Date:         Tue, 2 May 2000 13:16:51 -0400
Reply-To:     Gary M McQuown <gary.m.mcquown@FRB.GOV>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Gary M McQuown <gary.m.mcquown@FRB.GOV>
Subject:      Re: breaking up a 200 character field
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

The following code (tested) will give you what you asked for.


data a;
 x = "You can use the length statement to determine how many variables to create
 as well as to determine where to end your substring function";
 run;

data b;
  set a;
  if length(x) <= 50 then
 do;
     var1 = substr(x,1,length(x));
 end; else if 50 < length(x) <=100 then
 do;
     var1 = substr(x,1,50);
     var2= substr(x,51,length(x) -50);
 end; else if  100 < length(x) <= 150 then
do;
     var1 = substr(x,1,50);
     var2= substr(x,51,50);
     var3= substr(x,101,length(x)-100);
 end; else
do;
     var1 = substr(x,1,50);
     var2= substr(x,51,50);
     var3 = substr(x,101,50);
     var4= substr(x,151,length(x)-100);
end;


proc print data=b;
var var:  ;
run;

Enjoy,

Gary McQuown
gary-mcquown@sas-econ.com








"K. Patel" <Kunal.Patel@COVANCE.COM> on 05/02/2000 12:26:43 PM

Please respond to Kunal.Patel@COVANCE.COM


 To:        SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU

 cc:        (bcc: Gary M McQuown/IRM/FRBOG/US)



 Subject    breaking up a 200 character field
 :






I need advice on how to break up a 200 character field into 4 records of 50
characters each.

If there are only 75 characters in the field, then the field will only be
broken into 2 records.

example


center   patient              symptom
100          1                        about 150 characters of data will make
up this field xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



and change into:



center   patient               symptom
100          1                      first 50 +/-  characters (don't want to
split a word)
100          1                      next 50
100          1                      next 50



Any help would be appreciated.