is returned unchanged.
For details about evaluation of expressions by the SAS macro language, see Macro
Expressions on page 71.

Comparisons

%SYSEVALF supports floating-point numbers. However, %EVAL performs only

integer arithmetic.

You must use the %SYSEVALF macro function in macros to evaluate floating-point
expressions. However, %EVAL is used automatically by the macro processor to
evaluate macro expressions.

Example: Illustrating Floating-Point Evaluation

The macro FIGUREIT performs all types of conversions for SYSEVALF values.
%macro figureit(a,b);
%let y=%sysevalf(&a+&b);

%SYSMACEXIST Function

265

%put The result with SYSEVALF is: &y;

%put The BOOLEAN value is: %sysevalf(&a +&b, boolean);
%put The CEIL value is: %sysevalf(&a +&b, ceil);
%put The FLOOR value is: %sysevalf(&a +&b, floor);
%put The INTEGER value is: %sysevalf(&a +&b, int);
%mend figureit;
%figureit(100,1.597)

When this program executes, these lines are written to the SAS log:
The
The
The
The
The

result with SYSEVALF is: 101.597

BOOLEAN value is: 1
CEIL value is: 102
FLOOR value is: 101
INTEGER value is: 101

%SYSMACEXEC Function
Returns an indication of the execution status of a macro.
Type:

Macro function

Syntax
%SYSMACEXEC(macro_name)

Required Argument
macro_name
the name of a macro or a text expression that yields the name of the macro.

Details
The %SYSMACEXEC function returns the number 1 if the macro is currently
executing. Otherwise, if the macro is not executing, the number 0 is returned.

%SYSMACEXIST Function
Returns an indication of the existence of a macro definition in the WORK.SASMACR catalog. Otherwise,
the returned value is 0.
Type:

Macro function

Syntax
%SYSMACEXIST(macro-name)

Required Argument
macro-name
the name of a macro or a text expression that yields the name of a macro.

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Details
The %SYSMACEXIST function returns the number 1 if a definition for the macro exists
in the WORK.SASMACR catalog. If there is not a macro definition, the returned value
is 0.

%SYSMEXECDEPTH Function
Returns the nesting depth of macro execution from the point of the call to %SYSMEXECDEPTH.
Type:

Macro Function

Tip:

%SYSMEXECDEPTH and %SYSMEXECNAME were implemented to be used

together, but it is not required.

See:

%SYSMEXECNAME Function

Syntax
%SYSMEXECDEPTH

Details
To retrieve the nesting level of the currently executing macro, use the
%SYSMEXECDEPTH. This function returns a number indicating the depth of the
macro in nested macro calls. The following are the %SYSMEXECDEPTH return value
descriptions:
0

open code

>0

nesting level

See the following example and explanations that follow it.

8
9
10
11
1
12
13
14
15
16
17
18

%macro A;
%put %sysmexecdepth;
%mend A;
/* The macro execution depth
of a macro called from open code */
%A;
/* is one */

%macro B;
%put %nrstr(%%)sysmexecdepth=%sysmexecdepth;
%put %nrstr(%%)sysmexecname(1)=%sysmexecname(1);
%put %nrstr(%%)sysmexecname(2)=%sysmexecname(2);
%put %nrstr(%%)sysmexecname(0)=%sysmexecname(0);
%put %nrstr(%%)sysmexecname(%nrstr(%%)sysmexecdepth-1)=
%sysmexecname(%sysmexecdepth-1);
%mend B;

19
20
21
%macro C;
22
%B;
23
%mend;
24
%C;
%sysmexecdepth=2
%sysmexecname(1)=C

%SYSMEXECNAME Function

267

%sysmexecname(2)=B
%sysmexecname(0)=OPEN CODE
%sysmexecname(%sysmexecdepth-1)=C
25
26
%macro level1;
27
%level2;
28
%mend;
29
%macro level2;
30
%level3;
31
%mend;
32
%macro level3;
33
%level4;
34
%mend;
35
%macro level4;
36
%do i = %sysmexecdepth+1 %to -1 %by -1;
37
%put %nrstr(%%)sysmexecname(&i)=%sysmexecname(&i);
38
%end;
39
%mend;
40
41
%level1;
WARNING: Argument 1 to %SYSMEXECNAME function is out of range.
%sysmexecname(5)=
%sysmexecname(4)=LEVEL4
%sysmexecname(3)=LEVEL3
%sysmexecname(2)=LEVEL2
%sysmexecname(1)=LEVEL1
%sysmexecname(0)=OPEN CODE
WARNING: Argument 1 to %SYSMEXECNAME function is out of range.
%sysmexecname(-1)=
42

Macro A calls macro B. Macro C calls macro B. A call to %SYSMEXECDEPTH

placed in macro C would return the value 2 for macro B.

If the macro C wanted to know the name of the macro that had called it, it could call
%SYSMEXECNAME with %SYSMEXECNAME(%SYSMEXECDEPTH-1 (the value of
the n argument being %SYSMEXECDEPTH, its own nesting level, minus one). That
call to %SYSMEXECNAME would return the value B.

%SYSMEXECNAME Function
Returns the name of the macro executing at a requested nesting level.
Type:

Macro Function

Tip:

%SYSMEXECNAME and %SYSMEXECDEPTH were implemented to be used

together, but it is not required.

See:

%SYSMEXECDEPTH function

Syntax
%SYSMEXECNAME (n)

268

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Required Argument
n
The nesting level at which you are requesting the macro name.
0

open code

>0

nesting level

Details
The %SYSMEXECNAME function returns the name of the macro executing at the n
nesting level. The following three scenarios are shown in the example below.

If n = 0, open code is returned.

If n >%SYSMEXECDEPTH, a null string is returned and a WARNING diagnostic

message is issued to the SAS log.

If n<0, a null string is returned and a WARNING diagnostic message is issued to the
SAS log.

%put %sysmexecdepth; /* The macro execution depth of

Open Code is zero */

0
4
%put %sysmexecname(%sysmexecdepth);
OPEN CODE
5
%put %sysmexecname(%sysmexecdepth + 1);
WARNING: Argument 1 to %SYSMEXECNAME function is out of range.
6
%put %sysmexecname(%sysmexecdepth - 1);
WARNING: Argument 1 to %SYSMEXECNAME function is out of range.

%SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC Functions

Execute SAS functions or user-written functions.
Type:
Tip:

Macro function
%SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC support SAS function names up to 32 characters.

Syntax
%SYSFUNC (function(argument-1 <...argument-n>)<, format> )
%QSYSFUNC (function(argument-1 <...argument-n>)<, format> )

Required Arguments
function
is the name of the function to execute. This function can be a SAS function, a
function written with SAS/TOOLKIT software, or a function created using the
Chapter 18, FCMP Procedure in Base SAS Procedures Guide. The function cannot
be a macro function.
All SAS functions, except those listed in Table 17.2 on page 269, can be used with
%SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC.

%SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC Functions

269

You cannot nest functions to be used with a single %SYSFUNC. However, you can
nest %SYSFUNC calls:
%let x=%sysfunc(trim(%sysfunc(left(&num))));

Syntax for Selected Functions Used with the %SYSFUNC Function on page 367
shows the syntax of SAS functions used with %SYSFUNC that were introduced with
SAS 6.12.
argument-1 <...argument-n>
is one or more arguments used by function. An argument can be a macro variable
reference or a text expression that produces arguments for a function. If argument
might contain a special character or mnemonic operator, listed below, use
%QSYSFUNC.
format
is an optional format to apply to the result of function. This format can be provided
by SAS, generated by PROC FORMAT, or created with SAS/TOOLKIT. There is no
default value for format. If you do not specify a format, the SAS macro facility does
not perform a format operation on the result and uses the default of the function.

Details
Because %SYSFUNC is a macro function, you do not need to enclose character values
in quotation marks as you do in DATA step functions. For example, the arguments to the
OPEN function are enclosed in quotation marks when the function is used alone, but do
not require quotation marks when used within %SYSFUNC. These statements show the
difference:

dsid=open("sasuser.houses","i");

dsid=open("&mydata","&mode");

%let dsid = %sysfunc(open(sasuser.houses,i));

%let dsid=%sysfunc(open(&mydata,&mode));

All arguments in DATA step functions within %SYSFUNC must be separated by

commas. You cannot use argument lists preceded by the word OF.
Note: The arguments to %SYSFUNC are evaluated according to the rules of the SAS
macro language. This includes both the function name and the argument list to the
function. In particular, an empty argument position will not generate a NULL
argument, but a zero length argument.
%SYSFUNC does not mask special characters or mnemonic operators in its result.
%QSYSFUNC masks the following special characters and mnemonic operators in its
result:
& % ' " ( ) + * / < > = ^ ~ ; , #
AND OR NOT EQ NE LE LT GE GT IN

blank

When a function called by %SYSFUNC or %QSYSFUNC requires a numeric argument,

the macro facility converts the argument to a numeric value. %SYSFUNC and
%QSYSFUNC can return a floating point number when the function that they execute
supports floating point numbers.
Table 17.2

SAS Functions Not Available with %SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC

All Variable Information

Functions

ALLCOMB

ALLPERM

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DIF

DIM

HBOUND

IORCMSG

INPUT

LAG

LBOUND

LEXCOMB

LEXCOMBI

LEXPERK

LEXPERM

MISSING

PUT

RESOLVE

SYMGET

Note: Instead of INPUT and PUT, which are not available with %SYSFUNC and
%QSYSFUNC, use INPUTN, INPUTC, PUTN, and PUTC.
Note: The Variable Information functions include functions such as VNAME and
VLABEL. For a complete list, see Definitions of Functions and CALL Routines in
SAS Functions and CALL Routines: Reference.
CAUTION:
Values returned by SAS functions might be truncated. Although values returned

by macro functions are not limited to the length imposed by the DATA step, values
returned by SAS functions do have that limitation.

Comparisons
%QSYSFUNC masks the same characters as the %NRBQUOTE function.

Examples
Example 1: Formatting the Current Date in a TITLE Statement
This example formats a TITLE statement containing the current date using the DATE
function and the WORDDATE. format:
title "%sysfunc(date(),worddate.) Absence Report";

When the program is executed on July 18, 2008, the statement produces the following
TITLE statement:
title "July 18, 2008 Absence Report"

Example 2: Formatting a Value Produced by %SYSFUNC

In this example, the TRY macro transforms the value of PARM using the PUTN
function and the CATEGORY. format.
proc format;
value category
Low-<0 = 'Less Than Zero'
0
= 'Equal To Zero'
0<-high = 'Greater Than Zero'
other
= 'Missing';
run;
%macro try(parm);
%put &parm is %sysfunc(putn(&parm,category.));
%mend;

%SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC Functions

271

%try(1.02)
%try(.)
%try(-.38)

When these statements are executed, these lines are written to the SAS log:
1.02 is Greater Than Zero
. is Missing
-.38 is Less Than Zero

Example 3: Translating Characters

%SYSFUNC executes the TRANSLATE function to translate the Ns in a string to Ps.
%let string1 = V01N01-V01N10;
%let string1 = %sysfunc(translate(&string1,P, N));
%put With N translated to P, V01N01-V01N10 is &string1;

When these statements are executed, these lines are written to the SAS log:
With N translated to P, V01N01-V01N10 is V01P01-V01P10

Example 4: Confirming the Existence of a SAS Data Set

The macro CHECKDS uses %SYSFUNC to execute the EXIST function, which checks
the existence of a data set:
%macro checkds(dsn);
%if %sysfunc(exist(&dsn)) %then
%do;
proc print data=&dsn;
run;
%end;
%else
%put The data set &dsn does not exist.;
%mend checkds;
%checkds(sasuser.houses)

When the program is executed, the following statements will be produced:

PROC PRINT DATA=SASUSER.HOUSES;
RUN;

Example 5: Determining the Number of Variables and Observations

in a Data Set
Many solutions have been generated in the past to obtain the number of variables and
observations present in a SAS data set. Most past solutions have used a combination of
_NULL_ DATA steps, SET statement with NOBS=, and arrays to obtain this
information. Now, you can use the OPEN and ATTRN functions to obtain this
information quickly and without interfering with step boundary conditions.
%macro obsnvars(ds);
%global dset nvars nobs;
%let dset=&ds;
%let dsid = %sysfunc(open(&dset));
%if &dsid %then
%do;
%let nobs =%sysfunc(attrn(&dsid,NOBS));
%let nvars=%sysfunc(attrn(&dsid,NVARS));
%let rc = %sysfunc(close(&dsid));
%put &dset has &nvars variable(s) and &nobs observation(s).;

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Chapter 17

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%end;
%else
%put Open for data set &dset failed - %sysfunc(sysmsg());
%mend obsnvars;
%obsnvars(sasuser.houses)

When the program is executed, the following message will appear in the SAS log:
sasuser.houses has 6 variable(s) and 15 observation(s).

%SYSGET Function
Returns the value of the specified operating environment variable.
Type:

Macro function

Syntax
%SYSGET(environment-variable)

Required Argument
environment-variable
is the name of an environment variable. The case of environment-variable must
agree with the case that is stored on the operating environment.

Details
The %SYSGET function returns the value as a character string. If the value is truncated
or the variable is not defined on the operating environment, %SYSGET displays a
warning message in the SAS log.
You can use the value returned by %SYSGET as a condition for determining further
action to take or parts of a SAS program to execute. For example, your program can
restrict certain processing or issue commands that are specific to a user.
For details, see the SAS documentation for your operating environment.

Example: Using SYSGET in a UNIX Operating

Environment
This example returns the ID of a user on a UNIX operating environment:
%let person=%sysget(USER);
%put User is &person;

When these statements execute for user ABCDEF, the following is written to the SAS
log:
User is abcdef

%SYSPROD Function
Reports whether a SAS software product is licensed at the site.

%SYSPROD Function

Type:
See:

273

Macro function
%SYSEXEC Statement on page 316, SYSSCP and SYSSCPL Automatic Macro
Variables on page 212, and SYSVER Automatic Macro Variable on page 218

Syntax
%SYSPROD (product)

Required Argument
product
can be a character string or text expression that yields a code for a SAS product. The
following are commonly used codes:
Table 17.3

Commonly Used Codes

AF

CPE

GRAPH

PH-CLINICAL

ASSIST

EIS

IML

QC

BASE

ETS

INSIGHT

SHARE

CALC

FSP

LAB

STAT

CONNECT

GIS

OR

TOOLKIT

For codes for other SAS software products, see your on-site SAS support personnel.

Details
%SYSPROD can return the following values:
Table 17.4

%SYSPROD Values and Descriptions

Value

Description

The SAS product is licensed.

The SAS product is not licensed.

The product is not Institute software (for example, if the product code is
misspelled).

Example: Verifying SAS/GRAPH Installation Before

Running the GPLOT Procedure
This example uses %SYSPROD to determine whether to execute a PROC GPLOT
statement or a PROC PLOT statement, based on whether SAS/GRAPH software has
been installed.

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%macro runplot(ds);
%if %sysprod(graph)=1 %then
%do;
title "GPLOT of %upcase(&ds)";
proc gplot data=&ds;
plot style*price / haxis=0 to 150000 by 50000;
run;
quit;
%end;
%else
%do;
title "PLOT of %upcase(&ds)";
proc plot data=&ds;
plot style*price;
run;
quit;
%end;
%mend runplot;
%runplot(sasuser.houses)

When this program executes and SAS/GRAPH is installed, the following statements are
generated:
TITLE "GPLOT of SASUSER.HOUSES";
PROC GPLOT DATA=SASUSER.HOUSES;
PLOT STYLE*PRICE / HAXIS=0 TO 150000 BY 50000;
RUN;

%UNQUOTE Function
During macro execution, unmasks all special characters and mnemonic operators for a value.
Type:
See:

Macro function
%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE Functions on page 242, %NRBQUOTE Function
on page 246, %NRQUOTE Function on page 247, %NRSTR Function on page
247, %QUOTE and %NRQUOTE Functions on page 248, %STR and %NRSTR
Functions on page 254, and %SUPERQ Function on page 259

Syntax
%UNQUOTE (character string | text expression)

Details
The %UNQUOTE function unmasks a value so that special characters that it might
contain are interpreted as macro language elements instead of as text. The most
important effect of %UNQUOTE is to restore normal tokenization of a value whose
tokenization was altered by a previous macro quoting function. %UNQUOTE takes
effect during macro execution.
For more information, see Macro Quoting on page 80.

%UPCASE and %QUPCASE Functions

275

Example: Using %UNQUOTE to Unmask Values

This example demonstrates a problem that can arise when the value of a macro variable
is assigned using a macro quoting function and then the variable is referenced in a later
DATA step. If the value is not unmasked before it reaches the SAS compiler, the DATA
step does not compile correctly and it produces error messages. Although several macro
functions automatically unmask values, a variable might not be processed by one of
those functions.
The following program generates error messages in the SAS log because the value of
TESTVAL is still masked when it reaches the SAS compiler.
%let val = aaa;
%let testval = %str(%'&val%');
data _null_;
val = &testval;
put 'VAL =' val;
run;

This version of the program runs correctly because %UNQUOTE unmasks the value of
TESTVAL.
%let val = aaa;
%let testval = %str(%'&val%');
data _null_;
val = %unquote(&testval);
put 'VAL =' val;
run;

This program prints the following to the SAS log:

VAL=aaa

%UPCASE and %QUPCASE Functions

Convert values to uppercase.
Type:
See:

Macro function
%LOWCASE and %QLOWCASE Autocall Macros on page 180, %NRBQUOTE
Function on page 246, and %QLOWCASE Autocall Macro on page 182

Syntax
%UPCASE (character string | text expression)
%QUPCASE(character string | text expression)

Details
The %UPCASE and %QUPCASE functions convert lowercase characters in the
argument to uppercase. %UPCASE does not mask special characters or mnemonic
operators in its result, even when the argument was previously masked by a macro
quoting function.
If the argument contains a special character or mnemonic operator, listed below, use
%QUPCASE. %QUPCASE masks the following special characters and mnemonic
operators in its result:

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& % ' " ( ) + * / < > = ^ ~ ; , # blank
AND OR NOT EQ NE LE LT GE GT IN

%UPCASE and %QUPCASE are useful in the comparison of values because the macro
facility does not automatically convert lowercase characters to uppercase before
comparing values.

Comparisons

%QUPCASE masks the same characters as the %NRBQUOTE function.

To convert characters to lowercase, use the %LOWCASE or %QLOWCASE

autocall macro.

Examples
Example 1: Capitalizing a Value to Be Compared
In this example, the macro RUNREPT compares a value input for the macro variable
MONTH to the string DEC. If the uppercase value of the response is DEC, then PROC
FSVIEW runs on the data set REPORTS.ENDYEAR. Otherwise, PROC FSVIEW runs
on the data set with the name of the month in the REPORTS data library.
%macro runrept(month);
%if %upcase(&month)=DEC %then
%str(proc fsview data=reports.endyear; run;);
%else %str(proc fsview data=reports.&month; run;);
%mend runrept;

You can invoke the macro in any of these ways to satisfy the %IF condition:
%runrept(DEC)
%runrept(Dec)
%runrept(dec)

Example 2: Comparing %UPCASE and %QUPCASE

These statements show the results produced by %UPCASE and %QUPCASE:
%let
%let
%put
%put

a=begin;
b=%nrstr(&a);
UPCASE produces: %upcase(&b);
QUPCASE produces: %qupcase(&b);

When these statements execute, the following is written to the SAS log:
UPCASE produces: begin
QUPCASE produces: &A

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SQL Clauses for Macros

SQL Clauses for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
INTO Clause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

SQL Clauses for Macros

Structured Query Language (SQL) is a standardized, widely used language for retrieving
and updating data in databases and relational tables.

Dictionary
INTO Clause
Assigns values produced by PROC SQL to macro variables.
Type:

SELECT statement, PROC SQL

Syntax
INTO : macro-variable-specification-1 < ..., : macro-variable-specification-n>

Required Argument
macro-variable-specification
names one or more macro variables to create or update. Precede each macro variable
name with a colon (:). The macro variable specification can be in any one or more of
the following forms:
: macro-variable
specify one or more macro variables. Leading and trailing blanks are not trimmed
from values before they are stored in macro variables:
select style, sqfeet
into :type, :size
from sasuser.houses;

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:macro-variable-1 : macro-variable-n <NOTRIM>

:macro-variable-1 THROUGH : macro-variable-n <NOTRIM>
:macro-variable-1 THRU : macro-variable-n <NOTRIM>
specifies a numbered list of macro variables. Leading and trailing blanks are
trimmed from values before they are stored in macro variables. If you do not
want the blanks to be trimmed, use the NOTRIM option. NOTRIM is an option
in each individual element in this form of the INTO clause, so you can use it on
one element and not on another element:
select style, sqfeet
into :type1 - :type4 notrim, :size1 - :size3
from sasuser.houses;

:macro-variable SEPARATED BY 'characters ' <NOTRIM>

specifies one macro variable to contain all the values of a column. Values in the
list are separated by one or more characters. This form of the INTO clause is
useful for building a list of items. Leading and trailing blanks are trimmed from
values before they are stored in the macro variable. If you do not want the blanks
to be trimmed, use the NOTRIM option. You can use the DISTINCT option in
the SELECT statement to store only the unique column (variable) values:
select distinct style
into :types separated by ','
from sasuser.houses;

Details
The INTO clause for the SELECT statement can assign the result of a calculation or the
value of a data column (variable) to a macro variable. If the macro variable does not
exist, INTO creates it. You can check the PROC SQL macro variable SQLOBS to see
the number of rows (observations) produced by a SELECT statement.
The INTO clause can be used only in the outer query of a SELECT statement and not in
a subquery. The INTO clause cannot be used when you are creating a table (CREATE
TABLE) or a view (CREATE VIEW).
Macro variables created with INTO follow the scoping rules for the %LET statement.
For more information, see .
Values assigned by the INTO clause use the BEST12. format.

Comparisons
In the SQL procedure, the INTO clause performs a role similar to the SYMPUT routine.

Examples
Example 1: Storing Column Values in Declared Macro Variables
This example is based on the data set SASUSER.HOUSES and stores the values of
columns (variables) STYLE and SQFEET from the first row of the table (or observation
in the data set) in macro variables TYPE and SIZE. The %LET statements strip trailing
blanks from TYPE and leading blanks from SIZE because this type of specification with
INTO does not strip those blanks by default.
proc sql noprint;
select style, sqfeet
into :type, :size
from sasuser.houses;

INTO Clause 279

%let type=&type;
%let size=&size;
%put The first row contains a &type with &size square feet.;

When this program executes, the following is written to the SAS log:
The first row contains a RANCH with 1250 square feet.

