CODEWITHSUNDEEP
sassas-macro
alexwhitworth
alexwhitworth

Reputation: 4907

Error surrounding use of scan(&varlist) + Comparison of macro variables

As a follow up to this question, for which my existing answer appears to be best: Extracting sub-data from a SAS dataset & applying to a different dataset

Given a dataset dsn_in, I currently have a set of macro variables max_1 - max_N that contain numeric data. I also have a macro variable varlist containing a list of variables. The two sets of macros are related such that max_1 is associated with scan(&varlist, 1), etc. I am trying to do compare the data values within dsn_in for each variable in varlist to the associated comparison values max_1 - max_N. I would like to output the updated data to dsn_out. Here is what I have so far:

data dsn_out;
  set dsn_in;

  /* scan list of variables and compare to decision criteria.
     if > decision criteria, cap variable */
  do i = 1 by 1 while(scan(&varlist, i) ~= '');
    if scan("&varlist.", i) > input(symget('max_' || left(put(i, 2.))), best12.) then   
    scan("&varlist.", i) = input(symget('max_' || left(put(i, 2.))), best12.);
  end;  
run;

However, I'm getting the following error, which I don't understand. options mprint; shown. SAS appears to be interpreting scan as both an array and a variable, when it's a SAS function. 

ERROR: Undeclared array referenced: scan.
MPRINT(OUTLIERS_MAX):   if scan("var1 var2 var3 ... varN", i) > input(symget('max_' 
|| left(put(i, 2.))), best12.) then scan("var1 var2 var3 ... varN", i) = 
input(symget('max_' || left(put(i, 2.))), best12.);
ERROR: Variable scan has not been declared as an array.
MPRINT(OUTLIERS_MAX):   end;
MPRINT(OUTLIERS_MAX):   run;

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 524

Answers (1)

Joe
Joe

Reputation: 63424

The specific issue you have here is that you place SCAN on the left side of an equal sign. That is not allowed; SUBSTR is allowed to be used in this fashion, but not SCAN.

Upvotes: 2

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