Hi,

Take off the "pat_num=1;" it resets the pat_number to 1 each loop...

try:

data two; set oneb; by pat_id; retain pat_num 0; if first.pat_id then pat_num+1; run;

The simpler, the better!

Regards, \\\|/// \\ - - // ( @ @ ) +-----oOOo-(_)-oOOo--+-----------------------------------+ | Bernard Tremblay | | | CSST | Tel: (418) 528-9313 | | | Fax: (418) 528-1493 | | | Int: Bernard.Tremblay@csst.qc.ca | +----------------------------+---------------------------+ | Imaginasys enr | Res: (418) 658-1411 | | | Int: bertrem@videotron.ca | | | Hot: imaginasys@hotmail.com | +--------------Oooo--+-----------------------------------+ oooO ( ) ( ) ) / \ ( (_/ \_) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From: leamw@MY-DEJA.COM >Reply-To: leamw@MY-DEJA.COM >To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU >Subject: newbie Retain question >Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 18:53:59 GMT > >Hi: > >I know I'm doing something wrong here.. I just can't figure out what. > >I have a list of patient identifiers that are coded alphanumericallly. >I need them to be numeric. I thought that what I'd do is to just simply >number them from 1 to n using a retain and a sum statement like this: > >data two; >set oneb; >by pat_id; >pat_num=1; > >retain pat_num 1; > if first.pat_id then do; > pat_num=sum(pat_num,1); > end; >run; > >Of course all I get is the value of 2 for pat_num. >I have tried to replace the if statement with >things like: if pat_num ne 0 then do; >but this doesn't work either > >What am I doing wrong? > >Thanks > >Lea > > >Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ >Before you buy.

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