Example 2: Storing Row Values in a List of Macro Variables

This example creates two lists of macro variables, TYPE1 through TYPE4 and SIZE1
through SIZE4, and stores values from the first four rows (observations) of the
SASUSER.HOUSES data set in them. The NOTRIM option for TYPE1 through TYPE4
retains the trailing blanks for those values.
proc sql noprint;
select style, sqfeet
into :type1 - :type4 notrim, :size1 - :size4
from sasuser.houses;
%macro putit;
%do i=1 %to 4;
%put Row&i: Type=**&&type&i**
Size=**&&size&i**;
%end;
%mend putit;
%putit

When this program executes, these lines are written to the SAS log:
Row1:
Row2:
Row3:
Row4:

Type=**RANCH
**
Type=**SPLIT
**
Type=**CONDO
**
Type=**TWOSTORY**

Size=**1250**
Size=**1190**
Size=**1400**
Size=**1810**

Example 3: Storing Values of All Rows in one Macro Variable

This example stores all values of the column (variable) STYLE in the macro variable
TYPES and separates the values with a comma and a blank.
proc sql;
select distinct quote(style)
into :types separated by ', '
from sasuser.houses;
%put Types of houses=&types.;

When this program executes, this line is written to the SAS log:
Types of houses=CONDO, RANCH, SPLIT, TWOSTORY

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Macro Statements

Macro Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
%ABORT Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
%* Macro Comment Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
%COPY Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
%DISPLAY Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
%DO Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
%DO, Iterative Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
%DO %UNTIL Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
%DO %WHILE Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
%END Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
%GLOBAL Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
%GOTO Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
%IF-%THEN/%ELSE Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
%INPUT Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
%label Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
%LET Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
%LOCAL Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
%MACRO Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
%MEND Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
%PUT Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
%RETURN Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
%SYMDEL Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
%SYSCALL Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
%SYSEXEC Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
%SYSLPUT Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
%SYSMACDELETE Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
%SYSMSTORECLEAR Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
%SYSRPUT Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
%WINDOW Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Macro Statements
A macro language statement instructs the macro processor to perform an operation. It
consists of a string of keywords, SAS names, and special characters and operators, and it
ends in a semicolon. Some macro language statements are used only in macro
definitions, but you can use others anywhere in a SAS session or job, either inside or
outside macro definitions (referred to as open code).

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Dictionary
%ABORT Statement
Stops the macro that is executing along with the current DATA step, SAS job, or SAS session.
Type:
Restriction:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions only

Syntax
%ABORT <ABEND | CANCEL <FILE> | RETURN | <n>> ;

Required Arguments
ABEND
causes abnormal termination of the current macro and SAS job or session. Results
depend on the method of operation:

batch mode and noninteractive mode.

stops processing immediately.

sends an error message to the SAS log that states that execution was
terminated by the ABEND option of the %ABORT macro statement

does not execute any subsequent statements or check syntax

returns control to the operating environment. Further action is based on how

your operating environment and your site treat jobs that end abnormally.

windowing environment and interactive line mode.

causes your macro, windowing environment, and interactive line mode to

stop processing immediately and return you to your operating environment.

CANCEL <FILE>
causes the cancellation of the current submitted statements. The results depend on
the method of operation.
If the method of operation is batch mode and noninteractive mode, use the CANCEL
option to do the following:

The entire SAS program and SAS system are terminated.

The error message is written to the SAS log.

If the method of operation is windowing environment and interactive line mode, use
the CANCEL option to do the following:

It only clears the current submitted program.

Other subsequent submitted programs are not affected.

The error message is written to the SAS log.

%ABORT Statement 283

If the method of operation is workspace server and stored process server, use the
CANCEL option to do the following:

It only clears currently submitted program.

Other subsequent submit calls are not affected.

The error message is written to the SAS log.

If the method of operation is SAS IntrNet application server, use the CANCEL
option to do the following:

A separate execution is created for each request. The execution submits the
request code. A CANCEL in the request code clears the current submitted code
but does not terminate the execution or the SAS session.

FILE
when coded as an option to the CANCEL argument in an autoexec file or in a
%INCLUDE file, causes only the contents of the autoexec file or %INCLUDE
file to be cleared by the %ABORT statement. Other submitted source statements
will be executed after the autoexec or %INCLUDE file.
Restriction: The CANCEL argument cannot be submitted using

SAS/SHARE,SAS/CONNECT, or SAS/AF.
CAUTION: When %ABORT CANCEL FILE option is executed within a
%INCLUDE file, all open macros are closed and execution resumes at the
next source line of code.

RETURN
causes abnormal termination of the current macro and SAS job or session. Results
depend on the method of operation:

batch mode and noninteractive mode

stops processing immediately

sends an error message to the SAS log that states that execution was
terminated by the RETURN option of the %ABORT macro statement

does not execute any subsequent statements or check syntax

returns control to the operating environment with a condition code indicating

an error

windowing environment and interactive line mode

causes your macro, windowing environment, and interactive line mode to

stop processing immediately and return you to your operating environment

n
an integer value that enables you to specify a condition code:

When used with the CANCEL argument, the value is placed in the SYSINFO
automatic macro variable.

When it is NOT used with the CANCEL statement, SAS returns the value to the
operating environment when the execution stops. The range of values for n
depends on your operating environment.

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Details
If you specify no argument, the %ABORT macro statement produces these results under
the following methods of operation:

batch mode and noninteractive mode.

stops processing the current macro and DATA step and writes an error message
to the SAS log. Data sets can contain an incomplete number of observations or
no observations, depending on when SAS encountered the %ABORT macro
statement.

sets the OBS= system option to 0.

continues limited processing of the remainder of the SAS job, including

executing macro statements, executing system option statements, and syntax
checking of program statements.

windowing environment

stops processing the current macro and DATA step

creates a data set that contains the observations that are processed before the
%ABORT macro statement is encountered

prints a message to the log that an %ABORT macro statement terminated the
DATA step

interactive line mode

stops processing the current macro and DATA step. Any further DATA steps or
procedures execute normally.

Comparisons
The %ABORT macro statement causes SAS to stop processing the current macro and
DATA step. What happens next depends on

the method that you use to submit your SAS statements

the arguments that you use with %ABORT

your operating environment

The %ABORT macro statement usually appears in a clause of an %IF-%THEN macro

statement that is designed to stop processing when an error condition occurs.
Note: The return code generated by the %ABORT macro statement is ignored by SAS if
the system option ERRORABEND is in effect.
Note: When you execute an %ABORT macro statement in a DATA step, SAS does not
use data sets that were created in the step to replace existing data sets with the same
name.

%* Macro Comment Statement

Designates comment text.
Type:
Restriction:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions or open code

%* Macro Comment Statement 285

Syntax
%*commentary;

Required Argument
commentary
is a descriptive message of any length.

Details
The macro comment statement is useful for describing macro code. Text from a macro
comment statement is not constant text and is not stored in a compiled macro. Because a
semicolon ends the comment statement, the comment cannot contain internal semicolons
unless the internal semicolons are enclosed in quotation marks. Macro comment
statements are not recognized when they are enclosed in quotation marks.
Macro comment statements are complete macro statements and are processed by the
macro facility. Quotation marks within a macro comment must match.
Only macro comment statements and SAS comments of the form /*commentary*/ in
macro definitions or open code might be used to hide macro statements from processing
by the macro facility.

Comparisons
SAS comment statements of the form
*commentary;

or
comment commentary;

are complete SAS statements. Consequently, they are processed by the tokenizer and
macro facility and cannot contain semicolons or unmatched quotation marks. SAS
comment statements of the form
*commentary;

or
comment commentary;

are stored as constant text in a compiled macro. These two types will execute any macro
statements within a comment. SAS recommends not to use these within a macro
definition.
SAS comments in the form
/*commentary*/

are not tokenized, but are processed as a string of characters. These comments can
appear anywhere a single blank can appear and can contain semicolons or unmatched
quotation marks. SAS comments in the form
/*commentary*/

are not stored in a compiled macro.

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Example: Contrasting Comment Types

This code defines and invokes the macro VERDATA, which checks for data errors. It
contains a macro comment statement and SAS comments in the form /
*commentary*/ and *commentary;
%macro verdata(in, thresh);
*%let thresh = 5;
/* The preceding SAS comment does not hide the %let statement
as does this type of SAS comment.
%let thresh = 6;
*/
%if %length(&in) > 0 %then %do;
%* infile given;
data check;
/* Jim's data */
infile &in;
input x y z;
* check data;
if x<&thresh or y<&thresh or z<&thresh then list;
run;
%end;
%else %put Error: No infile specified;
%mend verdata;
%verdata(ina, 0)

When you execute VERDATA, the macro processor generates the following:
DATA CHECK;
INFILE INA;
INPUT X Y Z;
* CHECK DATA;
IF X<5 OR Y<5 OR Z<5 THEN LIST;
RUN;

%COPY Statement
Copies specified items from a SAS macro library.
Type:
Restriction:
See:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions or open code
%MACRO Statement on page 304 and SASMSTORE= System Option on page
357

Syntax
%COPY macro-name /<option1 <...option-n>> SOURCE

Required Arguments
macro-name
name of the macro that the %COPY statement will use.

%DISPLAY Statement

287

SOURCESRC
specifies that the source code of the macro will be copied to the output destination. If
the OUTFILE= option is not specified, the source is written to the SAS log.
option1 <...option-n>
must be one or more of the following options:
LIBRARY= librefLIB=
specifies the libref of a SAS library that contains a catalog of stored compiled
SAS macros. If no library is specified, the libref specified by the SASMSTORE=
option is used.
Restriction:

This libref cannot be WORK.

OUTFILE=fileref | 'external file'OUT=

specifies the output destination of the %COPY statement. The value can be a
fileref or an external file.

Example: Using %COPY Statement

In the following example, the %COPY statement writes the stored source code to the
SAS log:
/* commentary */ %macro foobar(arg) /store source
des="This macro does not do much";
%put arg = &arg;
* this is commentary!!!;
%* this is macro commentary;
%mend /* commentary; */;
/* Further commentary */
NOTE: The macro FOOBAR completed compilation without errors.
%copy foobar/source;

The following results are written to the SAS log:

%macro foobar(arg) /store source
des="This macro does not do much";
%put arg = &arg;
* this is commentary!!!;
%* this is macro commentary;
%mend /* commentary; */;

%DISPLAY Statement
Displays a macro window.
Type:
Restriction:
See:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions or open code
%WINDOW Statement on page 321

Syntax
%DISPLAY window<.group> <NOINPUT> <BLANK>
<BELL> <DELETE> ;

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Required Arguments
window <.group>
names the window and group of fields to be displayed. If the window has more than
one group of fields, give the complete window.group specification. If a window
contains a single unnamed group, specify only window.
NOINPUT
specifies that you cannot input values into fields displayed in the window. If you
omit the NOINPUT option, you can input values into unprotected fields displayed in
the window. Use the NOINPUT option when the %DISPLAY statement is inside a
macro definition and you want to merge more than one group of fields into a single
display. Using NOINPUT in a particular %DISPLAY statement causes the group
displayed to remain visible when later groups are displayed.
BLANK
clears the display in the window. Use the BLANK option to prevent fields from a
previous display from appearing in the current display. This option is useful only
when the %DISPLAY statement is inside a macro definition and when it is part of a
window.group specification. When the %DISPLAY statement is outside a macro
definition, the display in the window is cleared automatically after the execution of
each %DISPLAY statement.
BELL
rings your personal computer's bell, if available, when the window is displayed.
DELETE
deletes the display of the window after processing passes from the %DISPLAY
statement on which the option appears. DELETE is useful only when the
%DISPLAY statement is inside a macro definition.

Details
You can display only one group of fields in each execution of a %DISPLAY statement.
If you display a window containing any unprotected fields, enter values into any
required fields and press ENTER to remove the display from the window.
If a window contains only protected fields, pressing ENTER removes the display from
the window. While a window is displayed, you can use commands and function keys to
view other windows, change the size of the current window, and so on.

%DO Statement
Begins a %DO group.
Type:

Macro statement

Restriction:

Allowed in macro definitions only

See:

%END Statement on page 293

Syntax
%DO;
text and macro language statements
%END;

%DO, Iterative Statement

289

Details
The %DO statement designates the beginning of a section of a macro definition that is
treated as a unit until a matching %END statement is encountered. This macro section is
called a %DO group. %DO groups can be nested.
A simple %DO statement often appears in conjunction with %IF-%THEN/%ELSE
statements to designate a section of the macro to be processed depending on whether the
%IF condition is true or false.

Example: Producing One of Two Reports

This macro uses two %DO groups with the %IF-%THEN/%ELSE statement to
conditionally print one of two reports.
%macro reportit(request);
%if %upcase(&request)=STAT %then
%do;
proc means;
title "Summary of All Numeric Variables";
run;
%end;
%else %if %upcase(&request)=PRINTIT %then
%do;
proc print;
title "Listing of Data";
run;
%end;
%else %put Incorrect report type. Please try again.;
title;
%mend reportit;
%reportit(stat)
%reportit(printit)

Specifying stat as a value for the macro variable REQUEST generates the PROC
MEANS step. Specifying printit generates the PROC PRINT step. Specifying any
other value writes a customized error message to the SAS log.

%DO, Iterative Statement

Executes a section of a macro repetitively based on the value of an index variable.
Type:

Macro statement

Restriction:

Allowed in macro definitions only

See:

%END Statement on page 293

Syntax
%DO macro-variable=start %TO stop <%BY increment> ;
text and macro language statements
%END;

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Required Arguments
macro-variable
names a macro variable or a text expression that generates a macro variable name. Its
value functions as an index that determines the number of times the %DO loop
iterates. If the macro variable specified as the index does not exist, the macro
processor creates it in the local symbol table.
You can change the value of the index variable during processing. For example,
using conditional processing to set the value of the index variable beyond the stop
value when a certain condition is met ends processing of the loop.
startstop
specify integers or macro expressions that generate integers to control the number of
times the portion of the macro between the iterative %DO and %END statements is
processed.
The first time the %DO group iterates, macro-variable is equal to start. As
processing continues, the value of macro-variable changes by the value of increment
until the value of macro-variable is outside the range of integers included by start
and stop.
increment
specifies an integer (other than 0) or a macro expression that generates an integer to
be added to the value of the index variable in each iteration of the loop. By default,
increment is 1. Increment is evaluated before the first iteration of the loop.
Therefore, you cannot change it as the loop iterates.

Example: Generating a Series of DATA Steps

This example illustrates using an iterative %DO group in a macro definition.
%macro create(howmany);
%do i=1 %to &howmany;
data month&i;
infile in&i;
input product cost date;
run;
%end;
%mend create;
%create(3)

When you execute the macro CREATE, it generates these statements:

DATA MONTH1;
INFILE IN1;
INPUT PRODUCT COST DATE;
RUN;
DATA MONTH2;
INFILE IN2;
INPUT PRODUCT COST DATE;
RUN;
DATA MONTH3;
INFILE IN3;
INPUT PRODUCT COST DATE;
RUN;

%DO %UNTIL Statement 291

%DO %UNTIL Statement

Executes a section of a macro repetitively until a condition is true.
Type:

Macro statement

Restriction:

Allowed in macro definitions only

See:

%END Statement on page 293

Syntax
%DO %UNTIL (expression);
text and macro language statements
%END;

Required Argument
expression
can be any macro expression that resolves to a logical value. The macro processor
evaluates the expression at the bottom of each iteration. The expression is true if it is
an integer other than zero. The expression is false if it has a value of zero. If the
expression resolves to a null value or a value containing nonnumeric characters, the
macro processor issues an error message.
These examples illustrate expressions for the %DO %UNTIL statement:

%do %until(&hold=no);

%do %until(%index(&source,&excerpt)=0);

Details
The %DO %UNTIL statement checks the value of the condition at the bottom of each
iteration. Thus, a %DO %UNTIL loop always iterates at least once.

Example: Validating a Parameter

This example uses the %DO %UNTIL statement to scan an option list to test the validity
of the parameter TYPE.
%macro grph(type);
%let type=%upcase(&type);
%let options=BLOCK HBAR VBAR;
%let i=0;
%do %until (&type=%scan(&options,&i) or (&i>3)) ;
%let i = %eval(&i+1);
%end;
%if &i>3 %then %do;
%put ERROR: &type type not supported;
%end;
%else %do;
proc chart;&type sex / group=dept;
run;

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%end;
%mend grph;

When you invoke the GRPH macro with a value of HBAR, the macro generates these
statements:
PROC CHART;
HBAR SEX / GROUP=DEPT;
RUN;

When you invoke the GRPH macro with a value of PIE, then the %PUT statement writes
this line to the SAS log:
ERROR: PIE type not supported

%DO %WHILE Statement

Executes a section of a macro repetitively while a condition is true.
Type:

Macro statement

Restriction:

Allowed in macro definitions only

See:

%END Statement on page 293

Syntax
%DO %WHILE (expression);
text and macro program statements
%END;

Required Argument
expression
can be any macro expression that resolves to a logical value. The macro processor
evaluates the expression at the top of each iteration. The expression is true if it is an
integer other than zero. The expression is false if it has a value of zero. If the
expression resolves to a null value or to a value containing nonnumeric characters,
the macro processor issues an error message.
These examples illustrate expressions for the %DO %WHILE statement:

%do %while(&a<&b);

%do %while(%length(&name)>20);

Details
The %DO %WHILE statement tests the condition at the top of the loop. If the condition
is false the first time the macro processor tests it, the %DO %WHILE loop does not
iterate.

Example: Removing Markup Tags from a Title

This example demonstrates using the %DO %WHILE to strip markup (SGML) tags
from text to create a TITLE statement:

%END Statement 293

%macro untag(title);
%let stbk=%str(<);
%let etbk=%str(>);
/* Do loop while tags exist */
%do %while (%index(&title,&stbk)>0) ;
%let pretag=;
%let posttag=;
%let pos_et=%index(&title,&etbk);
%let len_ti=%length(&title);
/* Is < first character? */
%if (%qsubstr(&title,1,1)=&stbk) %then %do;
%if (&pos_et ne &len_ti) %then
%let posttag=%qsubstr(&title,&pos_et+1);
%end;
%else %do;
%let pretag=%qsubstr(&title,1,(%index(&title,&stbk)-1));
/* More characters beyond end of tag (>) ? */
%if (&pos_et ne &len_ti) %then
%let posttag=%qsubstr(&title,&pos_et+1);
%end;
/* Build title with text before and after tag */
%let title=&pretag&posttag;
%end;
title "&title";
%mend untag;

You can invoke the macro UNTAG as

%untag(<title>Total <emph>Overdue </emph>Accounts</title>)

The macro then generates this TITLE statement:

TITLE "Total Overdue Accounts";

If the title text contained special characters such as commas, you could invoke it with the
%NRSTR function.
%untag(
%nrstr(<title>Accounts: Baltimore, Chicago, and Los Angeles</title>))

%END Statement
Ends a %DO group.
Type:
Restriction:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions only

Syntax
%END;

Example: Ending a %DO Group

This macro definition contains a %DO %WHILE loop that ends, as required, with a
%END statement:

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%macro test(finish);
%let i=1;
%do %while (&i<&finish);
%put the value of i is &i;
%let i=%eval(&i+1);
%end;
%mend test;
%test(5)

Invoking the TEST macro with 5 as the value of finish writes these lines to the SAS log:
The
The
The
The

value
value
value
value

of
of
of
of

i
i
i
i

is
is
is
is

1
2
3
4

%GLOBAL Statement
Creates macro variables that are available during the execution of an entire SAS session.
Type:
Restriction:
See:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions or open code
%LOCAL Statement on page 302

Syntax
%GLOBAL macro-variable-1 <...macro-variable-n>;

Required Argument
macro-variable-1 <...macro-variable-n>
is the name of one or more macro variables or a text expression that generates one or
more macro variable names. You cannot use a SAS variable list or a macro
expression that generates a SAS variable list in a %GLOBAL statement.

Details
The %GLOBAL statement creates one or more global macro variables and assigns null
values to the variables. Global macro variables are variables that are available during the
entire execution of the SAS session or job.
A macro variable created with a %GLOBAL statement has a null value until you assign
it some other value. If a global macro variable already exists and you specify that
variable in a %GLOBAL statement, the existing value remains unchanged.

Comparisons

Both the %GLOBAL statement and the %LOCAL statement create macro variables
with a specific scope. However, the %GLOBAL statement creates global macro
variables that exist for the duration of the session or job. The %LOCAL statement
creates local macro variables that exist only during the execution of the macro that
defines the variable.

%GOTO Statement 295

If you define both a global macro variable and a local macro variable with the same
name, the macro processor uses the value of the local variable during the execution
of the macro that contains the local variable. When the macro that contains the local
variable is not executing, the macro processor uses the value of the global variable.

Example: Creating Global Variables in a Macro Definition

%macro vars(first=1,last=);
%global gfirst glast;
%let gfirst=&first;
%let glast=&last;
var test&first-test&last;
%mend vars;

When you submit the following program, the macro VARS generates the VAR statement
and the values for the macro variables used in the title statement.
proc print;
%vars(last=50)
title "Analysis of Tests &gfirst-&glast";
run;

SAS sees the following:

PROC PRINT;
VAR TEST1-TEST50;
TITLE "Analysis of Tests 1-50";
RUN;

%GOTO Statement
Branches macro processing to the specified label.
Type:

Macro statement

Alias:

%GO TO

Restriction:

Allowed in macro definitions only

See:

%label Statement on page 300

Syntax
%GOTO label;

Required Argument
label
is either the name of the label that you want execution to branch to or a text
expression that generates the label. A text expression that generates a label in a
%GOTO statement is called a computed %GOTO destination.1
The following examples illustrate how to use label:

%goto findit;

/* branch to the label FINDIT */

A computed %GOTO contains % or & and resolves to a label.

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%goto &home;

/* branch to the label that is */

/* the value of the macro variable HOME */

CAUTION:
No percent sign (%) precedes the label name in the %GOTO statement. The

syntax of the %GOTO statement does not include a % in front of the label name.
If you use a %, the macro processor attempts to call a macro by that name to
generate the label.

Details
Branching with the %GOTO statement has two restrictions. First, the label that is the
target of the %GOTO statement must exist in the current macro; you cannot branch to a
label in another macro with a %GOTO statement. Second, a %GOTO statement cannot
cause execution to branch to a point inside an iterative %DO, %DO %UNTIL, or %DO
%WHILE loop that is not currently executing.

Example: Providing Exits in a Large Macro

The %GOTO statement is useful in large macros when you want to provide an exit if an
error occurs.
%macro check(parm);
%local status;
%if &parm= %then %do;
%put ERROR: You must supply a parameter to macro CHECK.;
%goto exit;
%end;
more macro statements that test for error conditions
%if &status > 0 %then %do;
%put ERROR: File is empty.;
%goto exit;
%end;
more macro statements that generate text
%put Check completed successfully.;
%exit: %mend check;

%IF-%THEN/%ELSE Statement
Conditionally process a portion of a macro.
Type:
Restriction:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions only

Syntax
%IF expression %THEN action;
<%ELSEaction;>

%IF-%THEN/%ELSE Statement 297

Required Arguments
expression
is any macro expression that resolves to an integer. If the expression resolves to an
integer other than zero, the expression is true and the %THEN clause is processed. If
the expression resolves to zero, then the expression is false and the %ELSE
statement, if one is present, is processed. If the expression resolves to a null value or
a value containing nonnumeric characters, the macro processor issues an error
message. For more information about writing macro expressions and their
evaluation, see Macro Expressions on page 71.
The following examples illustrate using expressions in the %IF-%THEN statement:

%if &name=GEORGE %then %let lastname=smith;

%if %upcase(&name)=GEORGE %then %let lastname=smith;

%if &i=10 and &j>5 %then %put check the index variables;

action
is either constant text, a text expression, or a macro statement. If action contains
semicolons (for example, in SAS statements), then the first semicolon after %THEN
ends the %THEN clause. Use a %DO group or a quoting function, such as %STR, to
prevent semicolons in action from ending the %IF-%THEN statement. The
following examples show two ways to conditionally generate text that contains
semicolons:

%if &city ne %then %do;

keep citypop statepop;
%end;
%else %do;
keep statepop;
%end;

%if &city ne %then %str(keep citypop statepop;);

%else %str(keep statepop;);

Details
The macro language does not contain a subsetting %IF statement. Thus, you cannot use
%IF without %THEN.
Expressions that compare character values in the %IF-%THEN statement uses the sort
sequence of the host operating system for the comparison. Refer to The SORT
PROCEDURE in the Base SAS Procedures Guide for more information about host sort
sequences.

