SAS Macros

1. SAS
MACRO

2. Objective
1
2
3
4
5
6
Macro
Macro Variable
Macro Module
Creating Macro Variable
Macro Function
Debugging Macro

3. SAS
MACRO

4. What is Macro?
• It can make your work faster by automating the task
that requires writing same lines of code every day.
• Macros are used to automate the repetitive task.
• It can also be used when you
design a complex algorithm and
want to make usage of code user
friendly so that people who are
not comfortable with programming
can use your algorithm.

5. SAS
Variables

6. Macro Variables
Global Variable
 If the macro variable is
defined outside a macro
code, then scope is global.
It can be use any where in
the SAS program and gets
removed at the end of the
session.
Local Variable
 If the macro variable is
defined inside a macro
code, then scope is local.
It would be available for
use in that macro only
and gets removed when
the macro is finished.

7. Global Macro Variable declaration
Syntax :
• %GLOBAL macro-variable(s);
Example :
• %GLOBAL DET_CT;
1. Global variable declaration
2. Macro variable creation
3. Macro variable used
outside a dataset
4. Macro calling

8. Local Macro Variable declaration
Syntax :
• %LOCAL macro-variable(s);
Example :
• %LOCAL RUNMODE;
1. Local variable declaration
2. Macro declaration with
argument
3. Macro calling with
argument

9. Concatenating Macro Variable with other
text

10. SAS
Modules

11. CREATING MODULAR CODE WITH MACROS
SYNTAX :
%MACRO MACRO_NAME;
MACRO_TEXT;
%MEND;
INVOLING A MACRO :
%MACRO_NAME
EXAMPLE :

12. ADDING PARAMETERS TO MACRO
SYNTAX :
%MACRO MACRO_NAME(PARAMETER1=,…,PARAMETERN=);
MACRO_TEXT;
%MEND;
INVOLING A MACRO :
%MACRO_NAME(PARAMETER1=VALUE,..,PARAMETER=VALUE)

13. Ways to Create
Macro Variables

14. Different ways to create a Macro variable
%LET
INTO clause in PROC SQL
Macro Parameters
CALL SYMPUT routine
ITERATIVE %DO

15. %LET
DESCRIPTION :
It can defined inside or outside a macro.
• SYNTAX :
%LET macro-variable-name =
value;
• EXAMPLE :
%LET x = 5;
%let dt = &sysdate;

16. Macro Parameters

17. INTO clause in PROC SQL

18. CALL SYMPUT routine
Description :
It can defined inside or outside a macro.
• SYNTAX :
CALL SYMPUT(macro_varname,value);
1. Global variable declaration
2. Macro variable creation
3. Macro variable used outside a
dataset
4. Macro calling
• EXAMPLE :

19. ITERATIVE %DO
• SYNTAX :
%DO macro-variable = start %TO stop
<%BY increment>;
. . . text . . .
%END;
• Example :

20. CONDITIONAL PROCESSING %IF %THEN

21. Macro
Functions

22. SAS Macro Functions
%EVAL Function
%SYSEVALF Function
%SYSFUNC Function
%STR Function
%NRSTR Function
%SCAN Function

23. %EVAL Function
It is used to perform mathematical and logical operation with
macro variables. Its only for Whole number only
OUTPUT FOR Z  10*20 Z2  200

24. %SYSEVALF Function
It is used to perform mathematical and logical operation with
macro variables. Its for Floating variables
OUTPUT FOR Z  10.5+20.2 Z2  Error Z3  30.7

25. %SYSFUNC Function
%Sysfunc enables those function to make them work in
a macro.
• Eg :
%let dt3 = %sysfunc(date(),yymmdd10.);
• Output :
2020-09-18

26. %STR Function
• Usage I : This function removes the normal meaning of
following token + – * /, > < = ; “ LT EQ GT LE GE LE NE AND
OR NOT blank.
• Usage II : Precede with % sign when you use single or double
quotation in macro
• Usage III : It also preserves leading and trailing blanks of the
string.

