SAS Compile Time Operations

[Datura]

I. Compile Time Statements

All of the following statements (“non- executable” or “information” statements) do all of their work at compile time:

* ARRAY
* ATTRIB
* BY
* DROP
* FORMAT/INFORMAT
* KEEP
* LABEL
* LENGTH
* RENAME
* RETAIN

Because these statements have their effect at compile time, their location within the DATA Step code is irrelevant; they may be placed at the beginning, at the end, or anywhere within the DATA Step program. An exception to this is the LENGTH statement, which should always be placed at the beginning of the DATA Step. This ensures that variables are added to the PDV by the reference on the LENGTH statement. These points should be kept in mind when writing and debugging SAS programs.

• This discussion was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by  Datura.