Comparisons
Although they look similar, the %IF-%THEN/%ELSE statement and the IF-THEN/
ELSE statement belong to two different languages. In general, %IF-%THEN/%ELSE
statement, which is part of the SAS macro language, conditionally generates text.
However, the IF-THEN/ELSE statement, which is part of the SAS language,
conditionally executes SAS statements during DATA step execution.
The expression that is the condition for the %IF-%THEN/%ELSE statement can contain
only operands that are constant text or text expressions that generate text. However, the
expression that is the condition for the IF-THEN/ELSE statement can contain only
operands that are DATA step variables, character constants, numeric constants, or date
and time constants.

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When the %IF-%THEN/%ELSE statement generates text that is part of a DATA step, it
is compiled by the DATA step compiler and executed. On the other hand, when the IFTHEN/ELSE statement executes in a DATA step, any text generated by the macro
facility has been resolved, tokenized, and compiled. No macro language elements exist
in the compiled code. Example 1: Contrasting the %IF-%THEN/%ELSE Statement
with the IF-THEN/ELSE Statement illustrates this difference.
For more information, see SAS Programs and Macro Processing on page 11 and
Macro Expressions on page 71.

Examples
Example 1: Contrasting the %IF-%THEN/%ELSE Statement with the
IF-THEN/ELSE Statement
In the SETTAX macro, the %IF-%THEN/%ELSE statement tests the value of the macro
variable TAXRATE to control the generation of one of two DATA steps. The first
DATA step contains an IF-THEN/ELSE statement that uses the value of the DATA step
variable SALE to set the value of the DATA step variable TAX.
%macro settax(taxrate);
%let taxrate = %upcase(&taxrate);
%if &taxrate = CHANGE %then
%do;
data thisyear;
set lastyear;
if sale > 100 then tax = .05;
else tax = .08;
run;
%end;
%else %if &taxrate = SAME %then
%do;
data thisyear;
set lastyear;
tax = .03;
run;
%end;
%mend settax;

When the value of the macro variable TAXRATE is CHANGE, then the macro generates
the following DATA step:
DATA THISYEAR;
SET LASTYEAR;
IF SALE > 100 THEN TAX = .05;
ELSE TAX = .08;
RUN;

When the value of the macro variable TAXRATE is SAME, then the macro generates the
following DATA step:
DATA THISYEAR;
SET LASTYEAR;
TAX = .03;
RUN;

%INPUT Statement

299

Example 2: Conditionally Printing Reports

In this example, the %IF-%THEN/%ELSE statement generates statements to produce
one of two reports.
%macro fiscal(report);
%if %upcase(&report)=QUARTER %then
%do;
title 'Quarterly Revenue Report';
proc means data=total;
var revenue;
run;
%end;
%else
%do;
title 'To-Date Revenue Report';
proc means data=current;
var revenue;
run;
%end;
%mend fiscal;
%fiscal(quarter)

When invoked, the macro FISCAL generates these statements:

TITLE 'Quarterly Revenue Report';
PROC MEANS DATA=TOTAL;
VAR REVENUE;
RUN;

%INPUT Statement
Supplies values to macro variables during macro execution.
Type:
Restriction:
See:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions or open code
%PUT Statement on page 310%WINDOW Statement on page 321 and
SYSBUFFR Automatic Macro Variable on page 192

Syntax
%INPUT<macro-variable-1 <...macro-variable-n>> ;

Required Arguments
no argument
specifies that all text entered is assigned to the automatic macro variable
SYSBUFFR.
macro-variable-1 <...macro-variable-n>
is the name of a macro variable or a macro text expression that produces a macro
variable name. The %INPUT statement can contain any number of variable names
separated by blanks.

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Details
The macro processor interprets the line submitted immediately after a %INPUT
statement as the response to the %INPUT statement. That line can be part of an
interactive line mode session, or it can be submitted from within the Program Editor
window during a windowing environment session.
When a %INPUT statement executes as part of an interactive line mode session, the
macro processor waits for you to enter a line containing values. In a windowing
environment session, the macro processor does NOT wait for you to input values.
Instead, it simply reads the next line that is processed in the program and attempts to
assign variable values. Likewise, if you invoke a macro containing a %INPUT statement
in open code as part of a longer program in a windowing environment, the macro
processor reads the next line in the program that follows the macro invocation. When
you submit a %INPUT statement in open code from a windowing environment, ensure
that the line that follows a %INPUT statement or a macro invocation that includes a
%INPUT statement contains the values that you want to assign.
When you name variables in the %INPUT statement, the macro processor matches the
variables with the values in your response based on their positions. That is, the first
value that you enter is assigned to the first variable named in the %INPUT statement, the
second value is assigned to the second variable, and so on.
Each value to be assigned to a particular variable must be a single word or a string
enclosed in quotation marks. To separate values, use blanks. After all values have been
matched with macro variable names, excess text becomes the value of the automatic
macro variable SYSBUFFR.

Example: Assigning a Response to a Macro Variable

In an interactive line mode session, the following statements display a prompt and assign
the response to the macro variable FIRST:
%put Enter your first name:;
%input first;

%label Statement
Identifies the destination of a %GOTO statement.
Type:
Restriction:
See:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions only
%GOTO Statement on page 295

Syntax
%label: macro-text

Required Arguments
label
specifies a SAS name.

%LET Statement

301

macro-text
is a macro statement, a text expression, or constant text. The following examples
illustrate each:

%one: %let book=elementary;

%out: %mend;
%final: data _null_;

Details

The label name is preceded by a %. When you specify this label in a %GOTO
statement, do not precede it with a %.

An alternative to using the %GOTO statement and statement label is to use a %IF%THEN statement with a %DO group.

Example: Controlling Program Flow

In the macro INFO, the %GOTO statement causes execution to jump to the label
QUICK when the macro is invoked with the value of short for the parameter TYPE.
%macro info(type);
%if %upcase(&type)=SHORT %then %goto quick; /* No % here */
proc contents;
run;
proc freq;
tables _numeric_;
run;
%quick: proc print data=_last_(obs=10);
/* Use % here */
run;
%mend info;
%info(short)

Invoking the macro INFO with TYPE equal to short generates these statements:
PROC PRINT DATA=_LAST_(OBS=10);
RUN;

%LET Statement
Creates a macro variable and assigns it a value.
Type:
Restriction:
See:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions or open code
%STR and %NRSTR Functions on page 254

Syntax
%LET macro-variable =<value> ;

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Required Arguments
macro-variable
is either the name of a macro variable or a text expression that produces a macro
variable name. The name can refer to a new or existing macro variable.
value
is a character string or a text expression. Omitting value produces a null value (0
characters). Leading and trailing blanks in value are ignored. To make them
significant, enclose value with the %STR function.

Details
If the macro variable named in the %LET statement already exists, the %LET statement
changes the value. A %LET statement can define only one macro variable at a time.

Example: Sample %LET Statements

These examples illustrate several %LET statements:
%macro title(text,number);
title&number "&text";
%mend;
%let topic= The History of Genetics
%title(&topic,1)
%let subject=topic;
%let &subject=Genetics Today;
%title(&topic,2)
%let subject=The Future of Genetics;
%let topic= &subject;
%title(&topic,3)

; /* Leading and trailing */

/* blanks are removed
*/
/* &subject resolves
/* before assignment

*/
*/

/* &subject resolves
/* before assignment

*/
*/

When you submit these statements, the TITLE macro generates the following
statements:
TITLE1 "The History of Genetics";
TITLE2 "Genetics Today";
TITLE3 "The Future of Genetics";

%LOCAL Statement
Creates macro variables that are available only during the execution of the macro where they are defined.
Type:
Restriction:
See:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions only
%GLOBAL Statement on page 294

Syntax
%LOCAL macro-variable-1 <...macro-variable-n>;

%LOCAL Statement

303

Required Argument
macro-variable-1 <...macro-variable-n>
is the name of one or more macro variables or a text expression that generates one or
more macro variable names. You cannot use a SAS variable list or a macro
expression that generates a SAS variable list in a %LOCAL statement.

Details
The %LOCAL statement creates one or more local macro variables. A macro variable
created with %LOCAL has a null value until you assign it some other value. Local
macro variables are variables that are available only during the execution of the macro in
which they are defined.
Use the %LOCAL statement to ensure that macro variables created earlier in a program
are not inadvertently changed by values assigned to variables with the same name in the
current macro. If a local macro variable already exists and you specify that variable in a
%LOCAL statement, the existing value remains unchanged.

Comparisons

Both the %LOCAL statement and the %GLOBAL statement create macro variables
with a specific scope. However, the %LOCAL statement creates local macro
variables that exist only during the execution of the macro that contains the variable,
and the %GLOBAL statement creates global macro variables that exist for the
duration of the session or job.

If you define a local macro variable and a global macro variable with the same name,
the macro facility uses the value of the local variable during the execution of the
macro that contains that local variable. When the macro that contains the local
variable is not executing, the macro facility uses the value of the global variable.

Example: Using a Local Variable with the Same Name as

a Global Variable
%let variable=1;
%macro routine;
%put ***** Beginning ROUTINE *****;
%local variable;
%let variable=2;
%put The value of variable inside ROUTINE is &variable;
%put ***** Ending ROUTINE *****;
%mend routine;
%routine
%put The value of variable outside ROUTINE is &variable;

Submitting these statements writes these lines to the SAS log:

***** Beginning ROUTINE *****
The value of variable inside ROUTINE is 2
***** Ending ROUTINE *****
The value of variable outside ROUTINE is 1

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%MACRO Statement
Begins a macro definition.
Type:
Restriction:
See:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions or open code
%MEND Statement on page 310 and SYSPBUFF Automatic Macro Variable on
page 210

Syntax
%MACRO macro-name <(parameter-list)> </ option-1 <...option-n>> ;

Required Arguments
macro-name
names the macro. A macro name must be a SAS name, which you supply; you
cannot use a text expression to generate a macro name in a %MACRO statement. In
addition, do not use macro reserved words as a macro name. (For a list of macro
reserved words, see Reserved Words in the Macro Facility on page 363.)
parameter-list
names one or more local macro variables whose values you specify when you invoke
the macro. Parameters are local to the macro that defines them. You must supply
each parameter name; you cannot use a text expression to generate it. A parameter
list can contain any number of macro parameters separated by commas. The macro
variables in the parameter list are usually referenced in the macro.

parameter-list can be

<positional parameter-1><. . . ,positional parameter-n>

<keyword-parameter=<value> <. . . ,keyword-parameter-n=<value>>>

positionalparameter-1
<. . . ,positionalparameter-n>

specifies one or more positional parameters. You can

specify positional parameters in any order, but in the
macro invocation, the order in which you specify the
values must match the order that you list them in the
%MACRO statement. If you define more than one
positional parameter, use a comma to separate the
parameters. If at invocation that you do not supply a
value for a positional parameter, the macro facility
assigns a null value to that parameter.

keywordparameter=<value>
<. . . ,keywordparametern=<value>>

names one or more macro parameters followed by

equal signs. You can specify default values after the
equal signs. If you omit a default value after an equal
sign, the keyword parameter has a null value. Using
default values enables you to write more flexible
macro definitions and reduces the number of
parameters that must be specified to invoke the macro.
To override the default value, specify the macro
variable name followed by an equal sign and the new
value in the macro invocation.

%MACRO Statement

305

Note: You can define an unlimited number of parameters. If both positional and
keyword parameters appear in a macro definition, positional parameters must
come first.
option-1 <...option-n>
can be one or more of these optional arguments:
CMD
specifies that the macro can accept either a name-style invocation or a commandstyle invocation. Macros defined with the CMD option are sometimes called
command-style macros.
Use the CMD option only for macros that you plan to execute from the command
line of a SAS window. The SAS system option CMDMAC must be in effect to
use command-style invocations. If CMDMAC is in effect and you have defined a
command-style macro in your program, the macro processor scans the first word
of every SAS command to see whether it is a command-style macro invocation.
When the SAS system option NOCMDMAC option is in effect, the macro
processor treats only the words following the % symbols as potential macro
invocations. If the CMDMAC option is not in effect, you still can use a namestyle invocation for a macro defined with the CMD option.
DES='text'
specifies a description for the macro entry in the macro catalog. The description
text can be up to 256 characters in length. Enclose the description in quotation
marks. This description appears in the CATALOG window when you display the
contents of the catalog containing the stored compiled macros. The DES= option
is especially useful when you use the stored compiled macro facility.
MINDELIMITER='single character';
specifies a value that will override the value of the MINDELIMITER= global
option. The value must be a single character enclosed in single quotation marks
and can appear only once in a %MACRO statement.
MINOPERATOR | NOMINOPERATOR
specifies that the macro processor recognizes and evaluates the mnemonic IN
and the special character # as logical operators when evaluating arithmetic or
logical expressions during the execution of the macro. The setting of this
argument overrides the setting of the NOMINOPERATOR global system option.
The NOMINOPERATOR argument specifies that the macro processor does not
recognize the mnemonic IN and the special character # as logical operators when
evaluating arithmetic or logical expressions during the execution of the macro.
The setting of this argument overrides the setting of the MINOPERATOR global
system option.
PARMBUFF
assigns the entire list of parameter values in a macro call, including the
parentheses in a name-style invocation, as the value of the automatic macro
variable SYSPBUFF. Using the PARMBUFF option, you can define a macro that
accepts a varying number of parameter values.
If the macro definition includes both a set of parameters and the PARMBUFF
option, the macro invocation causes the parameters to receive values. It also
causes the entire invocation list of values to be assigned to SYSPBUFF.
To invoke a macro defined with the PARMBUFF option in a windowing
environment or interactive line mode session without supplying a value list, enter
an empty set of parentheses or more program statements after the invocation.

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This action indicates the absence of a value list, even if the macro definition
contains no parameters.
SECURE | NOSECURE
causes the contents of a macro to be encrypted when stored in a stored compiled
macro library. This feature enables you to write secure macros that will protect
intellectual property that is contained in the macros. The macros are secured
using the Encryption Algorithm Manager.
A NOSECURE option has been implemented to aid in the global edit of a source
file or library to turn on security. For example, when you are creating several
macros that will need to be secure. When creating the macros, use the
NOSECURE option. When all macros are completed and ready for production,
you can do a global edit and change NOSECURE to SECURE.
If you use the SECURE and SOURCE options on a macro, no output is produced
when you use the %COPY statement. The following NOTE is written to the SAS
log:
NOTE: The macro %name was compiled with the SECURE
option. No output will be produced for this %COPY
statement.

STMT
specifies that the macro can accept either a name-style invocation or a statementstyle invocation. Macros defined with the STMT option are sometimes called
statement-style macros.
The IMPLMAC system option must be in effect to use statement-style macro
invocations. If IMPLMAC is in effect and you have defined a statement-style
macro in your program, the macro processor scans the first word of every SAS
statement to see whether it is a statement-style macro invocation. When the
NOIMPLMAC option is in effect, the macro processor treats only the words
following the % symbols as potential macro invocations. If the IMPLMAC
option is not in effect, you still can use a name-style invocation for a macro
defined with the STMT option.
SOURCE SRC
combines and stores the source of the compiled macro with the compiled macro
code as an entry in a SAS catalog in a permanent SAS library. The SOURCE
option requires that the STORE option and the MSTORED option be set. You
can use the SASMSTORE= option to identify a permanent SAS library. You can
store a macro or call a stored compiled macro only when the MSTORED option
is in effect. (For more information, see Storing and Reusing Macros on page
113.)
Note: The source code saved by the SOURCE option begins with the %MACRO
keyword and ends with the semi-colon following the %MEND statement.
CAUTION:
The SOURCE option cannot be used on nested macro definitions (macro
definitions contained within another macro).

STORE
stores the compiled macro as an entry in a SAS catalog in a permanent SAS
library. Use the SAS system option SASMSTORE= to identify a permanent SAS
library. You can store a macro or call a stored compiled macro only when the
SAS system option MSTORED is in effect. (For more information, see Storing
and Reusing Macros on page 113.)

%MACRO Statement

307

Details
The %MACRO statement begins the definition of a macro, assigns the macro a name,
and can include a list of macro parameters, a list of options, or both.
A macro definition must precede the invocation of that macro in your code. The
%MACRO statement can appear anywhere in a SAS program, except within data lines.
A macro definition cannot contain a CARDS statement, a DATALINES statement, a
PARMCARDS statement, or data lines. Use an INFILE statement instead.
By default, a defined macro is an entry in a SAS catalog in the WORK library. You can
also store a macro in a permanent SAS catalog for future use. However, in SAS 6 and
earlier, SAS does not support copying, renaming, or transporting macros.
You can nest macro definitions, but doing so is rarely necessary and is often inefficient.
If you nest a macro definition, then it is compiled every time you invoke the macro that
includes it. Instead, nesting a macro invocation inside another macro definition is
sufficient in most cases.

Examples
Example 1: Using the %MACRO Statement with Positional
Parameters
In this example, the macro PRNT generates a PROC PRINT step. The parameter in the
first position is VAR, which represents the SAS variables that appear in the VAR
statement. The parameter in the second position is SUM, which represents the SAS
variables that appear in the SUM statement.
%macro prnt(var,sum);
proc print data=srhigh;
var &var;
sum &sum;
run;
%mend prnt;

In the macro invocation, all text up to the comma is the value of parameter VAR; text
following the comma is the value of parameter SUM.
%prnt(school district enrollmt, enrollmt)

During execution, macro PRNT generates the following statements:

PROC PRINT DATA=SRHIGH;
VAR SCHOOL DISTRICT ENROLLMT;
SUM ENROLLMT;
RUN;

Example 2: Using the %MACRO Statement with Keyword

Parameters
In the macro FINANCE, the %MACRO statement defines two keyword parameters,
YVAR and XVAR, and uses the PLOT procedure to plot their values. Because the
keyword parameters are usually EXPENSES and DIVISION, default values for YVAR
and XVAR are supplied in the %MACRO statement.
%macro finance(yvar=expenses,xvar=division);
proc plot data=yearend;
plot &yvar*&xvar;

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run;
%mend finance;

To use the default values, invoke the macro with no parameters.

%finance()

or
%finance;

The macro processor generates this SAS code:

PROC PLOT DATA=YEAREND;
PLOT EXPENSES*DIVISION;
RUN;

To assign a new value, give the name of the parameter, an equal sign, and the value:
%finance(xvar=year)

Because the value of YVAR did not change, it retains its default value. Macro
execution produces this code:
PROC PLOT DATA=YEAREND;
PLOT EXPENSES*YEAR;
RUN;

Example 3: Using the %MACRO Statement with the PARMBUFF

Option
The macro PRINTZ uses the PARMBUFF option to enable you to input a different
number of arguments each time you invoke it:
%macro printz/parmbuff;
%let num=1;
%let dsname=%scan(&syspbuff,&num);
%do %while(&dsname ne);
proc print data=&dsname;
run;
%let num=%eval(&num+1);
%let dsname=%scan(&syspbuff,&num);
%end;
%mend printz;

This invocation of PRINTZ contains four parameter values, PURPLE, RED, BLUE, and
TEAL although the macro definition does not contain any individual parameters:
%printz(purple,red,blue,teal)

As a result, SAS receives these statements:

PROC
RUN;
PROC
RUN;
PROC
RUN;
PROC
RUN;

PRINT DATA=PURPLE;
PRINT DATA=RED;
PRINT DATA=BLUE;
PRINT DATA=TEAL;

%MACRO Statement

309

Example 4: Using the %MACRO Statement with the SOURCE Option

The SOURCE option combines and stores the source of the compiled macro with the
compiled macro code. Use the %COPY statement to write the source to the SAS log. For
more information about viewing or retrieving the stored source, see %COPY
Statement on page 286.
/* commentary */ %macro foobar(arg) /store source
des="This macro does not do much";
%put arg = &arg;
* this is commentary!!!;
%* this is macro commentary;
%mend /* commentary; */;
/* Further commentary */
NOTE: The macro FOOBAR completed compilation without errors.
%copy foobar/source;

The following results are written to the SAS log:

%macro foobar(arg) /store source
des="This macro does not do much";
%put arg = &arg;
* this is commentary!!!;
%* this is macro commentary;
%mend /* commentary; */;

Example 5: Using the %MACRO Statement with the STORE and

SECURE Options
The SECURE option can be used only in conjunction with the STORE option. The
following example demonstrates the use of the STORE and an implied NOSECURE
option to create a macro that is stored in plain text.
options mstored sasmstore=mylib;
libname mylib "mylib";
%macro nonsecure/store; /* This macro is stored in plain text */
data _null_;
x=1;
put "This data step was generated from a non-secure macro.";
run;
%mend nonsecure;
%nonsecure
filename maccat catalog 'mylib.sasmacr.nonsecure.macro';
data _null_;
infile maccat;
input;
list;
run;

The following example demonstrates the use of the STORE and SECURE options to
create a macro that is encrypted.
options mstored sasmstore=mylib;
libname mylib "mylib";
%macro secure/store secure; /* This macro is encrypted */
data _null_;
x=1;
put "This data step was generated from a secure macro.";
run;
%mend secure;

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%secure
filename maccat catalog 'mylib.sasmacr.secure.macro';
data _null_;
infile maccat;
input;
list;
run;

%MEND Statement
Ends a macro definition.
Type:
Restriction:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions only

Syntax
%MEND <macro-name> ;

Required Argument
macro-name
names the macro as it ends a macro definition. Repeating the name of the macro is
optional, but it is useful for clarity. If you specify macro-name, the name in the
%MEND statement should match the name in the %MACRO statement; otherwise,
SAS issues a warning message.

Example: Ending a Macro Definition

%macro disc(dsn);
data &dsn;
set perm.dataset;
where month="&dsn";
run;
%mend disc;

%PUT Statement
Writes text or macro variable information to the SAS log.
Type:
Restriction:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions or open code

Syntax
%PUT <text | _ALL_ | _AUTOMATIC_ | _GLOBAL_ | _LOCAL_ | _USER_> ;

Required Arguments
no argument
places a blank line in the SAS log.

%PUT Statement 311

text
is text or a text expression that is written to the SAS log. If text is longer than the
current line size, the remainder of the text appears on the next line. The %PUT
statement removes leading and trailing blanks from text unless you use a macro
quoting function.
_ALL_
lists the values of all user-generated and automatic macro variables.
_AUTOMATIC_
lists the values of automatic macro variables. The automatic variables listed depend
on the SAS products installed at your site and on your operating system. The scope is
identified as AUTOMATIC.
_GLOBAL_
lists user-generated global macro variables. The scope is identified as GLOBAL.
_LOCAL_
lists user-generated local macro variables. The scope is the name of the currently
executing macro.
_USER_
describes user-generated global and local macro variables. The scope is identified
either as GLOBAL, or as the name of the macro in which the macro variable is
defined.

