> From: Quentin McMullen [mailto:QuentinMcMullen@WESTAT.COM] > Dennis Diskin (and many others) have already explained: > > > The default format for all numeric variables in SAS is BEST8. > > When you tell SQL to put something INTO a macro variable, it > > must convert it to a character string

> Given that, I think I'd be happier to see SAS put a NOTE: to > the log when it > does the automatic numeric to character conversion for INTO, > as done with automatic conversions in a data step.

Knot! It's your incorrect assumption that the macro language is a number-crunching language, just like SAS. It is a string-processing language. No macro variable is a number, even despite your natural-language parsing: "has digits, decimals, no leading zeros, must be a number" %LET ONE = 1; %LET TWO = &ONE. + &ONE.; %PUT TWO<&TWO.>; TWO<1 + 1>

You want the macro processor to do integer arithmetic? tell it: %LET TWO = %eval(&ONE. + &ONE.); %PUT TWO<&TWO.>; TWO<2>

As I said in my presentation for the Writing for Reading SAS Style Sheet: " Know where you're at! else Nowhere! You're at!"

Always check -your- assumptions before asserting that the language shoulda told you so.

Ron Fehd the SQL into:macro maven CDC Atlanta GA USA RJF2@cdc.gov

remember perspective: the error is not always where it seems to occur! -- RJF2