#Numeric to character sas how to
#Numeric to character sas code

Use a DO-loop to convert each character variable to numeric format.This second set of numeric variables will have the original names. Create two arrays: one for the character variables, and one for the new, numeric variables that will hold the converted values.Doing this simultaneously is the most difficult step. Rename the original character variables to temporary names.Thus, the trick to this conversion process is three-fold: The real difficulty is ensuring that all of the new variables will have their original names you cannot drop the original variable and rename the new variable easily in the same array. The conversion of multiple variables between character and numeric formats is actually easy it requires just a simple DO-loop. The hard part is actually re-naming the variables I will use this BASKETBALL1 data set as an example, and I will convert POINTS, REBOUNDS, and ASSISTS from character to numeric simultaneously. In this tutorial, I will show a fast way of doing these conversions for many variables at once.

#Numeric to character sas code

data basketball2 ĭespite this success, the above code can be very cumbersome when I need to do this for many variables, and this situation arose in my job recently. Note that I chose “2.” for the length of “JERSEY”, because I know that jersey numbers in the NBA have, at most, 2 digits. I can convert these variables into the correct types using the following code. Thus, for NBA jersey numbers, it is best to save it as a character variable. ( Robert Parish wore this jersey number he won 4 NBA championships and reached the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.) If you code “00” as a numeric variable, then it will render as “0”. The National Basketball Association (NBA) allows “00” as a possible jersey number. The jersey number is really a character variable, because its magnitude has no real-life meaning. (You can use PROC CONTENTS to confirm this if needed.) The 3 performance metrics (points, rebounds, and assists) are clearly numeric, but they are currently coded as character. Input jersey points $ rebounds $ assists $ They are hypothetical statistics of 3 players from a basketball game. Let’s consider this small data set in SAS as an example. However, I recently needed to do hundreds of these conversions, so I wanted some code to accomplish this quickly and accurately.

#Numeric to character sas how to

Thus, converting them into the correct variable types is a common task, and SAS Note #24590 shows how to do so. The following examples show how to use these rules to convert from character/numeric or numeric/character:Ī PUT() converts character variable to another character variable.ī PUT() converts numeric variable to a character variable with numeric value.Ĭ PUT() converts character variable with a user defined format to another character variable.ĭ INPUT() converts character variable with numeric value and informat to a numeric variable.Į INPUT() converts character variable with numeric value and informat to a character variable.į INPUT() converts character variable with numeric value and informat to a numeric variable.I often get data that are coded as character, but are actually meant to be numeric.

The source variable type for INPUT() must always be character variables.The source format must match the source variable type in PUT().INPUT() can create character or numeric variables based on the informat.

PUT() always creates character variables.

Keep these four rules in mind when writing your SAS statements:

If your source variable is character, is your data value character or numeric?īased on your answers to the three questions above, you can identify whether PUT() or INPUT() comes first.

Is your source variable character or numeric?.

Is your target variable character or numeric?.

The answer to the question 'Do I use PUT() or INPUT()?' depends on what your target variable type is and what your source variable type and data are. How many times have you had a need to convert between variable types such as converting character to numeric or numeric to character? For example, what if you have a character variable with numeric values but you need to perform some calculations? Or, if you have a numeric variable but you need to concatenate it to a character variable? If you are like most SAS programmers, you need to use PUT() and INPUT() at least once to complete these tasks.