Details
When you use the %PUT statement to list macro variable descriptions, the %PUT
statement includes only the macro variables that exist at the time the statement executes.
The description contains the macro variable's scope, name, and value. Macro variables
with null values show only the scope and name of the variable. Characters in values that
have been quoted with macro quoting functions remain quoted. Values that are too long
for the current line size wrap to the next line or lines. Macro variables are listed in order
from the current local macro variables outward to the global macro variables.
Note: Within a particular scope, macro variables might appear in any order, and the
order might change in different executions of the %PUT statement or different SAS
sessions. Do not write code that depends on locating a variable in a particular
position in the list.
The following figure shows the relationship of these terms.
Figure 19.1 %PUT Arguments by Type and Scope

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The %PUT statement displays text in different colors to generate messages that look like
ERROR, NOTE, and WARNING messages generated by SAS. To display text in
different colors, the first word in the %PUT statement must be ERROR, NOTE, or
WARNING, followed immediately by a colon or a hyphen. You might also use the
national-language equivalents of these words. When you use a hyphen, the ERROR,
NOTE, or WARNING word is blanked out.
Note: If you use the %PUT statement and the last message text that was generated by
the SYSWARNINGTEXT and SYSERRORTEXT automatic macro variables
contained an & or %, you must use the %SUPERQ macro quoting function. For more
information, see SYSERRORTEXT Automatic Macro Variable on page 202 and
SYSWARNINGTEXT Automatic Macro Variable on page 219.
If you place an equal sign between the ampersand and the macro variable name of
a direct macro variable reference, the macro variable's name displays in the log along
with the macro variable's value.

TIP

%let x=1;
%put &=x;
X=1;

Examples
Example 1: Displaying Text
The following statements illustrate using the %PUT statement to write text to the SAS
log:
%put One line of text.;
%put %str(Use a semicolon(;) to end a SAS statement.);
%put %str(Enter the student%'s address.);

When you submit these statements, these lines appear in the SAS log:
One line of text.
Use a semicolon(;) to end a SAS statement.
Enter the student's address.

Example 2: Displaying Automatic Variables

To display all automatic variables, submit
%put _automatic_;

The result in the SAS log (depending on the products installed at your site) lists the
scope, name, and value of each automatic variable:
AUTOMATIC
AUTOMATIC
AUTOMATIC
AUTOMATIC
AUTOMATIC
AUTOMATIC
AUTOMATIC
AUTOMATIC
AUTOMATIC
AUTOMATIC
AUTOMATIC

SYSBUFFR
SYSCMD
SYSDATE 21JUN97
SYSDAY Wednesday
SYSDEVIC
SYSDSN
_NULL_
SYSENV FORE
SYSERR 0
SYSFILRC 0
SYSINDEX 0
SYSINFO 0

%PUT Statement 313

Example 3: Displaying User-Generated Variables

This example lists the user-generated macro variables in all scopes.
%macro myprint(name);
proc print data=&name;
title "Listing of &name on &sysdate";
footnote "&foot";
run;
%put _user_;
%mend myprint;
%let foot=Preliminary Data;
%myprint(consumer)

The %PUT statement writes these lines to the SAS log:

MYPRINT NAME consumer
GLOBAL FOOT Preliminary Data

Notice that SYSDATE does not appear because it is an automatic macro variable.
To display the user-generated variables after macro MYPRINT finishes, submit another
%PUT statement.
%put _user_;

The result in the SAS log does not list the macro variable NAME because it was local to
MYPRINT and ceased to exist when MYPRINT finished execution.
GLOBAL FOOT Preliminary Data

Example 4: Displaying Local Variables

This example displays the macro variables that are local to macro ANALYZE.
%macro analyze(name,vars);
proc freq data=&name;
tables &vars;
run;
%put FIRST LIST:;
%put _local_;
%let firstvar=%scan(&vars,1);
proc print data=&name;
where &firstvar ne .;
run;
%put SECOND LIST:;
%put _local_;
%mend analyze;
%analyze(consumer,car house stereo)

In the result that is printed in the SAS log, the macro variable FIRSTVAR, which was
created after the first %PUT _LOCAL_ statement, appears only in the second list.
FIRST LIST:
ANALYZE NAME consumer
ANALYZE VARS car house stereo
SECOND LIST:
ANALYZE NAME consumer
ANALYZE VARS car house stereo
ANALYZE FIRSTVAR car

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%RETURN Statement
Execution causes normal termination of the currently executing macro.
Type:
Restriction:

Macro Statement
Valid only in a macro definition

Syntax
%RETURN;

Details
The %RETURN macro causes normal termination of the currently executing macro.

Example: Using %RETURN Statement

In this example, if the error variable is set to 1, then the macro will stop executing and
the DATA step will not execute.
%macro checkit(error);
%if &error = 1 %then %return;
data a;
x=1;
run;
%mend checkit;
%checkit(0)
%checkit(1)

%SYMDEL Statement
Deletes the specified variable or variables from the macro global symbol table.
Type:

Macro Statement

Syntax
%SYMDEL macro-variable-1 <...macro-variable-n></option> ;

Required Arguments
macro-variable-1 <...macro-variable-n>
is the name of one or more macro variables or a text expression that generates one or
more macro variable names. You cannot use a SAS variable list or a macro
expression that generates a SAS variable list in a %SYMDEL statement.
options
NOWARN
suppresses the warning message when an attempt is made to delete a non-existent
macro variable.

%SYSCALL Statement

315

Details
%SYMDEL statement issues a warning when an attempt is made to delete a non-existent
macro variable. To suppress this message, use the NOWARN option.

%SYSCALL Statement
Invokes a SAS call routine.
Type:
Restriction:
See:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions or in open code
%SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC Functions on page 268

Syntax
%SYSCALL call-routine<(call-routine-argument-1 <...call-routine-argument-n>)> ;

Required Arguments
call-routine
is a SAS or user-written CALL routine created with SAS/TOOLKIT software or a
routine created using the FCMP Procedure in Base SAS Procedures Guide. All
SAS call routines are accessible with %SYSCALL except LABEL, VNAME,
SYMPUT, and EXECUTE.
call-routine-argument-1 <...call-routine-argument-n>
is one or more macro variable names (with no leading ampersands), separated by
commas. You can use a text expression to generate part or all of the CALL routine
arguments.

Details
When %SYSCALL invokes a CALL routine, the value of each macro variable argument
is retrieved and passed unresolved to the CALL routine. Upon completion of the CALL
routine, the value for each argument is written back to the respective macro variable. If
%SYSCALL encounters an error condition, the execution of the CALL routine
terminates without updating the macro variable values, an error message is written to the
log, and macro processing continues.
Note: The arguments to %SYSCALL are evaluated according to the rules of the SAS
macro language. This includes both the function name and the argument list to the
function. In particular, an empty argument position will not generate a NULL
argument, but a zero length argument.
CAUTION:
Do not use leading ampersands on macro variable names. The arguments in the

CALL routine invoked by the %SYSCALL macro are resolved before execution. If
you use leading ampersands, then the values of the macro variables are passed to the
CALL routine rather than the names of the macro variables.
CAUTION:
Macro variables contain only character data. When an argument to a function

might be either numeric data or character data, %SYSCALL attempts to convert the
supplied data to numeric data. This causes truncation of any trailing blanks if the

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data was character data. %SYSCALL does not modify arguments that might be
character data. You can preserve the trailing blanks by using the %QUOTE function
when assigning the value to the macro variable that will be supplied as the argument
to the function. To determine whether it is necessary to preserve the trailing blanks
using the %QUOTE function, consult the documentation for the desired function to
see whether the arguments are numeric only, character only, or either numeric or
character. Use the %QUOTE function to quote the value supplied to arguments that
are documented to be either numeric or character.
%let j=1;
%let x=fax;
%let y=fedex;
%let z=phone;
%put j=&j x=&x y=&y z=&z
j=1 x=fax y=fedex z=phone
%syscall allperm(j,x,y,z);
%put j=&j x=&x y=&y z=&z
j=1 x=250 y=65246 z=phone

Example: Using the RANUNI Call Routine with

%SYSCALL
This example illustrates the %SYSCALL statement. The macro statement %SYSCALL
RANUNI(A,B) invokes the SAS CALL routine RANUNI.
Note: The syntax for RANUNI is RANUNI(seed,x).
%let a =
%let b =
%syscall
%put &a,

123456;
0;
ranuni(a,b);
&b;

The %PUT statement writes the following values of the macro variables A and B to the
SAS log:
1587033266 0.739019954

%SYSEXEC Statement
Issues operating environment commands.
Type:
Restriction:
See:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions or open code
SYSSCP and SYSSCPL Automatic Macro Variables on page 212 and SYSRC
Automatic Macro Variable on page 212

Syntax
%SYSEXEC<command> ;

%SYSLPUT Statement

317

Required Arguments
no argument
puts you into operating environment mode under most operating environments,
where you can issue operating environment commands and return to your SAS
session.
command
is any operating environment command. If command contains a semicolon, use a
macro quoting function.

Details
The %SYSEXEC statement causes the operating environment to immediately execute
the command that you specify and assigns any return code from the operating
environment to the automatic macro variable SYSRC. Use the %SYSEXEC statement
and the automatic macro variables SYSSCP and SYSSCPL to write portable macros that
run under multiple operating environments.
Operating Environment Information
The following items related to the use of the %SYSEXEC statement are operating
environment specific. For details, see the SAS documentation for your operating
environment.

the availability of the %SYSEXEC statement in batch processing, noninteractive

mode, or interactive line mode.

the way you return from operating environment mode to your SAS session after
executing the %SYSEXEC statement with no argument.

the commands to use with the %SYSEXEC statement.

the return codes that you get in the automatic macro variable SYSRC.

Comparisons
The %SYSEXEC statement is analogous to the X statement and the X windowing
environment command. However, unlike the X statement and the X windowing
environment command, host commands invoked with %SYSEXEC should not be
enclosed in quotation marks.

%SYSLPUT Statement
Creates a new macro variable or modifies the value of an existing macro variable on a remote host or
server.
Type:
Restriction:
Requirement:
See:

Macro Statement
Allowed in macro definitions or open code
SAS/CONNECT
%LET Statement on page 301 and %SYSRPUT Statement on page 319

Syntax
%SYSLPUTmacro-variable=<value</REMOTE=remote-session-identifier>> ;

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Required Arguments
macro-variable
is either the name of a macro variable or a macro expression that produces a macro
variable name. The name can refer to a new or existing macro variable on a remote
host or server.
remote-session-identifier
is the name of the remote session.
value
is a string or a macro expression that yields a string. Omitting the value produces a
null (0 characters). Leading and trailing blanks are ignored. To make them
significant, enclose the value in the %STR function.

Details
The %SYSLPUT statement is submitted with SAS/CONNECT software from the local
host or client to a remote host or server to create a new macro variable on the remote
host or server, or to modify the value of an existing macro variable on the remote host or
server.
Note: The names of the macro variables on the remote and local hosts must not contain
any leading ampersands.
To assign the value of a macro variable on a remote host to a macro variable on the local
host, use the %SYSRPUT statement.
To use %SYSLPUT, you must have initiated a link between a local SAS session or
client and a remote SAS session or server using the SIGNON command or SIGNON
statement. For more information, see the documentation for SAS/CONNECT software.

%SYSMACDELETE Statement
Deletes a macro definition from the WORK.SASMACR catalog.
Type:
Restriction:

Macro Statement
Allowed in macro definition and open code

Syntax
%SYSMACDELETE macro_name</ option>;

Required Argument
macro_name
the name of a macro or a text expression that produces a macro variable name.

Optional Argument
NOWARN
specifies that no warning diagnostic message should be issued.

%SYSRPUT Statement

319

Details
The %SYSMACDELETE statement deletes the macro definition of the specified macro
from the WORK.SASMACR catalog. If no definition for the macro exists in the
WORK.SASMACR catalog, a WARNING diagnostic message is issued. If the macro is
currently being executed, an ERROR diagnostic message is issued.

%SYSMSTORECLEAR Statement
Closes the stored compiled macro catalog associated with the libref specified in the SASMSTORE= option
and clears the libref.
Type:
Restriction:
See:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definition and open code
SASMSTORE= system option

Syntax
%SYSMSTORECLEAR;

Details
Use the %SYSMSTORECLEAR statement to close the stored compiled macro catalog
and to clear the previous libref when switching between SASMSTORE= libraries.
Note: If any stored compiled macro from the library specified by the SASMSTORE=
system option is still executing, the following will occur:

an ERROR diagnostic message will be issued

the library will not be closed

the libref will not be cleared

%SYSRPUT Statement
Assigns the value of a macro variable on a remote host to a macro variable on the local host.
Type:
Restriction:
Requirement:
See:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions or open code
SAS/CONNECT
SYSERR Automatic Macro Variable on page 200, SYSINFO Automatic Macro
Variable on page 204, and %SYSLPUT Statement on page 317

Syntax
%SYSRPUT local-macro-variable=remote-macro-variable;

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Required Arguments
local-macro-variable
is the name of a macro variable with no leading ampersand or a text expression that
produces the name of a macro variable. This name must be a macro variable stored
on the local host.
remote-macro-variable
is the name of a macro variable with no leading ampersand or a text expression that
produces the name of a macro variable. This name must be a macro variable stored
on a remote host.

Details
The %SYSRPUT statement is submitted with SAS/CONNECT to a remote host to
retrieve the value of a macro variable stored on the remote host. %SYSRPUT assigns
that value to a macro variable on the local host. %SYSRPUT is similar to the %LET
macro statement because it assigns a value to a macro variable. However, %SYSRPUT
assigns a value to a variable on the local host, not on the remote host where the
statement is processed. The %SYSRPUT statement places the macro variable into the
global symbol table in the client session.
Note: The names of the macro variables on the remote and local hosts must not contain
a leading ampersand.
The %SYSRPUT statement is useful for capturing the value of the automatic macro
variable SYSINFO and passing that value to the local host. SYSINFO contains returncode information provided by some SAS procedures. Both the UPLOAD and the
DOWNLOAD procedures of SAS/CONNECT can update the macro variable SYSINFO
and set it to a nonzero value when the procedure terminates due to errors. You can use
%SYSRPUT on the remote host to send the value of the SYSINFO macro variable back
to the local SAS session. Thus, you can submit a job to the remote host and test whether
a PROC UPLOAD or DOWNLOAD step has successfully completed before beginning
another step on either the remote host or the local host.
For details about using %SYSRPUT, see the documentation for SAS/CONNECT
Software.
To create a new macro variable or modify the value of an existing macro variable on a
remote host or server, use the %SYSLPUT macro statement.

Example: Checking the Value of a Return Code on a

Remote Host
This example illustrates how to download a file and return information about the success
of the step from a noninteractive job. When remote processing is completed, the job then
checks the value of the return code stored in RETCODE. Processing continues on the
local host if the remote processing is successful.
The %SYSRPUT statement is useful for capturing the value returned in the SYSINFO
macro variable and passing that value to the local host. The SYSINFO macro variable
contains return-code information provided by SAS procedures. In the example, the
%SYSRPUT statement follows a PROC DOWNLOAD step, so the value returned by
SYSINFO indicates the success of the PROC DOWNLOAD step:
rsubmit;
%macro download;
proc download data=remote.mydata out=local.mydata;
run;

%WINDOW Statement

321

%sysrput retcode=&sysinfo;
%mend download;
%download
endrsubmit;
%macro checkit;
%if &retcode = 0 %then %do;
further processing on local host
%end;
%mend checkit;
%checkit

A SAS/CONNECT batch (noninteractive) job always returns a system condition code of

0. To determine the success or failure of the SAS/CONNECT noninteractive job, use the
%SYSRPUT macro statement to check the value of the automatic macro variable
SYSERR. To determine what remote system the SAS/CONNECT conversation is
attached to, remote submit the following statement:
%sysrput rhost=&sysscp;

%WINDOW Statement
Defines customized windows.
Type:
Restriction:
See:

Macro statement
Allowed in macro definitions or open code
%DISPLAY Statement on page 287 and %INPUT Statement on page 299

Syntax
%WINDOWwindow-name<window-option-1 <...window-option-n>
group-definition-1 <...group-definition-n>> field-definition-1 <...field-definition-n>;

Required Arguments
window-name
names the window. Window-name must be a SAS name.
window-option-1 <...window-option-n>
specifies the characteristics of the window as a whole. Specify all window options
before any field or group definitions. These window options are available:
COLOR=color
specifies the color of the window background. The default color of the window
and the contents of its fields are both device-dependent. Color can be one of
these:
BLACK
BLUE
BROWN
CYAN
GRAY (or GREY)
GREEN
MAGENTA
ORANGE

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PINK
RED
WHITE
YELLOW
Operating Environment Information
The representation of colors might vary, depending on the display device that
you use. In addition, on some display devices the background color affects
the entire window; on other display devices, it affects only the window
border.
COLUMNS=columns
specifies the number of display columns in the window, including borders. A
window can contain any number of columns and can extend beyond the border of
the display. This feature is useful when you need to display a window on a
device larger than the one on which you developed it. By default, the window
fills all remaining columns in the display.
Operating Environment Information
The number of columns available depends on the type of display device that
you use. Also, the left and right borders each use from 0 to 3 columns on the
display depending on your display device. If you create windows for display
on different types of display devices, ensure that all fields can be displayed in
the narrowest window.
ICOLUMN=column
specifies the initial column within the display at which the window is displayed.
By default, the macro processor begins the window at column 1 of the display.
IROW=row
specifies the initial row (line) within the display at which the window is
displayed. By default, the macro processor begins the window at row 1 of the
display.
KEYS=<<libref.>catalog.>keys-entry
specifies the name of a KEYS catalog entry that contains the function key
definitions for the window. If you omit libref and catalog, SAS uses
SASUSER.PROFILE.keys-entry.
If you omit the KEYS= option, SAS uses the current function key settings
defined in the KEYS window.
MENU=<<libref.>catalog.>pmenu-entry
specifies the name of a menu that you have built with the PMENU procedure. If
you omit libref and catalog, SAS uses SASUSER.PROFILE.pmenu-entry.
ROWS=rows
specifies the number of rows in the window, including borders. A window can
contain any number of rows and can extend beyond the border of the display
device. This feature is useful when you need to display a window on a device
larger than the one on which you developed it. If you omit a number, the window
fills all remaining rows in the display device.
Operating Environment Information
The number of rows available depends on the type of display device that you
use.
group-definition
names a group and defines all fields within a group. The form of group definition is
GROUP=group field-definition <. . . field-definition-n> where group names a group

%WINDOW Statement 323

of fields that you want to display in the window collectively. A window can contain
any number of groups of fields. If you omit the GROUP= option, the window
contains one unnamed group of fields. Group must be a SAS name.
Organizing fields into groups enables you to create a single window with several
possible contents. To refer to a particular group, use window.group.
field-definition
identifies and describes a macro variable or string that you want to display in the
window. A window can contain any number of fields.
You use a field to identify a macro variable value (or constant text) to be displayed,
its position within the window, and its attributes. Enclose constant text in quotation
marks. The position of a field is determined by beginning row and column. The
attributes that you can specify include color, whether you can enter a value into the
field, and characteristics such as highlighting.
The form of a field definition containing a macro variable is
<row> <column> macro-variable<field-length> <options>
The form of a field definition containing constant text is
<row> <column>'text' | text<options>
The elements of a field definition are
row
specifies the row (line) on which the macro variable or constant text is displayed.
Each row specification consists of a pointer control and, usually, a macro
expression that generates a number. These row pointer controls are available:
#macro-expression
specifies the row within the window given by the value of the macro
expression. The macro expression must either be a positive integer or
generate a positive integer.
/ (forward slash)
moves the pointer to column 1 of the next line.
The macro processor evaluates the macro expression when it defines the window,
not when it displays the window. Thus, the row position of a field is fixed when
the field is being displayed.
If you omit row in the first field of a group, the macro processor uses the first
line of the window. If you omit row in a later field specification, the macro
processor continues on the line from the previous field.
The macro processor treats the first usable line of the window as row 1 (that is, it
excludes the border, command line or menu bar, and message line).
Specify either row or column first.
column
specifies the column in which the macro variable or constant text begins. Each
column specification consists of a pointer control and, usually, a macro
expression that generates a number. These column pointer controls are available:
@macro-expression
specifies the column within the window given by the value of the macro
expression. The macro expression must either be a positive integer or
generate a positive integer.

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+macro-expression
moves the pointer the number of columns given by the value of the macro
expression. The macro expression must either be a positive integer or
generate a positive integer.
The macro processor evaluates the macro expression when it defines the window,
not when it displays the window. Thus, the column position of a field is fixed
when the field is being displayed.
The macro processor treats the column after the left border as column 1. If you
omit column, the macro processor uses column 1.
Specify either column or row first.
macro-variable
names a macro variable to be displayed or to receive the value that you enter at
that position. The macro variable must either be a macro variable name (not a
macro variable reference) or it must be a macro expression that generates a
macro variable name.
By default, you can enter or change a macro variable value when the window
containing the value is displayed. To display the value without changes, use the
PROTECT= option.
CAUTION:
Do not overlap fields. Do not let a field overlap another field displayed at

the same time. Unexpected results, including the incorrect assignment of

values to macro variables, might occur. (Some display devices treat adjacent
fields with no intervening blanks as overlapping fields.) SAS writes a
warning in the SAS log if fields overlap.
field-length
is an integer specifying how many positions in the current row are available for
displaying the macro variable's value or for accepting input. The maximum value
of field-length is the number of positions remaining in the row. You cannot
extend a field beyond one row.
Note: The field length does not affect the length stored for the macro variable.
The field length affects only the number of characters displayed or accepted
for input in a particular field.
If you omit field-length when the field contains an existing macro variable, the
macro processor uses a field equal to the current length of the macro variable
value. This value can be up to the number of positions remaining in the row or
remaining until the next field begins.
CAUTION:
Specify a field length whenever a field contains a macro variable. If the

current value of the macro variable is null, as in a macro variable defined in a

%GLOBAL or %LOCAL statement, the macro processor uses a field length
of 0. You cannot input any characters into the field.
If you omit field-length when the macro variable is created in that field, the
macro processor uses a field length of zero. Specify a field length whenever a
field contains a macro variable.
'text' | text
contains constant text to be displayed. The text must be enclosed in either single
or double quotation marks. You cannot enter a value into a field containing
constant text.

%WINDOW Statement 325

options
can include the following:
ATTR=attribute | (attribute-1 <. . . , attribute-n>) A=attribute | (attribute-1
<. . . , attribute-n>)
controls several display attributes of the field. The display attributes and
combinations of display attributes available depend on the type of display
device that you use.
BLINK

causes the field to blink.

HIGHLIGHT

displays the field at high intensity.

REV_VIDEO

displays the field in reverse video.

UNDERLINE

underlines the field.

AUTOSKIP=YES | NO AUTO=YES | NO
controls whether the cursor moves to the next unprotected field of the current
window or group when you have entered data in all positions of a field. If
you specify AUTOSKIP=YES, the cursor moves automatically to the next
unprotected field. If you specify AUTOSKIP=NO, the cursor does not move
automatically. The default is AUTOSKIP=YES.
COLOR=color C=color
specifies a color for the field. The default color is device-dependent. Color
can be one of these:
BLACK
BLUE
BROWN
CYAN
GRAY (or GREY)
GREEN
MAGENTA
ORANGE
PINK
WHITE
YELLOW
DISPLAY=YES | NO
determines whether the macro processor displays the characters that you are
entering into a macro variable value as you enter them. If you specify
DISPLAY=YES (the default value), the macro processor displays the
characters as you enter them. If you specify DISPLAY=NO, the macro
processor does not display the characters as you enter them.
DISPLAY=NO is useful for applications that require users to enter
confidential information, such as passwords. Use the DISPLAY= option only
with fields containing macro variables; constant text is displayed
automatically.
PROTECT=YES | NO P=YES | NO
controls whether information can be entered into a field containing a macro
variable. If you specify PROTECT=NO (the default value), you can enter
information. If you specify PROTECT=YES, you cannot enter information

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into a field. Use the PROTECT= option only for fields containing macro
variables; fields containing text are automatically protected.
REQUIRED=YES | NO
determines whether you must enter a value for the macro variable in that
field. If you specify REQUIRED=YES, you must enter a value into that field
in order to remove the display from the window. You cannot enter a null
value into a required field. If you specify REQUIRED=NO (the default
value), you do not have to enter a value in that field in order to remove the
display from the window. Entering a command on the command line of the
window removes the effect of REQUIRED=YES.

