Course Description

Duration

2 days

Description

This course is for SAS programmers who wish to write more dynamic and sophisticated SAS programs with low maintenance overheads. It focuses on the components of the macro facility and how the macro language affects the normal processing of SAS programs. An emphasis is placed on designing macro systems and debugging techniques.

Prerequisite Skills

You should have attended SAS Programming: Data Manipulation Techniques, or have an equivalent level of knowledge.

SAS Modules Used

Base SAS.

Course Topics

Introduction

• purpose of the macro facility
• program flow
• course data.

Macro Variables

• introduction
• automatic macro variables
• macro variable references
• user defined macro variables
• delimiting macro variable names
• macro functions.

Macro Definitions

• defining and calling a macro
• macro parameters.

DATA Step and SQL Interfaces

• creating macro variables in the DATA step
• indirect references to macro variables
• retrieving macro variables in the DATA step (self study)
• creating macro variables in SQL.

Macro Programs

• conditional processing
• iterative processing
• global and local symbol tables.