Formats to the Rescue

Gary McQuown Data and Analytic Solutions Inc.

Fairfax, VA.

Combining Data

A

B

C

MERGE

SQL JOINKey

Combining Data

INDEXA

B

C

Combining Data

HASHINGA

C

B

Combining DataA

G

C

E

D

C

B

HF

I

J

FORMATSKey W

Key ZKey YKey X

Issues

Sorts or Index are Impractical

Many “Small” Tables

Frequently Used Process

Efficiency

Ease of Use

Formats

Table lookup

Associate one value with another

format date date9.; 09OCT2006

format zip cityz. ; New York

put ( start , $myfmt. )

First Name, Last Name, DEA #, EIN, SSN, DOB, Specialty, Complaints, Office Address, Home Address, States Licensed, Drug Class Allowed, Sanctions, etc.

Drug Names, Drug Category, Drug Class

Latitude, Longitude, City, County, State

Advantages

No Sorting of Primary File

Sort Smaller Files

Unique Start Values

Advantages

Efficient

(where=( put(start, $myfmt.) = “1” ))

Reads only selected rows

Advantages

Flexible

var = put(start, $myfmt.);

if put(start, $myfmt.) = “XX”

format (start, myfmt.)

Advantages

Reusable

(library = library) Catalogs

Reduces Coding (replaces if then !)

Easily Update

Easy to Create

Numeric

proc format;

value SexNum

1=“Male“

0=“Female”;

run;

Character

proc format;

value $ SexChar

‘1’=“Male“

‘0’=“Female”;

run;

proc sort data= FOO nodupkey; by FROM_VAL; run;

data MYFMT (keep = fmtname hlo label start type);

retain fmtname “MYFMT”

type “N”;

set FOO;

end = lastrec;

start = FROM_VAL;

label = TO_VAL;

output;

if lastrec then

do;

hlo = “O”;

label = “0”;

output;

end;

run;

proc format cntlin = MYFMT library=library; run;

FMTNAME = name

TYPE = “C” “N” “I” “J” “P”

START =values to be converted.

LABEL =values to become.

HLO = “H” “L” “O”

proc sort

data= FOO nodupkey;

by FROM_VAL;

run;

data MYFMT

(keep = fmtname hlo

label start type);

retain fmtname “MYFMT”

type “N”;

set FOO;

end = lastrec;

start = FROM_VAL;

label = TO_VAL;

output;

if lastrec then

do;

hlo = “O”;

label = “0”;

output;

end;

run;

Other, HI and LOW

Dept_Num =put(EMPID, Department_Number.);Dept_Name =put(Dep_num, Department_Name.);Grade_Level =put(EMP_ID, Grade_Level.);Full_Name =put(EMPID, Full_Name.);

Dept_Name Full_Name EMP_ID Dept_Num Grade_Level

IT John Doe 13579 3 7

Management 24680 24680 2 2

Unknown Unknown 24680 0 0

Other, HI and LOW

Dept_Num =put(EMPID, Department_Number.);Dept_Name =put(Dep_num, Department_Name.);Grade_Level =put(EMP_ID, Grade_Level.);Full_Name =put(EMPID, Full_Name.);

Dept_Name Full_Name EMP_ID Dept_Num Grade_Level

IT John Doe 13579 3 7

Management 24680 24680 2 2

Unknown Unknown 24680 0 0

Other, HI and LOW

Dept_Num =put(EMPID, Department_Number.);Dept_Name =put(Dep_num, Department_Name.);Grade_Level =put(EMP_ID, Grade_Level.);Full_Name =put(EMPID, Full_Name.);

Dept_Name Full_Name EMP_ID Dept_Num Grade_Level

IT John Doe 13579 3 7

Management 24680 24680 2 2

Unknown Unknown 24680 0 0

OPTIONS

FMTSEARCH to search Libraries

NOFMTERR use original values if the format does not exist

Formats

Merging

Matching

Sub Setting

New Variables

Data Cleaning

Reporting

Analysis

Large Tables

Many Tables

Many Key Fields

Flexibility

Efficiency

Easy to Use

Questionsand

Comments

Thank you

Gary McQuown Data and Analytic Solutions Inc.

Fairfax, VA.703-628-5681

http://www.DASconsultants.com

SAS is a Registered Trademark of the SAS Institute, Inc. of Cary, North Carolina.