Details
Use the %WINDOW statement to define customized windows that are controlled by the
macro processor. These windows have command and message lines. You can use these
windows to display text and accept input. In addition, you can invoke windowing
environment commands, assign function keys, and use a menu generated by the PMENU
facility.
You must define a window before you can display it. The %WINDOW statement
defines macro windows; the %DISPLAY statement displays macro windows. Once
defined, a macro window exists until the end of the SAS session, and you can display a
window or redefine it at any point.
Defining a macro window within a macro definition causes the macro processor to
redefine the window each time the macro executes. If you repeatedly display a window
whose definition does not change, it is more efficient to do one of the following:

define the window outside a macro

define the window in a macro that you execute once rather than in the macro in
which you display it

If a %WINDOW statement contains the name of a new macro variable, the macro
processor creates that variable with the current scope. The %WINDOW statement
creates two automatic macro variables.
SYSCMD
contains the last command from the window's command line that was not recognized
by the windowing environment.
SYSMSG
contains text that you specify to be displayed on the message line.
Note: Windowing environment file management, scrolling, searching, and editing
commands are not available to macro windows.

Examples
Example 1: Creating an Application Welcome Window
This %WINDOW statement creates a window with a single group of fields:
%window welcome color=white
#5 @28 'Welcome to SAS.' attr=highlight
color=blue
#7 @15
"You are executing Release &sysver on &sysday, &sysdate.."
#12 @29 'Press ENTER to continue.';

%WINDOW Statement 327

The WELCOME window fills the entire display device. The window is white, the first
line of text is blue, and the other two lines are black at normal intensity. The
WELCOME window does not require you to input any values. However, you must press
ENTER to remove the display from the window.
Note: Two periods are a needed delimiter for the reference to the macro variables
SYSVER, SYSDAY, and SYSDATE.

Example 2: Creating Macro Variables from Input Information

The following example prompts for information and creates macro variables from that
information:
%window info
#5 @5 'Please enter userid:'
#5 @26 id 8 attr=underline
#7 @5 'Please enter password:'
#7 @28 pass 8 attr=underline display=no;
%display info;
%put userid entered was &id;
%put password entered was &pass;

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System Options for Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
CMDMAC System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
IMPLMAC System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
MACRO System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
MAUTOCOMPLOC System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
MAUTOLOCDISPLAY System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
MAUTOLOCINDES System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
MAUTOSOURCE System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
MCOMPILENOTE System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
MCOMPILE System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
MCOVERAGE System Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
MCOVERAGELOC= System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
MERROR System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
MEXECNOTE System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
MEXECSIZE System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
MFILE System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
MINDELIMITER= System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
MINOPERATOR System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
MLOGIC System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
MLOGICNEST System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
MPRINT System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
MPRINTNEST System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
MRECALL System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
MREPLACE System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
MSTORED System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
MSYMTABMAX= System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
MVARSIZE= System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
SASAUTOS= System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
SASMSTORE= System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
SERROR System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
SYMBOLGEN System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
SYSPARM= System Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

System Options for Macros

There are several SAS system options that apply to the macro facility.

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Dictionary
CMDMAC System Option
Controls command-style macro invocation.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:

Configuration file OPTIONS windowOPTIONS statement SAS invocation

MACRO
System option
NOCMDMAC

Syntax
CMDMAC | NOCMDMAC

Required Arguments
CMDMAC
specifies that the macro processor examine the first word of every windowing
environment command to see whether it is a command-style macro invocation.
Note: When CMDMAC is in effect, SAS searches the macro libraries first and
executes any member it finds with the same name as the first word in the
windowing environment command that was issued. Unexpected results can
occur.
NOCMDMAC
specifies that no check be made for command-style macro invocations. If the macro
processor encounters a command-style macro call when NOCMDMAC is in effect, it
treats the call as a SAS command and produces an error message if the command is
not valid or is not used correctly.

Details
The CMDMAC system option controls whether macros defined as command-style
macros can be invoked with command-style macro calls or if these macros must be
invoked with name-style macro calls. These two examples illustrate command-style and
name-style macro calls, respectively:

macro-name parameter-value-1 parameter-value-2

%macro-name(parameter-value-1, parameter-value-2)

When you use CMDMAC, processing time is increased because the macro facility
searches the macros compiled during the current session for a name corresponding to the
first word on the command line. If the MSTORED option is in effect, the libraries
containing compiled stored macros are searched for a name corresponding to that word.
If the MAUTOSOURCE option is in effect, the autocall libraries are searched for a name
corresponding to that word. If the MRECALL system option is also in effect, processing
time can be increased further because the search continues even if a word was not found
in a previous search.

IMPLMAC System Option

331

Regardless of which option is in effect, you can use a name-style invocation to call any
macro, including command-style macros.

Comparisons
Name-style macros are the more efficient choice for invoking macros because the macro
processor searches only for a macro name corresponding to a word following a percent
sign.

IMPLMAC System Option

Controls statement-style macro invocation.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=

Configuration file OPTIONS windowOPTIONS statement SAS invocation

MACRO

Type:

System option

Default:

NOIMPLMAC

Syntax
IMPLMAC | NOIMPLMAC

Required Arguments
IMPLMAC
specifies that the macro processor examine the first word of every submitted
statement to see whether it is a statement-style macro invocation.
Note: When IMPLMAC is in effect, SAS searches the macro libraries first and
executes any macro it finds with the same name as the first word in the SAS
statement that was submitted. Unexpected results can occur.
NOIMPLMAC
specifies that no check be made for statement-style macro invocations. This is the
default. If the macro processor encounters a statement-style macro call when
NOIMPLMAC is in effect, it treats the call as a SAS statement. SAS produces an
error message if the statement is not valid or if it is not used correctly.

Details
The IMPLMAC system option controls whether macros defined as statement-style
macros can be invoked with statement-style macro calls or if these macros must be
invoked with name-style macro calls. These examples illustrate statement-style and
name-style macro calls, respectively:

macro-name parameter-value-1

%macro-name(parameter-value-1, parameter-value-2)

parameter-value-2;

When you use IMPLMAC, processing time is increased because SAS searches the
macros compiled during the current session for a name corresponding to the first word of
each SAS statement. If the MSTORED option is in effect, the libraries containing
compiled stored macros are searched for a name corresponding to that word. If the
MAUTOSOURCE option is in effect, the autocall libraries are searched for a name

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corresponding to that word. If the MRECALL system option is also in effect, processing
time can be increased further because the search continues even if a word was not found
in a previous search.
Regardless of which option is in effect, you can call any macro with a name-style
invocation, including statement-style macros.
Note: If a member in an autocall library or stored compiled macro catalog has the same
name as an existing windowing environment command, SAS searches for the macro
first if CMDMAC is in effect. Unexpected results can occur.

Comparisons
Name-style macros are a more efficient choice to use when you invoke macros because
the macro processor searches only for the macro name that corresponds to a word that
follows a percent sign.

MACRO System Option

Controls whether the SAS macro language is available.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:

Configuration file SAS invocation

MACRO
System option
MACRO

Syntax
MACRO | NOMACRO

Required Arguments
MACRO
enables SAS to recognize and process macro language statements, macro calls, and
macro variable references.
NOMACRO
prevents SAS from recognizing and processing macro language statements, macro
calls, and macro variable references. The item generally is not recognized, and an
error message is issued. If the macro facility is not used in a job, a small performance
gain can be made by setting NOMACRO because there is no overhead of checking
for macros or macro variables.

MAUTOCOMPLOC System Option

Displays in the SAS log the source location of an autocall macro when the autocall macro is compiled.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=

Configuration file, OPTIONS window, OPTIONS statement, SAS invocation

MACRO

MAUTOLOCDISPLAY System Option 333

Type:
Default:

System option
NOMAUTOCOMPLOC

Syntax
MAUTOCOMPLOC|NOMAUTOCOMPLOC

Required Arguments
MAUTOCOMPLOC
displays the autocall macro source location in the SAS log when the autocall macro
is compiled.
NOMAUTOCOMPLOC
prevents the autocall macro source location from being written to the SAS log.

Details
The display created by the MAUTOCOMPLOC system option of the autocall macro
source location in the log is not affected by either the MAUTOLOCDISPLAY or the
MLOGIC system options.

MAUTOLOCDISPLAY System Option

Specifies whether to display the source location of the autocall macros in the log when the autocall macro
is invoked.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
System option
NOMAUTOLOCDISPLAY

Syntax
MAUTOLOCDISPLAY | NOMAUTOLOCDISPLAY

Required Arguments
MAUTOLOCDISPLAY
enables MACRO to display the autocall macro source location in the log when the
autocall macro is invoked.
NOMAUTOLOCDISPLAY
prevents the autocall macro source location from being displayed in the log when the
autocall macro is invoked. NOMAUTOLOCDISPLAY is the default.

Details
When both MAUTOLOCDISPLAY and MLOGIC options are set, only the MLOGIC
listing of the autocall source location is displayed.

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MAUTOLOCINDES System Option

Specifies whether the macro processor prepends the full pathname of the autocall source file to the
description field of the catalog entry of compiled autocall macro definition in the WORK.SASMACR catalog.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:
See:

Configuration file, OPTIONS window, OPTIONS statement, SAS invocation

MACRO
System option
NOMAUTOLOCINDES
SAS log

Syntax
MAUTOLOCINDES|NOMAUTOLOCINDES

Required Arguments
MAUTOLOCINDES
causes the macro processor to prepend the full pathname of the autocall macro
source file to the description field of the catalog entry of the compiled autocall macro
definition in the WORK.SASMACR catalog.
NOMAUTOLOCINDES
no changes to the description field autocall macro definitions in the
WORK.SASMACR catalog.

Details
Use MAUTOLOCINDES to help determine where autocall macro definition source code
is located. The following is an example that shows the output that contains the full
pathname:
options mautolocindes;
%put %lowcase(THIS);
this
proc catalog cat=work.sasmacr;contents;run;
Contents of Catalog WORK.SASMACR
# Name

Type

Create Date

1 LOWCASE MACRO 12Sep10:10:36:57

Modified Date Description

12Sep10:10:36:57

C:\SASv9\sas\dev\
mva-v930\shell\auto\

MCOMPILENOTE System Option 335

MAUTOSOURCE System Option

Specifies whether the autocall feature is available.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
System option
MAUTOSOURCE

Syntax
MAUTOSOURCE | NOMAUTOSOURCE

Required Arguments
MAUTOSOURCE
causes the macro processor to search the autocall libraries for a member with the
requested name when a macro name is not found in the WORK library.
NOMAUTOSOURCE
prevents the macro processor from searching the autocall libraries when a macro
name is not found in the WORK library.

Details
When the macro facility searches for macros, it searches first for macros compiled in the
current SAS session. If the MSTORED option is in effect, the macro facility next
searches the libraries containing compiled stored macros. If the MAUTOSOURCE
option is in effect, the macro facility next searches the autocall libraries.

MCOMPILENOTE System Option

Issues a NOTE to the SAS log. The note contains the size and number of instructions upon the completion
of the compilation of a macro.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS StatementSAS invocation

MACRO
System option
NONE

Syntax
MCOMPILENOTE=<NONE | NOAUTOCALL | ALL>

336

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Required Arguments
NONE
prevents any NOTE from being written to the log.
NOAUTOCALL
prevents any NOTE from being written to the log for AUTOCALL macros, but does
issue a NOTE to the log upon the completion of the compilation of any other macro.
ALL
issues a NOTE to the log. The note contains the size and number of instructions upon
the completion of the compilation of any macro.

Details
The NOTE confirms that the compilation of the macro was completed. When the option
is on and the NOTE is issued, the compiled version of the macro is available for
execution. A macro can successfully compile, but still contain errors or warnings that
will cause the macro to not execute as you intended.

Example: Using MCOMPILENOTE System Option

A macro can actually compile and still contain errors. Here is an example of the NOTE
without errors:
option mcompilenote=noautocall;
%macro mymacro;
%mend mymacro;

Output to the log:

NOTE: The macro MYMACRO completed compilation without errors.

Here is an example of the NOTE with errors:

%macro yourmacro;
%end;
%mend yourmacro;

Output to the log:

ERROR: There is no matching %DO statement for the %END statement.
This statement will be ignored.
NOTE: The macro YOURMACRO completed compilation with errors.

MCOMPILE System Option

Specifies whether to allow new definitions of macros.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
System option
MCOMPILE

MCOVERAGE System Options 337

Syntax
MCOMPILE | NOMCOMPILE

Required Arguments
MCOMPILE
allows new macro definitions.
NOMCOMPILE
disallows new macro definitions.

Details
The MCOMPILE system option allows new definitions of macros.
The NOMCOMPILE system option prevents new definitions of macros. It does not
prevent the use of existing stored compiled or autocall macros.

MCOVERAGE System Options

Enables the generation of coverage analysis data.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:
Requirement:

Configuration file, OPTIONS window, OPTIONS statement, SAS invocation

Macro
System option
NOMCOVERAGE
Must use MCOVERAGELOC= system option

Syntax
MCOVERAGE|NOMCOVERAGE

Required Arguments
MCOVERAGE
enables the generation of coverage analysis data.
NOMCOVERAGE
prevents the generation of coverage analysis data.

Details
MCOVERAGE system option controls the generation of coverage analysis data, which
is information needed to ensure proper testing of SAS Solutions products before their
release.
The format of the coverage analysis data is a space delimited flat text file that contains
three types of records. Each record begins with a numeric record type. The line numbers
in the data are relative line numbers based on the %MACRO keyword used to define the
macro. You must use the MCOVERAGELOC= system option to specify the location of
the coverage analysis data file. See MCOVERAGELOC= System Option on page
340.

338

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Note: Because nested macro definitions are stored as model text with line breaks
collapsed, it is recommended that nested macro definitions not be used in macro
definitions that will later be analyzed for execution coverage.
Below are explanations for each of the three record types.
Record type 1:
1 n n macroname

1
record type
n

first line number

n

last line number

macroname

macro name
Record type 1 indicates the beginning of the execution of a macro. Record type 1
appears once for each invocation of a macro.
Record type 2:
2 n n macroname

2
record type
n

first line number

n

last line number

macroname

macro name
Record type 2 indicates the lines of a macro that have executed. A single line of a macro
might cause more than one record to be generated.
Record type 3:
3 n n macroname

3
record type
n

first line number

n

last line number

macroname

macro name
Record type 3 indicates which lines of the macro cannot be executed because no code
was generated from them. These lines might be either commentary lines or lines that
cause no macro code to be generated.
The following is a sample program log:
Sample Program Log:
NOTE: Copyright (c) 2002-2008 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA.
NOTE: SAS (r) Proprietary Software 9.3 (TS1B0)

MCOVERAGE System Options 339

Licensed to SAS Institute Inc., Site 1.
NOTE: This session is executing on the XP_PRO

platform.

NOTE: SAS initialization used:

real time
0.45 seconds
cpu time
0.20 seconds
1
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options source source2;

options mcoverage mcoverageloc='./foo.dat';
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*

1
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*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/
*/

%macro
foo (
arg,

arg2

=
This is the default value of arg2)
;
/* This is a number of lines of comments
/* which presumably will help the maintainer
/* of this macro to know what to do to keep
/* this silly piece of code current
%if &arg %then %do;
data _null_;
x=1;
%end;
%* this is a macro comment statement
that also can be used to document features
and other stuff about the macro;
%else
%do;
DATA _NULL_;
y=1;
%end;
run;

*/
*/
*/
*/

%mend

foo This is text which should generate a warning!

340

Chapter 20

System Options for Macros

WARNING: Extraneous information on %MEND statement ignored for macro
definition FOO.

MCOVERAGELOC= System Option

Specifies the location of the coverage analysis data file.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Requirement:
See:

Configuration file, OPTIONS window, OPTIONS statement, SAS invocation

Macro
System option
Use with MCOVERAGE system option
MCOVERAGE System Options on page 337

Syntax
MCOVERAGELOC=fileref|file_specification

Required Argument
fileref|file_specification
a SAS fileref or an external file specification enclosed in quotation marks.

Details
This MCOVERAGELOC = system option specifies where the coverage analysis is to be
written. The option takes either an external file specification enclosed in quotation marks
or a SAS fileref.

MERROR System Option

Specifies whether the macro processor issues a warning message when a macro reference cannot be
resolved.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
System option
MERROR

Syntax
MERROR | NOMERROR

MEXECNOTE System Option 341

Required Arguments
MERROR
issues the following warning message when the macro processor cannot match a
macro reference to a compiled macro:
WARNING: Apparent invocation of macro %text not resolved.

NOMERROR
issues no warning messages when the macro processor cannot match a macro
reference to a compiled macro.

Details
Several conditions can prevent a macro reference from resolving. These conditions
appear when

a macro name is misspelled

a macro is called before being defined

strings containing percent signs are encountered. For example:

TITLE Cost Expressed as %Sales;

If your program contains a percent sign in a string that could be mistaken for a macro
keyword, specify NOMERROR.

MEXECNOTE System Option

Specifies whether to display macro execution information in the SAS log at macro invocation.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:
See:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
System option
NOMEXECNOTE
MEXECSIZE on page 342

Syntax
MEXECNOTE | NOMEXECNOTE

Required Arguments
MEXECNOTE
displays the macro execution information in the log when the macro is invoked.
NOMEXECNOTE
does not display the macro execution information in the log when the macro is
invoked.

Details
The MEXECNOTE option controls the generation of a NOTE in the SAS log that
indicates the macro execution mode.

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MEXECSIZE System Option

Specifies the maximum macro size that can be executed in memory.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:
See:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
System option
65536
MEXECNOTE on page 341 and MCOMPILENOTE on page 335

Syntax
MEXECSIZE=n | nK | nM | nG | nT | hexX | MIN | MAX

Required Arguments
n
specifies the maximum size macro to be executed in memory available in bytes.
nK
specifies the maximum size macro to be executed in memory available in kilobytes.
nM
specifies the maximum size macro to be executed in memory available in megabytes.
nG
specifies the maximum size macro to be executed in memory available in gigabytes.
nT
specifies the maximum size macro to be executed in memory available in terabytes.
MIN
specifies the minimum size macro to be executed in memory. Minimum value is 0.
MAX
specifies the maximum size macro to be executed in memory. Maximum value is
hexX
specifies the maximum size macro to be executed in memory by a hexadecimal
number followed by an X.

Details
Use the MEXECSIZE option to control the maximum size macro that will be executed
in memory as opposed to being executed from a file. The MEXECSIZE option value is
the compiled size of the macro. Memory is allocated only when the macro is executed.
After the macro completes, the memory is released. If memory is not available to
execute the macro, an out-of-memory message is written to the SAS log. Use the
MCOMPILENOTE option to write to the SAS log the size of the compiled macro. The
MEMSIZE option does not affect the MEXECSIZE option.

MINDELIMITER= System Option 343

MFILE System Option

Specifies whether MPRINT output is routed to an external file.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:
Requirement:
See:

Configuration fileOPTIONS window OPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
System option
NOMFILE
MPRINT option
MPRINT System Option on page 349

Syntax
MFILE | NOMFILE

Required Arguments
MFILE
routes output produced by the MPRINT option to an external file. This option is
useful for debugging.
NOMFILE
does not route MPRINT output to an external file.

Details
The MPRINT option must also be in effect to use MFILE, and an external file must be
assigned the fileref MPRINT. Macro-generated code that is displayed by the MPRINT
option in the SAS log during macro execution is written to the external file referenced by
the fileref MPRINT.
If MPRINT is not assigned as a fileref or if the file cannot be accessed, warnings are
written to the SAS log and MFILE is set to off. To use the feature again, you must
specify MFILE again and assign the fileref MPRINT to a file that can be accessed.

MINDELIMITER= System Option

Specifies the character to be used as the delimiter for the macro IN operator.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:
See:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
System option
a blank
MINOPERATOR System Option on page 345 and %MACRO Statement on page
304

344

Chapter 20

System Options for Macros

Syntax
MINDELIMITER=<option>

Required Argument
option
is a character enclosed in double or single quotation marks. The character will be
used as the delimiter for the macro IN operator. Here is an example:double quotation
marks
mindelimiter=,;

or single quotation marks

mindelimiter=',';

Details
The option value is retained in original case and can have a maximum length of one
character. The default value of the MINDELIMITER option is a blank.
You can use the # character instead of IN.
Note: When the IN or # operator is used in a macro, the delimiter that is used at the
execution time of the macro is the value of the MINDELIMITER option at the time
of the compilation of the macro. A specific delimiter value for use during the
execution of the macro other than the current value of the MINDELIMITER system
option might be specified on the macro definition statement:
%macro macroname / mindelimiter=',';

Comparisons
The following is an example using a specified delimiter in an IN operator:
%put %eval(a in d,e,f,a,b,c);
%put %eval(a in d e f a b c);
option mindelimiter=',';
%put %eval(a in d,e,f,a,b,c);
%put %eval(a in d e f a b c);

/* should print 0 */
/* should print 1 */
/* should print 1 */
/* should print 0 */

The following is the output to the SAS log:

NOTE: Copyright (c) 20072008 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA.
NOTE: SAS (r) Proprietary Software Version 9.2 (TS A0)
Licensed to SAS Institute Inc., Site 0000000001.
NOTE: This session is executing on the WIN_NT platform.
NOTE: SAS initialization used:
real time
1.02 seconds
cpu time
0.63 seconds
%put %eval(a in d,e,f,a,b,c); /* should print 0 */
0
%put %eval(a in d e f a b c); /* should print 1 */
1
option mindelimiter=',';
%put %eval(a in d,e,f,a,b,c); /* should print 1 */
1
%put %eval(a in d e f a b c); /* should print 0 */
0

MINOPERATOR System Option 345

MINOPERATOR System Option

Controls whether the macro processor recognizes and evaluates the IN (#) logical operator.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
System option
NOMINOPERATOR

Syntax
MINOPERATOR | NOMINOPERATOR

Required Arguments
MINOPERATOR
causes the macro processor to recognize and evaluate both the mnemonic operator
IN or the special character # as a logical operator in expressions.
NOMINOPERATOR
causes the macro processor to recognize both the mnemonic operator IN and the
special character # as regular characters.

Details
Use the MINOPERATOR system option or in the %MACRO statement if you want to
use the IN (#) as operators in expressions:
options minoperator;

To use IN or # as operators in expressions evaluated during the execution of a specific

macro, use the MINOPERATOR keyword on the definition of the macro:
%macro macroname / minoperator;

The macro IN operator is similar to the DATA step IN operator, but not identical. The
following is a list of differences:

The macro IN operator cannot search a numeric array.

The macro IN operator cannot search a character array.

A colon (:) is not recognized as a shorthand notation to specify a range, such as

1:10 means 1 through 10. Instead, you use the following in a macro:
%eval(3 in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10);

The default delimiter for list elements is a blank. For more information, see
MINDELIMITER= System Option on page 343.

Both operands must contain a value.

%put %eval(a IN a b c d); /*Both operands are present. */

If an operand contains a null value, an error is generated.

%put %eval(

IN a b c d); /*Missing first operand. */

346

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or
%put %eval(a IN); /*Missing second operand. */

Whether the first or second operand contains a null value, the same error is written to
the SAS log:
ERROR: Operand missing for IN operator in argument to %EVAL function.

The following example uses the macro IN operator to search a character string:
%if &state in (NY NJ PA) %then %let &region = %eval(&region + 1);

For more information, see Defining Arithmetic and Logical Expressions on page 72.

