It's also possible for the code to be working correctly and simply reporting a feature of the data. Consider the data set {1, 2, 4, 4}. The upper quartile and maximum are both 4, so I think this would exhibit the same behaviour as Mark's dataset.

Perhaps that's the reason.

HTH,

John

On Tue, 10 Jun 2003 08:37:45 -0400, Howard Schreier <Howard_Schreier@ITA.DOC.GOV> wrote:

>It's not macro arithmetic, because there is no macro arithmetic taking >place. > >I cannot replicate the problem. The implicit numeric to character >conversions within the SYMPUT calls should use the BEST format and avoid >all but the slightest rounding. > >I do notice that that a SELECT statement is missing in the final DATA step. >I would try it again after making that correction. > >Another strategy would be to abandon this code and use PROC RANK to do the >quartiles directly. > >On Mon, 9 Jun 2003 20:19:31 GMT, Mark AC Emmett <markacemmett@AOL.COM> >wrote: > >>Hello all, >> >>I seem to be producing something which is not possible - the only >explanation I >>can think of is rounding errors - can anyone help: >> >>I use proc means to generate the quartiles for my dataset >> >>proc means data = temp1 noprint; >>var Variable; >>output out=temp2 min=min q1=q1 median=median q3=q3 max=max; >>run; >> >>data quartiles; >>set temp2; >>call symput('Min',min); >>call symput('Max',max); >>call symput('Median',median); >>call symput('Q1',q1); >>call symput('Q3',q3); >>run; >> >>I then code up my other dataset with the quartiles: >> >> >>data maindata; >>set temp1; >>when (Variable ge &Min and Variable le &Q1) ExportCat='A'; >>when (Variable gt &Q1 and Variable le &Median) ExportCat='B'; >>when (Variable gt &Median and Variable le &Q3) ExportCat='C'; >>when (Variable gt &Q3 and Variable le &Max) ExportCat='D'; >>otherwise ExportCat='QQ'; >>end; >> >>Now when I look at my Variable ExportCat I find that there are instances >of QQ >>in there and no D. >> >>When I use a %put to show my quartiles I find the following: >> >>ExpMin = 2 >>ExpQ1=29 >>ExpMedian=75 >>ExpQ3=100 >>ExpMax=100 >> >>How can the 3rd quartile be the same as the maximum value when I tell proc >>means to produce the quartiles? Surely the ExpQ3 value is something like >99.7? >> But if so, why do no instances of ExportCat=D occur and QQ does?? >> >>Any help would be very appreciated >>Thank you >>Mark