27. Examples for %STR Function
• Example for Usage 1:
%let exmp0 = proc print; run;;
%let exmpl1 = %str(proc print; run;) ;
%put &exmp0;
Output  exmp0 : proc print, exmp1 : proc print; run;
• Example for Usage 2:
%let var=%str(a%");
%put &var;
Output  a”
• Example for Usage 3 :
%let dt= %str( a );
%put &dt;
Output a

28. %NRSTR Function
%NRSTR works similar to %STR works except it does not resolve
the % and & but stop the macro triggers.
• Eg :
%put "Difference between %NRSTR(&SYSDATE9) and
&SYSDATE9";
• Output  "Difference between &SYSDATE9 and 18SEP2020"

29. %SCAN Function
It returns the nth word in a string.
SYNTAX :
%SCAN(argument,n,<delimiters>)
• Eg :
%LET SYSPARM = A+B+C+D;
%LET VAR1 = %SCAN(&SYSPARM,1,+);
%LET VAR2 = %SCAN(&SYSPARM,2,+);
%LET VAR3 = %SCAN(&SYSPARM,3,+);
%LET VAR4 = %SCAN(&SYSPARM,4,+);
• Output  VAR1 = A; VAR2 = B; VAR3 = C; VAR4 = D;

30. Debugging
Macro

31. DEBUGGING SAS MACROS
MERROR | NOMERROR
SERROR | NOSERROR
MLOGIC | NOMLOGIC
MPRINT | NOMPRINT
SYMBOLGEN | NOSYMBLOGEN

32. MERROR | NOMERROR
• MERROR  allows SAS to issue a warning message if the macro processor
cannot match a macro-like name (of the form %name) to an appropriate
macro keyword. Few instances to produce error are,
 a macro keyword, including a macro call, is misspelled
 a macro is called before being defined
 a string that contains a percent sign is encountered.
Eg : For %SAMPL  Warning: Apparent invocation of macro SAMPL not
resolved.
• NOMERROR  does not allow SAS to issue warning messages.
 program contains a percent sign in a string that could be mistaken for a macro
keyword, you can specify NOMERROR to suppress the warning messages.

33. SERROR | NOSERROR
• SERROR  Issues a warning message when a macro variable reference does not match a
defined macro variable.
 the name in a macro variable reference is misspelled
 the variable is referenced before it has been defined
 the program contains an ampersand (&) that is followed by a string, without intervening blanks
between the ampersand and the string.
For example, this statement uses an ampersand as the symbol for the logical operator AND with
no intervening blanks: if x&y then do;
 the program contains an ampersand (&) that is used as a literal and is enclosed in double quotation
marks: if buyer="Smith&Jones, Inc." then do;
Eg : For &SAMPL  Warning: Apparent Symbolic reference SAMPL not resolved.
• NOSERROR  does not issue the SAS system warning messages when a defined macro
variable reference does not match a macro variable.

34. MLOGIC | NOMLOGIC
• MLOGIC  specifies that the macro language processor trace
its execution and write the trace information to the SAS log.
 the beginning of macro execution
 the values of macro parameters at that point
 the execution of each macro program statement
 whether each %IF condition is true or false
 each iteration of the %DO loop
 the end of macro execution.
• NOMLOGIC  specifies that the macro language processor
not trace execution or write to the SAS log.

35. Example and SASLOG info.
• Eg :
%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)
• SASLOG Info :
MLOGIC(FIRST): Beginning execution.
MLOGIC(FIRST): Parameter EXP has value 1+2
MLOGIC(SECOND): Beginning execution.
MLOGIC(SECOND): Parameter PARAM has value 1+2
MLOGIC(SECOND): %LET (variable name is A)
MLOGIC(SECOND): Ending execution.
MLOGIC(FIRST): %IF condition (%second(&exp) ge 0) is TRUE
MLOGIC(FIRST): %PUT **** result >= 0 ****
MLOGIC(FIRST): Ending execution.

36. MPRINT | NOMPRINT
• MPRINT  Displays SAS statements generated by macro execution. This is
useful for debugging macros.
 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.
Each statement ends with a semicolon.
 You can direct MPRINT output to an external file by also using the MFILE option and
assigning the fileref MPRINT to that file.
• NOMPRINT  Does not display SAS statements generated by macro execution.

37. Example and SASLOG info.
• Eg :
options mprint;
%macro test (input =,output=);
proc means data = &input noprint;
var height;
output out = &output mean= ;
run;
%mend;
%test(input=sashelp.heart,output=test);
• SASLOG Info :
MPRINT(TEST): proc means data = sashelp.heart noprint;
MPRINT(TEST): var height;
MPRINT(TEST): output out = test mean= ;
MPRINT(TEST): run;

38. SYMBOLGEN | NOSYMBLOGEN
• SYMBOLGENdisplays the results of resolving
macro variable references. This option is
useful for debugging.
Eg : SYMBOLGEN: Macro variable name resolves to
value
SYMBOLGEN also indicates when a double ampersand
( &&) resolves to a single ampersand ( &).
• NOSYMBOLGENdoes not display results of
resolving macro variable references.