MLOGIC System Option

Specifies whether the macro processor traces its execution for debugging.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:
See:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
LOGCONTROL
System option
NOMLOGIC
The SAS Log in Chapter 9 of SAS Language Reference: Concepts

Syntax
MLOGIC | NOMLOGIC

Required Arguments
MLOGIC
causes the macro processor to trace its execution and to write the trace information to
the SAS log. This option is a useful debugging tool.
NOMLOGIC
does not trace execution. Use this option unless you are debugging macros.

Details
Use MLOGIC to debug macros. Each line generated by the MLOGIC option is
identified with the prefix MLOGIC(macro-name):. If MLOGIC is in effect and the
macro processor encounters a macro invocation, the macro processor displays messages
that identify the following:

the beginning of macro execution

values of macro parameters at invocation

execution of each macro program statement

whether each %IF condition is true or false

the ending of macro execution

Note: Using MLOGIC can produce a great deal of output.

MLOGICNEST System Option 347

For more information about macro debugging, see Macro Facility Error Messages and
Debugging on page 120.

Example: Tracing Macro Execution

In this example, MLOGIC traces the execution of the macros MKTITLE and
RUNPLOT:
%macro mktitle(proc,data);
title "%upcase(&proc) of %upcase(&data)";
%mend mktitle;
%macro runplot(ds);
%if %sysprod(graph)=1 %then
%do;
%mktitle (gplot,&ds)
proc gplot data=&ds;
plot style*price
/ haxis=0 to 150000 by 50000;
run;
quit;
%end;
%else
%do;
%mktitle (plot,&ds)
proc plot data=&ds;
plot style*price;
run;
quit;
%end;
%mend runplot;
options mlogic;
%runplot(sasuser.houses)

When this program executes, this MLOGIC output is written to the SAS log:
MLOGIC(RUNPLOT):
MLOGIC(RUNPLOT):
MLOGIC(RUNPLOT):
MLOGIC(MKTITLE):
MLOGIC(MKTITLE):
MLOGIC(MKTITLE):
MLOGIC(MKTITLE):
MLOGIC(RUNPLOT):

Beginning execution.
Parameter DS has value sasuser.houses
%IF condition %sysprod(graph)=1 is TRUE
Beginning execution.
Parameter PROC has value gplot
Parameter DATA has value sasuser.houses
Ending execution.
Ending execution.

MLOGICNEST System Option

Specifies whether to display the macro nesting information in the MLOGIC output in the SAS log.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
LOGCONTROL
System option
NOMLOGICNEST

348

Chapter 20

See:

System Options for Macros

The SAS Log in Chapter 9 of SAS Language Reference: Concepts

Syntax
MLOGICNEST | NOMLOGICNEST

Required Arguments
MLOGICNEST
enables the macro nesting information to be displayed in the MLOGIC output in the
SAS log.
NOMLOGICNEST
prevents the macro nesting information from being displayed in the MLOGIC output
in the SAS log.

Details
MLOGICNEST enables the macro nesting information to be written to the SAS log in
the MLOGIC output.
The setting of MLOGICNEST does not affect the output of any currently executing
macro.
The setting of MLOGICNEST does not imply the setting of MLOGIC. You must set
both MLOGIC and MLOGICNEST in order for output (with nesting information) to be
written to the SAS log.

Example: Using MLOGICNEST System Option

The first example shows both the MLOGIC and MLOGICNEST options being set:
%macro outer;
%put THIS IS OUTER;
%inner;
%mend outer;
%macro inner;
%put THIS IS INNER;
%inrmost;
%mend inner;
%macro inrmost;
%put THIS IS INRMOST;
%mend;
options mlogic mlogicnest;
%outer

Here is the MLOGIC output in the SAS log using the MLOGICNEST option:
MLOGIC(OUTER): Beginning execution.
MLOGIC(OUTER): %PUT THIS IS OUTER
THIS IS OUTER
MLOGIC(OUTER.INNER): Beginning execution.
MLOGIC(OUTER.INNER): %PUT THIS IS INNER
THIS IS INNER
MLOGIC(OUTER.INNER.INRMOST): Beginning execution.
MLOGIC(OUTER.INNER.INRMOST): %PUT THIS IS INRMOST
THIS IS INRMOST
MLOGIC(OUTER.INNER.INRMOST): Ending execution.

MPRINT System Option

MLOGIC(OUTER.INNER): Ending execution.
MLOGIC(OUTER): Ending execution.

The second example uses only the NOMLOGICNEST option:

%macro outer;
%put THIS IS OUTER;
%inner;
%mend outer;
%macro inner;
%put THIS IS INNER;
%inrmost;
%mend inner;
%macro inrmost;
%put THIS IS INRMOST;
%mend;
options nomlogicnest;
%outer

Here is the output in the SAS log when you use only the NOMLOGICNEST option:
MLOGIC(OUTER): Beginning execution.
MLOGIC(OUTER): %PUT THIS IS OUTER
THIS IS OUTER
MLOGIC(INNER): Beginning execution.
MLOGIC(INNER): %PUT THIS IS INNER
THIS IS INNER
MLOGIC(INRMOST): Beginning execution.
MLOGIC(INRMOST): %PUT THIS IS INRMOST
THIS IS INRMOST
MLOGIC(INRMOST): Ending execution.
MLOGIC(INNER): Ending execution.
MLOGIC(OUTER): Ending execution.

MPRINT System Option

Specifies whether SAS statements generated by macro execution are traced for debugging.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:
See:

Configuration fileOPTIONS window OPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
LOGCONTROL
System option
NOMPRINT
MFILE System Option on page 343 and The SAS Log in Chapter 9 of SAS
Language Reference: Concepts

Syntax
MPRINT | NOMPRINT

349

350

Chapter 20

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Required Arguments
MPRINT
displays the SAS statements that are generated by macro execution. The SAS
statements are useful for debugging macros.
NOMPRINT
does not display SAS statements that are generated by macro execution.

Details
The MPRINT option displays the text generated by macro execution. Each SAS
statement begins a new line. Each line of MPRINT output is identified with the prefix
MPRINT(macro-name):, to identify the macro that generates the statement. Tokens that
are separated by multiple spaces are printed with one intervening space.
You can direct MPRINT output to an external file by also using the MFILE option and
assigning the fileref MPRINT to that file. For more information, see MFILE System
Option on page 343.

Examples
Example 1: Tracing Generation of SAS Statements
In this example, MPRINT traces the SAS statements that are generated when the macros
MKTITLE and RUNPLOT execute:
%macro mktitle(proc,data);
title "%upcase(&proc) of %upcase(&data)";
%mend mktitle;
%macro runplot(ds);
%if %sysprod(graph)=1 %then
%do;
%mktitle (gplot,&ds)
proc gplot data=&ds;
plot style*price
/ haxis=0 to 150000 by 50000;
run;
quit;
%end;
%else
%do;
%mktitle (plot,&ds)
proc plot data=&ds;
plot style*price;
run;
quit;
%end;
%mend runplot;
options mprint;
%runplot(sasuser.houses)

When this program executes, this MPRINT output is written to the SAS log:
MPRINT(MKTITLE):
MPRINT(RUNPLOT):
MPRINT(RUNPLOT):

TITLE "GPLOT of SASUSER.HOUSES";

PROC GPLOT DATA=SASUSER.HOUSES;
PLOT STYLE*PRICE / HAXIS=0 TO 150000 BY 50000;

MPRINTNEST System Option 351

MPRINT(RUNPLOT):
MPRINT(RUNPLOT):

RUN;
QUIT;

Example 2: Directing MPRINT Output to an External File

Adding these statements before the macro call in the previous program sends the
MPRINT output to the file DEBUGMAC when the SAS session ends.
options mfile mprint;
filename mprint 'debugmac';

MPRINTNEST System Option

Specifies whether to display the macro nesting information in the MPRINT output in the SAS log.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
System option
NOMPRINTNEST

Syntax
MPRINTNEST | NOMPRINTNEST

Required Arguments
MPRINTNEST
enables the macro nesting information to be displayed in the MPRINT output in the
SAS log.
NOMPRINTNEST
prevents the macro nesting information from being displayed in the MPRINT output
in the SAS log.

Details
MPRINTNEST enables the macro nesting information to be written to the SAS log in
the MPRINT output. The MPRINTNEST output has no effect on the MPRINT output
that is sent to an external file. For more information, see MFILE System Option.
The setting of MPRINTNEST does not imply the setting of MPRINT. You must set both
MPRINT and MPRINTNEST in order for output (with the nesting information) to be
written to the SAS log.

Example: Using MPRINTNEST System Option

The following example uses the MPRINT and MPRINTNEST options:
%macro outer;
data _null_;
%inner
run;
%mend outer;
%macro inner;

352

Chapter 20

System Options for Macros

put %inrmost;
%mend inner;
%macro inrmost;
'This is the text of the PUT statement'
%mend inrmost;
options mprint mprintnest;
%outer

Here is the output written to the SAS log using both the MPRINT option and the
MPRINTNEST option:
MPRINT(OUTER):
data _null_;
MPRINT(OUTER.INNER):
put
MPRINT(OUTER.INNER.INRMOST):
'This is the text of the PUT statement'
MPRINT(OUTER.INNER): ;
MPRINT(OUTER):
run;
This is the text of the PUT statement
NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time):
real time
0.10 seconds
cpu time
0.06 seconds

Here is an example that uses the NOMPRINTNEST option:

%macro outer;
data _null_;
%inner
run;
%mend outer;
%macro inner;
put %inrmost;
%mend inner;
%macro inrmost;
'This is the text of the PUT statement'
%mend inrmost;
options nomprintnest;
%outer

Here is the output written to the SAS log using the NOMPRINTNEST option:
MPRINT(OUTER):
data _null_;
MPRINT(INNER):
put
MPRINT(INRMOST):
'This is the text of the PUT statement'
MPRINT(INNER): ;
MPRINT(OUTER):
run;
This is the text of the PUT statement
NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time):
real time
0.00 seconds
cpu time
0.01 seconds

MRECALL System Option

Specifies whether autocall libraries are searched for a member that was not found during an earlier search.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO

MREPLACE System Option 353

Type:

System option

Default:

NOMRECALL

Syntax
MRECALL | NOMRECALL

Required Arguments
MRECALL
searches the autocall libraries for an undefined macro name each time an attempt is
made to invoke the macro. It is inefficient to search the autocall libraries repeatedly
for an undefined macro. Generally, use this option when you are developing or
debugging programs that call autocall macros.
NOMRECALL
searches the autocall libraries only once for a requested macro name.

Details
Use the MRECALL option primarily for

developing systems that require macros in autocall libraries.

recovering from errors caused by an autocall to a macro that is in an unavailable

library. Use MRECALL to call the macro again after making the library available. In
general, do not use MRECALL unless you are developing or debugging autocall
macros.

MREPLACE System Option

Specifies whether to enable existing macros to be redefined.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:
Default:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
System option
MREPLACE

Syntax
MREPLACE | NOMREPLACE

Required Arguments
MREPLACE
enables you to redefine existing macro definitions that are stored in a catalog in the
WORK library.
NOMREPLACE
prevents you from redefining existing macro definitions that are stored in a catalog in
the WORK library.

354

Chapter 20

System Options for Macros

Details
The MREPLACE system option enables you to overwrite existing macros if the names
are the same.
The NOMREPLACE system option prevents you from overwriting a macro even if a
macro with the same name has already been compiled.

MSTORED System Option

Specifies whether the macro facility searches a specific catalog for a stored compiled macro.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO

Type:

System option

Default:

NOMSTORED

Syntax
MSTORED | NOMSTORED

Required Arguments
MSTORED
searches for stored compiled macros in a catalog in the SAS library referenced by the
SASMSTORE= option.
NOMSTORED
does not search for compiled macros.

Details
Regardless of the setting of MSTORED, the macro facility first searches for macros
compiled in the current SAS session. If the MSTORED option is in effect, the macro
facility next searches the libraries containing compiled stored macros. If the
MAUTOSOURCE option is in effect, the macro facility next searches the autocall
libraries. Then, the macro facility searches the SASMACR catalog in the SASHELP
library.

MSYMTABMAX= System Option

Specifies the maximum amount of memory available to the macro variable symbol table or tables.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statement SAS invocation

MACRO
System option

MVARSIZE= System Option 355

Syntax
MSYMTABMAX= n | nK | nM | nG | MAX

Required Arguments
n
specifies the maximum memory available in bytes.
nK
specifies the maximum memory available in kilobytes.
nM
specifies the maximum memory available in megabytes.
nG
specifies the maximum memory available in gigabytes.
MAX
specifies the maximum memory of 65534.

Details
Once the maximum value is reached, additional macro variables are written out to disk.
The value that you specify with the MSYMTABMAX= system option can range from 0
to the largest nonnegative integer representable on your operating environment. The
default values are host dependent. A value of 0 causes all macro symbol tables to be
written to disk.
The value of MSYMTABMAX= can affect system performance. If this option is set too
low and the application frequently reaches the specified memory limit, then disk I/O
increases. If this option is set too high (on some operating environments) and the
application frequently reaches the specified memory limit, then less memory is available
for the application, and CPU usage increases. Before you specify the value for
production jobs, run tests to determine the optimum value.

MVARSIZE= System Option

Specifies the maximum size for macro variable values that are stored in memory.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statement SAS invocation

MACRO
System option

Syntax
MVARSIZE= n | nK | nM | nG | MAX

Required Arguments
n
specifies the maximum memory available in bytes.
nK
specifies the maximum memory available in kilobytes.

356

Chapter 20

System Options for Macros

nM
specifies the maximum memory available in megabytes.
nG
specifies the maximum memory available in gigabytes.
MAX
specifies the maximum memory of 65534.

Details
If the memory required for a macro variable value is larger than the MVARSIZE= value,
the variable is written to a temporary catalog on disk. The macro variable name is used
as the member name, and all members have the type MSYMTAB.
The value that you specify with the MVARSIZE= system option can range from 0 to
65534. A value of 0 causes all macro variable values to be written to disk.
The value of MVARSIZE= can affect system performance. If this option is set too low
and the application frequently creates macro variables larger than the limit, then disk I/O
increases. Before you specify the value for production jobs, run tests to determine the
optimum value.
Note: The MVARSIZE= option has no affect on the maximum length of the value of the
macro variable. For more information, see Macro Variables on page 19.

SASAUTOS= System Option

Specifies the location of one or more autocall libraries.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

ENVFILES
MACRO
System option

Syntax
SASAUTOS= library-specification |
(library-specification-1 . . . , library-specification-n)

Required Arguments
library-specification
identifies a location that contains library members that contain a SAS macro
definition. A location can be a SAS fileref or a host-specific location name enclosed
in quotation marks. Each member contains a SAS macro definition.
(library-specification-1 . . . , library-specification-n)
identifies two or more locations that contain library members that contain a SAS
macro definition. A location can be a SAS fileref or a host-specific location name
enclosed in quotation marks. When you specify two or more autocall libraries,
enclose the specifications in parentheses and separate them with either a comma or a
blank space.

SERROR System Option

357

Details
When SAS searches for an autocall macro definition, it opens and searches each location
in the same order that it is specified in the SASAUTOS option. If SAS cannot open any
specified location, it generates a warning message and sets the NOMAUTOSOURCE
system option on. To use the autocall facility again in the same SAS session, you must
specify the MAUTOSOURCE option again.
Operating Environment Information
You specify a source library by using a fileref or by enclosing the host-specific
location name in quotation marks. A valid library specification and its syntax are
host specific. Although the syntax is generally consistent with the command-line
syntax of your operating environment, it might include additional or alternate
punctuation. For details, see the SAS documentation for your operating environment.
z/OS Specifics
You can use the APPEND or INSERT system options to add additional libraryspecification. For details, see the documentation for the APPEND and INSERT
system options under UNIX and z/OS.

SASMSTORE= System Option

Identifies the libref of a SAS library with a catalog that contains, or will contain, stored compiled SAS
macros.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=
Type:

Configuration file, OPTIONS window, OPTIONS statement, SAS invocation

MACRO
System option

Syntax
SASMSTORE=libref

Required Argument
libref
specifies the libref of a SAS library that contains, or will contain, a catalog of stored
compiled SAS macros. This libref cannot be WORK.

SERROR System Option

Specifies whether the macro processor issues a warning message when a macro variable reference does
not match a macro variable.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=

Configuration fileOPTIONS window OPTIONS statement SAS invocation

MACRO

Type:

System option

Alias:

SERR | NOSERR

358

Chapter 20

Default:

System Options for Macros

SERROR

Syntax
SERROR | NOSERROR

Required Arguments
SERROR
issues a warning message when the macro processor cannot match a macro variable
reference to an existing macro variable.
NOSERROR
issues no warning messages when the macro processor cannot match a macro
variable reference to an existing macro variable.

Details
Several conditions can occur that prevent a macro variable reference from resolving.
These conditions appear when one or more of the following is true:

the name in a macro variable reference is misspelled.

the variable is referenced before being defined.

the program contains an ampersand ( &) followed by a string, without intervening

blanks between the ampersand and the string. For example:
if x&y then do;
if buyer="Smith&Jones, Inc." then do;

If your program uses a text string containing ampersands and you want to suppress the
warnings, specify NOSERROR.

SYMBOLGEN System Option

Specifies whether the results of resolving macro variable references are written to the SAS log for
debugging.
Valid in:
PROC OPTIONS
GROUP=

Configuration fileOPTIONS window OPTIONS statementSAS invocation

MACRO
LOGCONTROL

Type:

System option

Alias:

SGEN | NOSGEN

Default:

NOSYMBOLGEN

See:

The SAS Log in Chapter 9 of SAS Language Reference: Concepts

Syntax
SYMBOLGEN | NOSYMBOLGEN

SYMBOLGEN System Option 359

Required Arguments
SYMBOLGEN
displays the results of resolving macro variable references. This option is useful for
debugging.
NOSYMBOLGEN
does not display results of resolving macro variable references.

Details
SYMBOLGEN displays the results in this form:
SYMBOLGEN: Macro variable name resolves to value

SYMBOLGEN also indicates when a double ampersand (&&) resolves to a single

ampersand (&).

Example: Tracing Resolution of Macro Variable

References
In this example, SYMBOLGEN traces the resolution of macro variable references when
the macros MKTITLE and RUNPLOT execute:
%macro mktitle(proc,data);
title "%upcase(&proc) of %upcase(&data)";
%mend mktitle;
%macro runplot(ds);
%if %sysprod(graph)=1 %then
%do;
%mktitle (gplot,&ds)
proc gplot data=&ds;
plot style*price
/ haxis=0 to 150000 by 50000;
run;
quit;
%end;
%else
%do;
%mktitle (plot,&ds)
proc plot data=&ds;
plot style*price;
run;
quit;
%end;
%mend runplot;
%runplot(sasuser.houses)

When this program executes, this SYMBOLGEN output is written to the SAS log:
SYMBOLGEN:
SYMBOLGEN:
SYMBOLGEN:
SYMBOLGEN:

Macro
Macro
Macro
Macro

variable
variable
variable
variable

DS resolves to sasuser.houses
PROC resolves to gplot
DATA resolves to sasuser.houses
DS resolves to sasuser.houses

360

Chapter 20

System Options for Macros

SYSPARM= System Option

Specifies a character string that can be passed to SAS programs.
Valid in:
Type:

Configuration fileOPTIONS windowOPTIONS statementSAS invocation

System option

Syntax
SYSPARM='character-string'

Required Argument
character-string
is a character string, enclosed in quotation marks, with a maximum length of 200.

Details
The character string specified can be accessed in a SAS DATA step by the SYSPARM()
function or anywhere in a SAS program by using the automatic macro variable reference
&SYSPARM.
Operating Environment Information
The syntax shown here applies to the OPTIONS statement. At invocation, on the
command line, or in a configuration file, the syntax is host specific. For details, see
the SAS documentation for your operating environment.

Example: Passing a User Identification to a Program

This example uses the SYSPARM option to pass a user identification to a program.
options sysparm='usr1';
data a;
length z $100;
if sysparm()='usr1' then z="&sysparm";
run;

361

Part 3

Appendices
Appendix 1
Reserved Words in the Macro Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Appendix 2
SAS Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
Appendix 3
Syntax for Selected Functions Used with the %SYSFUNC Function .
367

362

363

Appendix 1

Reserved Words in the Macro

Facility

Macro Facility Word Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Reserved Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Macro Facility Word Rules

The following rules apply to the macro facility.

Do not use a reserved word as the name of a macro, a macro variable, or a macro
label. Reserved words include words reserved by both the macro facility and the
operating environment. When a macro name is a macro facility reserved word, the
macro processor issues a warning, and the macro is neither compiled nor available
for execution. The macro facility reserves the words listed under Reserved Words
on page 363 for internal use.

Do not prefix the name of a macro language element with SYS because SAS
reserves the SYS prefix for the names of macro language elements supplied with
SAS software.

Do not prefix macro variables names with SYS, AF, or DMS in order to avoid macro
name conflicts.

Reserved Words
The following table lists the reserved words for the macro facility.
Table A1.1 Macro Facility Reserved Words

ABEND

END

LENGTH

QKUPCASE

SYSEVALF

ABORT

EVAL

LET

QSCAN

SYSEXEC

ACT

FILE

LIST

QSUBSTR

SYSFUNC

ACTIVATE

GLOBAL

LISTM

QSYSFUNC

SYSGET

364

Appendix 1

Reserved Words in the Macro Facility

BQUOTE

GO

LOCAL

QUOTE

SYSRPUT

BY

GOTO

MACRO

QUPCASE

THEN

CLEAR

IF

MEND

RESOLVE

TO

CLOSE

INC

PAUSE

RETURN

TSO

CMS

INCLUDE

NRSTR

RUN

UNQUOTE

COMANDR

INDEX

ON

SAVE

UNSTR

COPY

INFILE

OPEN

SCAN

UNTIL

DEACT

INPUT

PUT

STOP

UPCASE

DEL

KCMPRES

NRBQUOTE

STR

WHILE

DELETE

KINDEX

NRQUOTE

SYSCALL

WINDOW

DISPLAY

KLEFT

METASYM

SUBSTR

DMIDSPLY

KLENGTH

QKCMPRES

SUPERQ

DMISPLIT

KSCAN

QKLEFT

SYMDEL

DO

KSUBSTR

QKSCAN

SYMEXIST

EDIT

KTRIM

QKSUBSTR

SYMGLOBL

ELSE

KUPCASE

QKTRIM

SYMLOCAL

365

Appendix 2

SAS Tokens

SAS Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

List of Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

SAS Tokens
When SAS processes a program, a component called the word scanner reads the
program, character by character, and groups the characters into words. These words are
referred to as tokens.

List of Tokens
SAS recognizes four general types of tokens:
Literal
One or more characters enclosed in single or double quotation marks. Examples of
literals include the following:
Table A2.1

Literals

'CARY'

"2008"

'Dr. Kemple-Long'

'<entry align="center">'

Name
One or more characters beginning with a letter or an underscore. Other characters
can be letters, underscores, and digits.
Table A2.2

Names

data

_test

linesleft

f25

univariate

otherwise

366

Appendix 2

SAS Tokens
year_2008

descending

Number
A numeric value. Number tokens include the following:

integers. Integers are numbers that do not contain a decimal point or an exponent.
Examples of integers include 1, 72, and 5000. SAS date, time, and datetime
constants such as '24AUG2008'D are integers, as are hexadecimal constants such
as 0C4X.

real (floating-point) numbers. Floating-point numbers contain a decimal point or

an exponent. Examples include numbers such as 2.35, 5., 2.3E1, and 5.4E 1.

Special character
Any character that is not a letter, number, or underscore. The following characters
are some special characters:
=+%&;()#
The maximum length of any type of token is 32,767 characters. A token ends when the
tokenizer encounters one of the following situations:

the beginning of a new token.

a blank after a name or number token.

in a literal token, a quotation mark of the same type that started the token. There is an
exception. A quotation mark followed by a quotation mark of the same type is
interpreted as a single quotation mark that becomes part of the literal token. For
example, in 'Mary''s', the fourth quotation mark terminates the literal token. The
second and third quotation marks are interpreted as a single character, which is
included in the literal token.

367

Appendix 3

Syntax for Selected Functions

Used with the %SYSFUNC
Function

Summary Descriptions and Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

Functions and Arguments for %SYSFUNC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

Summary Descriptions and Syntax

This appendix provides summary descriptions and syntax for selected functions that can
be used with the %SYSFUNC function.

Functions and Arguments for %SYSFUNC

The following table shows the syntax for selected functions that can be used with the
%SYSFUNC function. This is not a complete list of the functions that can be used with
%SYSFUNC. For a list of functions that cannot be used with %SYSFUNC, see Table
17.2 on page 269.
Table A3.1

Functions and Arguments for %SYSFUNC

Function

Description and Syntax

ATTRC

Returns the value of a character attribute for a SAS data set.

%SYSFUNC(ATTRC(data-set-id,attr-name))
ATTRN

Returns the value of a numeric attribute for specified SAS data set.

%SYSFUNC(ATTRN(data-set_id,attr-name))
CEXIST

Verifies the existence of a SAS catalog or SAS catalog entry.

%SYSFUNC(CEXIST(entry <, U>))

CLOSE

Closes a SAS data set.%SYSFUNC(CLOSE(data-set-id))

CUROBS

Returns the number of the current observation.

%SYSFUNC(CUROBS(data-set-id))
DCLOSE

Closes a directory.%SYSFUNC(DCLOSE(directory-id))

368

Appendix 3

Syntax for Selected Functions Used with the %SYSFUNC Function

Function

DINFO

Description and Syntax

Returns specified information items for a directory.

%SYSFUNC(DINFO(directory-id,info-items))
DNUM

Returns the number of members in a directory.

%SYSFUNC(DNUM(directory-id))
DOPEN
DOPTNAME

Opens a directory.%SYSFUNC(DOPEN(fileref))
Returns a specified directory attribute.

%SYSFUNC(DOPTNAME(directory-id,nval))
DOPTNUM

Returns the number of information items available for a directory.

%SYSFUNC(DOPTNUM(directory-id))
DREAD

Returns the name of a directory member.

%SYSFUNC(DREAD(directory-id,nval))
DROPNOTE

Deletes a note marker from a SAS data set or an external file.

%SYSFUNC(DROPNOTE(data-set-id|file-id,noteid))
DSNAME

Returns the data set name associated with a data set identifier.

%SYSFUNC(DSNAME(<data-set-id>))
EXIST

Verifies the existence of a SAS library member.

%SYSFUNC(EXIST(member-name<,member-type>))
FAPPEND

Appends a record to the end of an external file.

%SYSFUNC(FAPPEND(file-id<,cc>))
FCLOSE

Closes an external file, directory, or directory member.

%SYSFUNC(FCLOSE(file-id))
FCOL

Returns the current column position in the File Data Buffer (FDB)

%SYSFUNC(FCOL(file-id))
FDELETE

Deletes an external file. %SYSFUNC(FDELETE(fileref))

FETCH

Reads the next nondeleted observation from a SAS data set into the Data
Set Data Vector (DDV). %SYSFUNC(FETCH(data-set-

id<,NOSET>))
FETCHOBS

Reads a specified observation from a SAS data set into the DDV.

%SYSFUNC(FETCHOBS(data-set-id,obsnumber<,options>))
FEXIST

Verifies the existence of an external file associated with a fileref.

%SYSFUNC(FEXIST(fileref))
FGET

Copies data from the FDB. %SYSFUNC(FGET(file-

id,cval<,length>))

Functions and Arguments for %SYSFUNC

Function

FILEEXIST

369

Description and Syntax

Verifies the existence of an external file by its physical name.

%SYSFUNC(FILEEXIST(file-name))
FILENAME

Assigns or deassigns a fileref for an external file, directory, or output

device. %SYSFUNC(FILENAME(fileref,file-

name<,device<,host-options<,dir-ref>>>))
FILEREF

Verifies that a fileref has been assigned for the current SAS session.

%SYSFUNC(FILEREF(fileref))
FINFO

Returns a specified information item for a file.

%SYSFUNC(FINFO(file-id,info-item))
FNOTE

Identifies the last record that was read. %SYSFUNC(FNOTE(file-

id))
FOPEN

Opens an external file. %SYSFUNC(FOPEN(fileref<,open-

mode<,record-length<,record-format>>>))
FOPTNAME

Returns the name of an information item for an external file.

%SYSFUNC(FOPTNAME(file-id,nval))
FOPTNUM

Returns the number of information items available for an external file.

%SYSFUNC(FOPTNUM(file-id))
FPOINT

Positions the read pointer on the next record to be read.

%SYSFUNC(FPOINT(file-id,note-id))
FPOS

Sets the position of the column pointer in the FDB.

%SYSFUNC(FPOS(file-id,nval))
FPUT

FREAD

Moves data to the FDB of an external file starting at the current column
position. %SYSFUNC(FPUT(file-id,cval))
Reads a record from an external file into the FDB.

%SYSFUNC(FREAD(file-id))
FREWIND

Positions the file pointer at the first record.

%SYSFUNC(FREWIND(file-id))
FRLEN

FSEP

Returns the size of the last record read, or the current record size for a
file opened for output. %SYSFUNC(FRLEN(file-id))
Sets the token delimiters for the FGET function.

%SYSFUNC(FSEP(file-id,cval))
FWRITE

Writes a record to an external file. %SYSFUNC(FWRITE(file-

id<,cc>))
GETOPTION

Returns the value of a SAS system or graphics option.

%SYSFUNC(GETOPTION(option-name<,reportingoptions<,...>>))

370

Appendix 3

Syntax for Selected Functions Used with the %SYSFUNC Function

Function

Description and Syntax

GETVARC

Assigns the value of a SAS data set variable to a character DATA step
or macro variable. %SYSFUNC(GETVARC(data-set-id,var-

num))
GETVARN

Assigns the value of a SAS data set variable to a numeric DATA step or
macro variable. %SYSFUNC(GETVARN(data-set-id,var-

num))
LIBNAME

Assigns or deassigns a libref for a SAS library.

%SYSFUNC(LIBNAME(libref<,SAS-datalibrary<,engine<,options>>>))
LIBREF

Verifies that a libref has been assigned.

%SYSFUNC(LIBREF(libref))
MOPEN

NOTE

Opens a directory member file. %SYSFUNC(MOPEN(directoryid,member-name<open-mode<,recordlength<,record-format>>>))

Returns an observation ID for current observation of a SAS data set.

%SYSFUNC(NOTE(data-set-id))
OPEN

Opens a SAS data file. %SYSFUNC(OPEN(<data-file-

name<,mode>>))
PATHNAME

Returns the physical name of a SAS library or an external file.

%SYSFUNC(PATHNAME(fileref))
POINT

Locates an observation identified by the NOTE function.

%SYSFUNC(POINT(data-set-id,note-id))
REWIND

Positions the data set pointer to the beginning of a SAS data set.

%SYSFUNC(REWIND(data-set-id))
SPEDIS

Returns a number for the operation required to change an incorrect

keyword in a WHERE clause to a correct keyword.

%SYSFUNC(SPEDIS(query,keyword))
SYSGET

Returns the value of the specified host environment variable.

%SYSFUNC(sysget(host-variable))
SYSMSG

Returns the error or warning message produced by the last function that
attempted to access a data set or external file.

%SYSFUNC(SYSMSG())
SYSRC

VARFMT

Returns the system error number or exit status of the entry most recently
called. %SYSFUNC(SYSRC())
Returns the format assigned to a data set variable.

%SYSFUNC(VARFMT(data-set-id,var-num))
VARINFMT

Returns the informat assigned to a data set variable.

%SYSFUNC(VARINFMT(data-set-id,var-num))

Functions and Arguments for %SYSFUNC

Function

VARLABEL

Description and Syntax

Returns the label assigned to a data set variable.

%SYSFUNC(VARLABEL(data-set-id,var-num))
VARLEN

Returns the length of a data set variable.

%SYSFUNC(VARLEN(data-set-id,var-num))
VARNAME

Returns the name of a data set variable.

%SYSFUNC(VARNAME(data-set-id,var-num))
VARNUM

Returns the number of a data set variable.

%SYSFUNC(VARNUM(data-set-id,var-name))
VARTYPE

Returns the data type of a data set variable.

%SYSFUNC(VARTYPE(data-set-id,var-num))

371

372

Appendix 3

Syntax for Selected Functions Used with the %SYSFUNC Function

373

Glossary

arithmetic expression
a type of macro expression that consists of a sequence of arithmetic operators and
operands. An arithmetic expression returns a numeric value when it is executed.
autocall facility
a feature of SAS that enables you to store the source statements that define a macro
and to invoke the macro as needed, without having to include the definition in your
program.
autocall macro
a macro whose uncompiled source code and text are stored in an autocall macro
library. Unlike a stored compiled macro, an autocall macro is compiled before
execution the first time it is called.
command-style macro
a macro that is defined with the CMD option in the %MACRO statement.
constant text
the character strings that are stored as part of a macro or as a macro variable's value
in open code, from which the macro processor generates text to be used as SAS
statements, display manager commands, or other macro program statements.
Constant text is also called model text.
dummy macro
a macro that the macro processor compiles but does not store.
global macro variable
a macro variable that can be referenced in either global or local scope in a SAS
program, except where there is a local macro variable that has the same name. A
global macro variable exists until the end of the session or program.
global scope
in SAS macro programming, indicates broad context boundaries for referencing
global macro variables; that is, anywhere within the current SAS session or SAS
batch program.
input stack
the most recently read line of input from a SAS program and any text generated by
the macro processor that is awaiting processing by the word scanner.

374

Glossary

keyword parameter
a type of macro parameter that is identified by its name, followed by an equals sign.
Multiple keyword parameters can be provided in any order, and must follow any
positional parameters.
local macro variable
a macro variable that is available only within the macro in which it was created and
within macros that are invoked from within that macro. A local macro variable
ceases to exist when the macro that created it stops executing.
local scope
in SAS macro programming, indicates narrowed context boundaries for referencing
local macro variables; that is, limited to the current macro.
logical expression
a type of macro expression that consists of a sequence of logical operators and
operands. A logical expression returns a value of either true or false when it is
executed.
macro
a SAS catalog entry that contains a group of compiled program statements and stored
text.
macro call
within a SAS program, a statement that invokes (or calls) a stored compiled macro
program. You use the syntax %<user-sup-val>macro-name</user-sup-val>; to call a
macro.
macro compilation
the process of converting a macro definition from the statements that you enter to a
form that is ready for the macro processor to execute. The compiled macro is then
stored for later use in the SAS program or session.
macro execution
the process of following the instructions that are given by compiled macro program
statements in order to generate text, to write messages to the SAS log, to accept
input, to create or change the values of macro variables, or to perform other
activities. The generated text can be a SAS statement, a SAS command, or another
macro program statement.
macro expression
any valid combination of symbols that returns a value when it is executed. The three
types of macro expressions are text, logical, and arithmetic. A text expression
generates text when it is resolved (executed) and can consist of any combination of
text, macro variables, macro functions, and macro calls. A logical expression
consists of logical operators and operands and returns a value of either true or false.
An arithmetic expression consists of arithmetic operators and operands and returns a
numeric value.
macro facility
a component of Base SAS software that you can use for extending and customizing
SAS programs and for reducing the amount of text that must be entered in order to
perform common tasks. The macro facility consists of the macro processor and the
macro programming language.

Glossary 375

macro function
a function that is defined by the macro facility. Each macro function processes one or
more arguments and produces a result.
macro invocation
another term for macro call.
macro language
the programming language that is used to communicate with the macro processor.
macro parameter
a local macro variable that is defined within parentheses in a %MACRO statement.
You supply values to a macro parameter when you invoke a macro.
macro processor
the component of SAS software that compiles and executes macros and macro
program statements.
macro quoting
a function that tells the macro processor to interpret special characters and
mnemonics as text rather than as part of the macro language.
macro variable
a variable that is part of the SAS macro programming language. The value of a
macro variable is a string that remains constant until you change it. Macro variables
are sometimes referred to as symbolic variables.
macro variable reference
the name of a macro variable, preceded by an ampersand (&&lt;user-supval>name</user-sup-val>). The macro processor replaces the macro variable
reference with the value of the specified macro variable.
model text
another term for constant text.
name-style macro
a macro that is named and defined with the %MACRO statement.
null value
in the SAS macro language, a value that consists of zero characters.
open code
the part of a SAS program that is outside any macro definition.
positional parameter
a type of macro parameter that is named (using comma delimiters) in the %MACRO
statement at invocation, and is defined in the corresponding position (again using
comma delimiters) in the macro execution statement.
quoting
the process that causes the macro processor to read certain items as text rather than
as symbols in the macro language. Quoting is also called removing the significance
of an item and treating an item as text.
quoting function
a macro language function that performs quoting on its argument.

376

Glossary

reserved word
a name that is reserved for use by an internal component of a software application
and which therefore cannot be assigned by a user of that application to any type of
data object.
returned value
a character string that is the result of the execution of a macro function.
SAS compilation
the process of converting statements in the SAS language from the form in which
you enter them to a form that is ready for SAS to use.
SAS variable
a column in a SAS data set or in a SAS data view. The data values for each variable
describe a single characteristic for all observations (rows).
scope
in programming, the enclosing context for associated values and expressions. In SAS
macro programming, the scope can be either global or local, which will determine
how values are assigned to a macro variable and how the macro processor resolves
references to it.
session compiled macro
a macro that the macro processor compiles and stores in a SAS catalog in the WORK
library. These macros exist only during the current SAS session. Unlike stored
compiled macros, session compiled macros cannot be called in any other SAS
session.
statement-style macro
a macro that is defined with the STMT option in the %MACRO statement.
stored compiled macro
a macro program that was compiled in a previous session and which was stored in a
permanent directory. Unlike session compiled macros, stored compiled macros can
be called in any SAS program.
string
in the SAS macro language, any group of consecutive characters.
symbol table
the area in which the macro processor stores all macro variables and macro statement
labels for a particular scope.
symbolic substitution
the process of resolving a macro variable reference (&<user-sup-val>variablename</user-sup-val>) to its value.
symbolic variable
another term for macro variable.
text expression
a type of macro expression that generates text when it is resolved (executed). The
text expression can include any combination of text, macro variables, macro
functions, and macro calls.

Glossary

377

token
the unit into which the SAS language or the macro language divides input in order to
enable SAS to process that input. Tokens (also called words) include items that look
like English words (such as variable names) as well as items that do not (such as
mathematical operators and semicolons).
tokenizer
the part of the word scanner that divides input into tokens (also called words).
unquoting
the process of restoring the meaning of a quoted item.
word
another term for token.
word scanner
the component of SAS that examines all tokens (words) in a SAS program and
moves the tokens to the correct component of SAS for processing.

378

Glossary

379

Index

Special Characters
. (period)
creating, to follow resolved text 29
. (period) delimiter 9
& (ampersand)
indirect macro variable references and
31
& (ampersand) delimiter 4
% (percent sign)
with %STR and %NRSTR functions 86
% (percent) delimiter 4
%* Macro comment statement 284
%ABORT statement 282
%BQUOTE and %NRBQUOTE functions
242
%BQUOTE function 89
examples 89
%CMPRES and %QCMPRES autocall
macros 175
%COMPSTOR autocall macro 177
%COPY statement 286
%DATATYP autocall macro 177
%DISPLAY statement 287
%DO, iterative statement 289
%DO %UNTIL statement 291
%DO %WHILE statement 292
%DO groups
ending 293
%DO loops
generating repetitive pieces of text 9
%DO statement 288
%END statement 293
%EVAL function 243
%GLOBAL statement 294
%GOTO statement 295
destination of 300
%IF-%THEN/%ELSE statement 296
%INCLUDE statement 4
%INDEX function 245
%INPUT statement 299
text entered in response to 192

%KVERIFY autocall macro 178

%label statement 300
%LEFT and %QLEFT autocall macro
179
%LENGTH function 246
%LET statement 301
%LIST statement 4
%LOCAL statement 302
%LOWCASE and %QLOWCASE
autocall macros 180
%MACRO statement 304
PARMBUFF option 308
SECURE option 309
SOURCE option 309
STORE option 309
with keyword parameters 307
with positional parameters 307
%MEND statement 310
%NRBQUOTE function 89, 246
%NRQUOTE function 247
%NRSTR function 85, 247
examples 88
unmatched quotation marks and
parentheses 86
%PUT statement 310
tracking problems with 138
%QCMPRES autocall macro 181
%QLEFT autocall macro 181
%QLOWCASE autocall macro 182
%QSCAN function 98, 247
%QSUBSTR function 248
%QSYSFUNC function 10, 248
%QTRIM autocall macro 182
%QUOTE and %NRQUOTE functions
248
%QUPCASE function 250
%RETURN statement 314
%RUN statement 4
%SCAN and %QSCAN functions 250
%STR and %NRSTR functions 254
%STR function 85

380

Index

examples 87
percent signs with 86
unmatched quotation marks and
parentheses 86
%SUBSTR and %QSUBSTR functions
257
%SUPERQ function 91, 259
entering macro keywords 93
examples 91
preventing warning messages 92
%SYMDEL statement 314
%SYMEXIST function 260
%SYMGLOBL function 261
%SYMLOCAL function 262
%SYSCALL statement 315
RANUNI CALL routine with 316
%SYSEVALF function 263
%SYSEXEC statement 316
%SYSFUNC and %QSYSFUNC
functions 268
%SYSFUNC function 10
formatting values produced by 270
functions and arguments for 367
portable functions with 148
%SYSGET function 272
%SYSLPUT statement 317
%SYSMACDELETE statement 318
%SYSMACEXEC function 265
%SYSMACEXIST function 265
%SYSMEXECDEPTH function 266
%SYSMEXECNAME function 267
%SYSMSTORECLEAR statement 319
%SYSRC autocall macro 183
%SYSRPUT statement 319
checking return code values on remote
host 111
with SAS/CONNECT interfaces 110
%TRIM and %QTRIM autocall macro
188
%UNQUOTE function 274
%UPCASE and %QUPCASE functions
275
%VERIFY autocall macro 189
%WINDOW statement 321

defining 72
evaluating 72, 74
evaluating with floating-point arithmetic
263
evaluating with integer arithmetic 243
operands and operators 73
assigning macro variables 49
autocall facility 113
macro definition errors 131
naming macros and external files for
154
troubleshooting 130
autocall feature 335
autocall libraries 113, 114
catalogs as 115
directories as 115
location of 356
member names 115
on different hosts 114
saving macros in 114
searching for member not found earlier
352
specification errors 131
autocall macros 10, 168
calling 116
displaying source location in log 333
filenames for 132
list of 168
names for 132
required system options for 169
storing 118
storing centrally 146
supplied by SAS 118
automatic evaluation 157
automatic macro variables 10, 20, 164
by category 21
defined by macro processor 20
displaying in log 312
host-specific values 149
list of 164
prefixes 164
read/write status of 20

B
A
aborting macros 282
ampersand (&) delimiter 4
ampersands
indirect macro variable references and
31
application welcome window 326
arguments
left-aligning 179, 181
arithmetic expressions 71

batch jobs
name of 204
black hole problem 126
blanks
compressing multiple 175, 181
maintaining leading blanks 255
protecting from being compiled as text
256
removing from macro variables 229
removing leading and trailing 175, 179,
181

Index

trimming trailing blanks 182, 188

C
CALL EXECUTE routine 221
example of common problem with 104
example of incorrect use 103
timing details 103
CALL routines
invoking 315
CALL SYMDEL routine 223
CALL SYMPUT routine 224
formatting rules for assigning character
values 227
formatting rules for assigning numeric
values 227
referencing a value before it is available
226
scope and 63, 226
with complete DATA step and empty
local symbol table 68
with complete DATA step and
nonempty local symbol table 63
with incomplete DATA step 66
with SYSPBUFF and empty local
symbol table 68
CALL SYMPUTN routine 228
CALL SYMPUTX routine 229
calling autocall macros 116
calling macros 6, 33
calling stored compiled macros 118
case changes 180, 182, 275
case sensitivity 8, 114
catalogs
as autocall libraries 115
libref for catalog containing stored
compiled macros 357
searching for stored compiled macros
354
centrally storing autocall macros 146
character functions 159
character operands
comparing in logical expressions 77
character strings
passing to SAS programs 209, 360
substring of 257
character values
formatting rules for assigning 227
character width value 194
characters
locating 245
translating 271
CMDMAC system option 330
code
conditionally generating SAS code 8
generating SAS code using macros 5

381

column values
storing in declared macro variables 278
command style macros 143
command-style macros
invoking 330
comments 6, 284
compilation
note on size and number of instructions
335
compilation functions 81
compilation quoting functions 161
compiled items 33
compiled macros
executing 36
compiler 13
compiling macro definitions 34, 117
compressing blanks 175, 181
condition codes 193
conditional execution 222
conditional processing 296
conditionally generating SAS code 8
constant text 6
CPU
number available to SAS 208
customized windows 321
application welcome window 326

D
damaged data sets 197
data files
name of file most recently created 205
data sets
confirming existence of 271
creating macro variables and assigning
values from 228
damaged 197
determining number of variables and
observations in 270, 271
libref and name of most recently created
198
retrieving variable values previously
assigned from 235
DATA step
assigning values to macro variables 224
functions in 105
interacting with macro facility during
execution 102
passing values into a parameter list 223
resolving text expressions during
execution 231
returning value of macro variable,
during execution 234
DATA step compiler 13
macro resolution problems during
compilation 129

382

Index

DATA step interfaces 102, 167

CALL EXECUTE routine timing details
103
example of common problem with
CALL EXECUTE routine 104
listed by category and use 102
using CALL EXECUTE routine
incorrectly 103
data type 177
dates
execution date for SAS job or session
196
execution day for SAS job or session
196
formatting current date in a TITLE
statement 270
day of the week
for execution of SAS jobs or sessions
196
debugging 120
autocall facility 130
autocall library specifications 131
autocall macro definition errors 131
black hole problem 126
common macro problems 121
developing bug-free macros 121
developing macros in layered approach
120
displaying information about stored
compiled macros 132
encountering errors 120
examining generated SAS statements
135
examining macro variable resolution
137
expression evaluation 133
file and macro names for autocall 132
macro functions 126
macro variable resolution 123
macro variable scope 124
nesting information generated by
MLOGICNEST 135
nesting information generated by
MPRINTNEST 136
open code recursion 125
storing MPRINT output in external file
136
techniques for 134
timing issues 128
tracing flow of execution 134
tracing generated statements for 349
tracing macro execution for 346
tracing resolution of macro variable
references 358
tracking %PUT statement problems
138

tracking system option problems 134

troubleshooting macros 121
unresolved macros 126
warning messages and 120
defining macros 5, 33
delimiters 4
delimiting macro variable names within
text 28
for IN operator 343
period as 9
delta character 97
directories
as autocall libraries 115
double quotation marks 5
dummy macros 35, 126

E
efficient macros
See macros, efficient
encoding
for SAS sessions 199
error conditions
%SYSRC mnemonics for 183
error messages 122
text of last message generated in log
202
error return codes 201
error types 120
errors
debugging and 120
evaluation functions 160
executing compiled macros 36
execution, tracing flow of 134
execution errors 120
execution functions 82
existence of data sets 271
existence of macro variables 233, 260
exits
providing in a large macro 296
expressions
See also macro expressions
generating indirect macro variable
references with 30
troubleshooting evaluation problems
133
external files
naming for autocall facility 154
routing MPRINT output to 343, 351
storing MPRINT output in 136

F
FILENAME statement
return code from 203
filerefs

Index

limiting to eight characters 258

verifying 190
floating-point evaluation 263
floating-point operands
evaluating 75
floating-point values
comparing in logical expressions 76
flow of execution, tracing 134
forcing local macro variables 58
functions
See also macro functions
See also macro quoting functions
assigning results to macro variables 144
executing 268
for use with %SYSFUNC function 367
in DATA step and macro facility 105
portable 148
user-written 268

G
global macro variables 5, 20, 43, 44
creating 61, 294
creating, based on value of local
variables 62
creating in macro definitions 295
indicating whether macro variables are
global 238
returning values as numeric 237
with same name as a local variable 303
global symbol table 44
deleting variables from 223, 314
graphics device 197

383

creating a series of, with single macro

call 31
generating with an expression 30
using more than two ampersands 31
input stacks 11
integer arithmetic evaluation 243
integer expressions 73
interactive mode 199
interfaces 10, 101, 167
DATA step interfaces 102
functions in DATA step and macro
facility 105
SAS/CONNECT interfaces 110
with SCL 107
with SQL procedure 106
INTO clause 107, 277
invocation status
of macro currently executing 207
invoking macros 6

J
jobs
execution day 196
execution of 107
job ID 204

K
keyword parameters 8, 307
keywords 93

L
H
hexadecimal character constants 3
hexadecimal values 3
host name 203
of computers running multiple TCPIP
stacks 217
host-specific macro variables 153
automatic macro variables with 149

I
IMPLMAC system option 331
IN (#) logical operator
macro processor and 345
IN operator
delimiter for 343
indexes
executing a macro section repetitively,
based on an index variable 289
indirect macro variable references 30

labels
branching macro processing to specified
label 295
large macros
providing exits in 296
layered approach 120
leading blanks
maintaining 255
removing 175, 181
removing from macro variables 229
left-alignment 179, 181
length of a string 246
LIBNAME statement
return code from 206
librefs
for catalogs containing stored compiled
macros 357
of most recently created data set 198
licenses for SAS products 272
literals 13
local hosts

384

Index

assigning macro variable values from

remote host to 319
local macro variables 5, 8, 43, 46
creating 54, 302
creating global variables based on value
of 62
displaying in log 313
forcing 58
indicating whether macro variables are
local 239
with same name as a global variable
303
local symbol table 46
CALL SYMPUT routine and 63, 68
LOCK statement
return code from 205
log
compilation notes in 335
displaying automatic macro variables
312
displaying local variables 313
displaying macro execution information
341
displaying nesting information 347, 351
displaying source location of autocall
macros 333
displaying user-generated variables 313
text of last error message generated in
202
text of last warning message 219
tracing resolution of macro variable
references 358
writing contents of symbol tables to 48
writing text or macro variable
information to 310
LOGAPPLNAME= system option 206
logical expressions 71
comparing character operands 77
comparing floating-point values 76
comparing missing values 76
comparing numeric operands 76
defining 72
evaluating 72, 76
evaluating with floating-point arithmetic
263
evaluating with integer arithmetic 243
operands and operators 73
login
of current SAS process 217
long macro variables
storing values in segments 258
lowercase characters
converting to uppercase 275
converting uppercase characters to 180,
182

M
macro calls 6
% (percent) delimiter and 4
creating a series of indirect macro
variable references 31
macro character functions 159
macro debugging
See debugging
macro definitions 5, 33
allowing new definitions 336
beginning 304
compiling 34, 117
containing several SAS statements 7
creating global variables in 295
ending 310
macro statements used in 156
nested 143
redefining 353
storing 117
troubleshooting 131
macro evaluation functions 160
macro execution
tracing 347
tracing generated statements for
debugging 349
macro expressions 71
See also arithmetic expressions
See also logical expressions
text expressions 71
macro facility 3
functions in 105
interacting with, during DATA step
execution 102
interfaces 10, 101, 167
reserved words 363
SCL interfaces to 108
searching for stored compiled macros
354
system options in 170
word rules 363
macro functions 10, 158
assigning results to macro variables 144
character functions 159
evaluation functions 160
lists of 163
manipulating macro variable values
with 32
quoting functions 161
troubleshooting 126
macro keywords 93
macro language 4
additional features of 10
as string based language 3
autocall macros 168
automatic variables 164
availability of 332

Index

elements 155
elements with system dependencies 152
functions 158
macro facility interfaces 167
reserved words in 23
statements 156
system options in macro facility 170
macro libraries
copying items from 286
macro names 5
for autocall facility 154
macro parameters 7
keyword parameters 8, 307
positional 307
validating 291
macro processing 11, 33
branching to specified label 295
calling macros 33
compiling macro definitions 34
defining macros 33
executing compiled macros 36
statement processing with macro
activity 14
statement processing without macro
activity 12
summary of 41
macro processor 3, 14
compiling macro definitions 34
evaluating arithmetic expressions 74
evaluating logical expressions 76
executing compiled macros 36
IN (#) logical operator and 345
tracing execution for debugging 346
variables defined by 20
warning message when reference does
not match variable 357
macro quoting 80
how it works 97
masking special characters and
mnemonics 80
mnemonics in passed parameters 82
necessity of 80
referring to already quoted variables 90
special characters in passed parameters
82
unquoting text 95
macro quoting functions 5, 80, 98, 161
%BQUOTE 89
%NRBQUOTE 89
%NRSTR 85
%QSCAN 98
%STR 85
%SUPERQ 91
amount of text to mask 91
compilation functions 81
compilation quoting functions 161

385

execution functions 82
execution of 161
overview 81
Q functions 98
summary of 94
unmatched quotation marks and
parentheses 162
when to use 83
which function to use 83
macro source code
saving 117
macro statements 10, 156
executing immediately 128
for automatic evaluation 157
lists of 156
open code recursion 125
used in macro definitions 156
used in open code 156
MACRO system option 332
macro triggers 15
macro variable names
prefixes 124
macro variable references 4, 27
combining with text 28
creating a period to follow resolved text
29
delimiting names within text 28
generating suffixes for 9
in submit blocks 108
indirect referencing 30
period (.) as delimiter 9
quoting values that might contain 256
resolved by SCL 108
resolving 232
tracing resolution of 358
warning message when reference does
not match variable 357
warning message when references
cannot resolve 340
macro variable resolution
errors 120, 123
examining with SYMBOLGEN 137
problems during DATA step
compilation 129
problems with 123
macro variable scopes
See scopes of macro variables
macro variables 4, 19
See also automatic macro variables
See also global macro variables
See also local macro variables
See also user-defined macro variables
& (ampersand) delimiter and 4
additional scan of long values 146
affecting job execution 107
assigning 49

386

Index

assigning a response to 300

assigning DATA step values to 224
assigning function results to 144
assigning SQL procedure values 277
assigning values from remote host to
local host 319
assigning values to, and removing
blanks 229
changing values of 52
creating, and assigning values from a
data set 228
creating and assigning a value 301
creating on remote host or server 317
defined by macro processor 20
defining 4
deleting from global symbol table 223,
314
delimiting names within text 28
displaying user-generated variables in
log 313
displaying values 29
existence of 233, 260
global 20
host-specific 153
indicating global or local scope 261,
262
indicating whether macro variables are
global 238
indicating whether macro variables are
local 239
length of 19
manipulating values with macro
functions 32
maximum value size for storing in
memory 355
mnemonics in 5
modifying values of, on remote host or
server 317
passing unresolved values 260
quoting 243
resetting to null 146
resolving 49
retrieving values previously assigned
from a data set 235
returning value of, to DATA step during
execution 234
scanning values for words 32
scope of, when created with CALL
SYMPUT routine 226
special characters in 5
storing all row values in one variable
279
storing column values in declared
variables 278
storing long values in segments 258
storing one copy of long values 147

storing row values in list of 279

supplying values to, during macro
execution 299
system-specific 21
warning message when reference does
not match variable 357
writing information to log 310
macros 33
See also autocall macros
See also macros, efficient
See also macros, portable
% (percent) delimiter and 4
aborting 282
black hole problem 126
calling 33
calling or invoking 6
comments in 6
conditionally processing a portion of
296
defining 5, 33
developing bug-free 121
developing in layered approach 120
dummy macros 35, 126
executing a section repetitively 289
executing a section repetitively until a
condition is true 291
executing a section repetitively while a
condition is true 292
executing conditionally 222
generating SAS code 5
in SCL programs (examples) 109
invocation status 207
maximum size for execution in memory
342
name style 143
number executing in current job or
session 204
parameter values 210
passing information into 7
providing exits in large macros 296
redefining 353
reusing 113
saving in autocall libraries 114
saving with stored compiled macro
facility 117
session compiled 113
sharing between SCL programs 109
solving common problems 121
statement-style 331
storing 113
strings within 6
terminating 314
troubleshooting 121
unresolved 126
wise use of 142
macros, efficient 141

Index

additional scanning of macro variables

146
assigning function results to macro
variables 144
avoiding nested macro definitions 143
centrally storing autocall macros 146
efficiency in perspective 142
MSYMTABMAX= system option and
146
MVARSIZE= system option and 146
name style macros 143
resetting macro variables to null 146
stored compiled macro facility and 145
storing long macro variable values 147
turning off system options 145
wise use of macros 142
macros, portable 141, 148
%SYSFUNC and 148
automatic variables with host-specific
values 149
host-specific macro variables 153
macro language elements with system
dependencies 152
naming macros and external files for
autocall facility 154
maintenance level 218, 219
markup tags
removing from titles 292
masking 5, 80, 181, 182
deciding how much text to mask 91
referring to already quoted variables 90
summary of 94
unmasking 274
masking functions
%BQUOTE 89, 242
%NRBQUOTE 89, 242
%NRQUOTE 247, 248
%NRSTR 85, 247, 254
%QUOTE 248
%STR 85, 254
%SUPERQ 259
%UNQUOTE 274
MAUTOCOMPLOC system option 332
MAUTOLOCDISPLAY system option
333
MAUTOLOCINDES system option 334
MAUTOSOURCE system option 335
MCOMPILE system option 336
MCOMPILENOTE system option 335
MCOVERAGE system options 337
MCOVERAGELOC= system option 340
memory
amount available to symbol tables 354
maximum size for variable values stored
in 355
maximum size of macros executed 342

387

MERROR system option 340

messages
displaying in macro windows 207
MEXECNOTE system option 341
MEXECSIZE system option 342
MFILE system option 343
MINDELIMITER= system option 343
MINOPERATOR system option 345
missing semicolons
open code recursion and 125
missing values
comparing in logical expressions 76
MLOGIC system option 346
tracing flow of execution with 134
MLOGICNEST system option 347
nesting information generated by 135
mnemonics
in macro variables 5
in passed parameters 82
masking 80, 85
quoting values that might contain 249
model text 6
MPRINT system option 349
examining generated SAS statements
135
routing output to external file 343, 351
storing output in external file 136
MPRINTNEST system option 351
nesting information generated by 136
MRECALL system option 352
MREPLACE system option 353
MSTORED system option 354
MSYMTABMAX= system option 354
adjusting values for efficiency 146
MVARSIZE= system option 355
adjusting values for efficiency 146

N
name style macros 143
names
as tokens 13
batch jobs 204
external files, for autocall facility 154
host name 203
of most recently created data set 198
of procedure being processed 212
operating system 214
prefixes for macro variable names 124
process name 211, 216
userids 204
nested macro definitions 143
nesting information
generated by MLOGICNEST 135, 347
generated by MPRINTNEST 136, 351
nesting scopes 43

388

Index

notes
on macro compilation 335
numbers
as tokens 13
numeric operands
comparing in logical expressions 76
evaluating 74
numeric values
formatting rules for assigning 227
returning global macro variable values
as 237

O
observations
determining number in a data set 270,
271
ODS pathname 209
open code 4, 20
macro statements used in 156
open code recursion 125
operands 73
character operands 77
floating-point operands 75
numeric operands 74, 76
operating environment
name of 214
passing character strings to SAS
program steps 209
operating environment commands 316
operating environment condition codes
193
operating environment variables
returning value of specified variable
272
operating system identifier 212
operators 73
output
storing MPRINT output 136

P
parameter lists
passing DATA step values to 223
parameter values
text supplied as 210
parameters
macro parameters 7
passing parameters containing special
characters and mnemonics 82
parentheses
unmatched 162
unmatched, with %STR and %NRSTR
functions 86
PARMBUFF option
%MACRO statement 308

passing character strings 209

passing information into macros 7
passing unresolved values 260
percent (%) delimiter 4
percent sign (%)
with %STR function 86
period (.)
creating, to follow resolved text 29
period (.) delimiter 9
portable functions 148
portable macros
See macros, portable
positional parameters 307
printing
conditionally printing reports 299
procedures
name of procedure being processed 212
passing values to 209
return codes provided by 204
process ID 216
process name 211, 216
processors
number available to SAS 208
program flow, controlling 301
program steps
passing character strings to 209
programs
passing character strings to 360
passing user identification to 360

Q
quotation marks 5
unmatched 162
unmatched, with %STR and %NRSTR
functions 86
quoted strings 5
quoting
values that may contain macro
references 256
values that might contain mnemonic
operators 249
quoting functions 5, 161
%BQUOTE 242
%NRBQUOTE 242
%NRQUOTE 248
%NRQUOTE function 247
%NRSTR 247, 254
%QUOTE 248
%STR 254
%SUPERQ 259

R
RANUNI CALL routine

Index

invoking with %SYSCALL statement

316
read/write status
of automatic macro variables 20
recursion 125
recursive references 125
release number 218, 219
remote hosts
assigning macro variable values to local
host 319
checking return code values 111, 320
creating or modifying macro variables
on 317
remote servers
creating or modifying macro variables
on 317
repetitive pieces of text, generating 9
reports
conditionally printing 299
reserved words 23, 363
resetting macro variables to null 146
RESOLVE function 231
resolved text
creating a period to follow 29
resolving macro variable references 231
resolving macro variables 49
writing to log for debugging 358
return code status 200
return codes 200
checking values on remote host 111,
320
errors 201
for damaged data sets 197
from last FILENAME statement 203
from LIBNAME statement 206
from LOCK statement 205
name of last return code generated 212
provided by SAS procedures 204
testing for 183
warnings 200
reusing macros 113
rows
storing all values in one macro variable
279
storing values in list of macro variables
279

S
SAS code
conditionally generating 8
generating with macros 5
SAS Component Language
See SCL
SAS jobs
execution date 196

389

execution day 196

number of macros executing in current
job 204
SAS process
user ID or login of current process 217
SAS process ID 216
SAS process name 216
SAS programs
macro processing and 11
passing character strings to 209, 360
passing user identification to 360
SAS sessions
encoding for 199
execution day 196
SAS software
licenses for products 272
maintenance level 218, 219
release number 218, 219
SAS statements
macro definitions containing 7
SAS/CONNECT interfaces 110
%SYSRPUT with 110
checking return code values on remote
host 111
SAS/TOOLKIT 10
SASAUTOS= system option 356
SASMSTORE= system option 357
saving macro source code 117
saving macros
in autocall libraries 114
stored compiled macro facility for 117
scanning macro variable values for words
32
SCL 107
example of macros in 109
interfaces 107, 108, 167
macro variable references in submit
blocks 108
resolving macro references 108
SCL programs 107
examples of macros in 109
returning global macro variable values
as numeric 237
sharing macros between 109
scopes of macro variables 43
assigning macro variables 49
CALL SYMPUT routine and 63
changing macro variable values 52
examples 52
global macro variables 44
global macro variables, based on local
variable values 62
global macro variables, creating 61
indicating whether macro variables are
global 238, 261

390

Index

indicating whether macro variables are

local 239, 262
local macro variables 46
local macro variables, creating 54
local macro variables, forcing 58
nesting 43
resolving macro variables 49
solving problems 124
special cases 63
variables created with CALL SYMPUT
routine 226
writing symbol table contents to log 48
search order
assigning or resolving macro variables
49
searching
autocall libraries 352
for a word, by position in a string 250
for stored compiled macros 354
SECURE option
%MACRO statement 309
segments
storing long macro variable values in
258
semantic errors 120
SERROR system option 357
session compiled macros 113
sharing macros between SCL programs
109
single quotation marks 5
site number 215
source code 145
saving 117
SOURCE option
%MACRO statement 309
special characters
as tokens 13
in macro variables 5
in passed parameters 82
macro quoting guidelines 83
masking 80, 85
special tokens 13
SQL procedure 106
assigning values to macro variables 277
controlling job execution 107
interfaces 106, 168
INTO clause 107
STARTSAS statement
ID generated from 216
process name generated from 216
statement style macros 143
statement-style macros
invoking 331
statements
examining generated SAS statements
135

macro definitions containing SAS

statements 7
macro statements 10
processing with macro activity 14
processing without macro activity 12
tracing for debugging 349
STORE option
%MACRO statement 309
stored compiled macro facility 113
efficiency and 145
overview 117
saving macros with 117
stored compiled macros 177
calling 118
displaying information about 132
libref for catalog containing 357
searching catalogs for 354
storing autocall macros
centrally 146
supplied by SAS 118
storing macro definitions 117
storing macros 113
saving macros in autocall libraries 114
saving macros with stored compiled
macro facility 117
storing MPRINT output
in external files 136
strings
length of 246
locating first character in 245
passing character strings to SAS
programs 209, 360
reducing length of 246
searching for words by position in 250
substring of a character string 257
within macros 6
stripped for printing 138
submit blocks
macro variable references in 108
substrings
of a character string 257
suffixes
generating for macro variable references
9
symbol tables 14, 20, 44
amount of memory available to 354
global 44, 223, 314
local 46
writing contents to log 48
SYMBOLGEN system option 358
examining macro variable resolution
137
SYMEXIST function 233
SYMGET function 234
SYMGETN function 237
SYMGLOBL function 238

Index

SYMLOCAL function 239

syntax 4
syntax errors 120
SYSADDRBITS automatic macro
variable 192
SYSBUFFR automatic macro variable
192
SYSCC automatic macro variable 193
SYSCHARWIDTH automatic macro
variable 194
SYSCMD automatic macro variable 194
SYSDATE automatic macro variable 195
SYSDATE9 automatic macro variable
195
SYSDAY automatic macro variable 196
SYSDEVIC automatic macro variable
197
SYSDMG automatic macro variable 197
SYSDSN automatic macro variable 198
SYSENCODING automatic macro
variable 199
SYSENDIAN automatic macro variable
199
SYSENV automatic macro variable 199
SYSERR automatic macro variable 200
SYSERRORTEXT automatic macro
variable 202
SYSFILRC automatic macro variable 203
SYSHOSTNAME automatic macro
variable 203
SYSINDEX automatic macro variable
204
SYSINFO automatic macro variable 204
SYSJOBID automatic macro variable 204
SYSLAST automatic macro variable 204,
205
SYSLCKRC automatic macro variable
205
SYSLIBRC automatic macro variable
206
SYSLOGAPPLNAME automatic macro
variable 206
SYSMACRONAME automatic macro
variable 206
SYSMENV automatic macro variable
207
SYSMSG automatic macro variable 207
SYSNCPU automatic macro variable 208
SYSNOBS automatic macro variable 208
SYSODSESCAPECHAR automatic
macro variable 208
SYSODSPATH automatic macro variable
209
SYSPARM automatic macro variable 209
with host-specific values 151, 152
SYSPARM= system option 360

391

SYSPBUFF automatic macro variable 210

CALL SYMPUT routine and 68
SYSPROCESSID automatic macro
variable 211
SYSPROCESSNAME 211
SYSPROCESSNAME automatic macro
variable 211
SYSPROCNAME automatic macro
variable 211, 212
SYSRC automatic macro variable 212
with host-specific values 152
SYSSCP and SYSSCPL automatic macro
variables 212
SYSSCP automatic macro variable 212
with host-specific values 150
SYSSCPL automatic macro variable 212,
214
SYSSITE automatic macro variable 215
SYSSIZEOFLONG automatic macro
variable 215
SYSSIZEOFPTR automatic macro
variable 215
SYSSIZEOFUNICODE automatic macro
variable 215
SYSSTARTID automatic macro variable
215, 216
SYSSTARTNAME 216
SYSSTARTNAME automatic macro
variable 216
SYSTCPIPHOSTNAME automatic macro
variable 216, 217
system options
in macro facility 170
required for autocall macros 169
tracking problems with 134
turning off, for efficiency 145
system-specific macro variables 21
SYSTIME automatic macro variable 217
SYSUSERID automatic macro variable
217
SYSVER automatic macro variable 218
SYSVLONG automatic macro variable
218
SYSVLONG4 automatic macro variable
218, 219
SYSWARNINGTEXT automatic macro
variable 219

T
TCPIP stacks 203
host name of computers running 217
temporary files
deleting 214
terminating macros 314
text

392

Index

combining macro variable references

with 28
creating a period to follow resolved text
29
delimiting macro variable names within
28
generating repetitive pieces of 9
writing to log 310
text expressions 71
resolving during DATA step execution
231
text items 33
text strings
replacing using macro variables 4
text substitution 4
timing issues 128
macro resolution problems during
DATA step compilation 129
macro statement executing immediately
128
TITLE statement
formatting current date in 270
titles
removing markup tags from 292
tokenization 12
tokens 12, 365
list of 365
tracing
flow of execution 134
generation of statements 349
macro execution 347
resolution of macro variable references
358
tracking problems
with %PUT statement 138
with system options 134
trailing blanks
removing 175, 179, 181
removing from macro variables 229
trimming 182, 188
translating characters 271
trimming trailing blanks 182, 188
troubleshooting 121
autocall facility 130
autocall library specifications 131
autocall macro definition errors 131
black hole problem 126
common macro problems 121
displaying information about stored
compiled macros 132
expression evaluation 133
file and macro names for autocall 132
macro functions 126
macro variable resolution 123
macro variable scope 124
open code recursion 125

timing issues 128

unresolved macros 126

U
unmasking 274
unmatched quotation marks and
parentheses 86
macro quoting functions and 162
unquoting text 95
unresolved macros
troubleshooting 126
unresolved values
passing 260
uppercase characters
converting to 275
converting to lowercase 180, 182
user identification
passing to SAS programs 360
user IDs
of current SAS process 217
user-defined macro variables 20, 23
assigning values 24
assignment types for values 24
creating 24
overview 23
user-generated macro variables
displaying in log 313
user-written functions
executing 268
userids
name of 204

V
variables
determining number in a data set 270,
271
value of specified operating system
variable 272
verifying text or text expressions 189
version number 218

W
warning conditions
%SYSRC mnemonics for 183
warning messages 122
debugging and 120
preventing 92
text of last message formatted for log
display 219
when macro references cannot resolve
340
when variable reference does not match
variable 357

Index

warning return codes 200

weekdays
for execution of SAS jobs or sessions
196
width
character width value 194
windows
creating application welcome window
326
defining customized windows 321

393

displaying macro windows 287

displaying text in message area 207
word rules 363
word scanner 12, 15
words
scanning macro variable values for 32
searching for, by position in a string
250
words, reserved 363

394

Index