Ok, I know this shouldn't be as hard as I am making it.

Here is where my sample code stands today. ************************************************************* filename scrinput "U:\My Documents\ISP\CR's\444 subprime model\scorinput.txt";

%macro model; filename avgs "U:\My Documents\ISP\CR's\444 subprime model\avgs.txt"; if _n_=1 then do; infile avgs; input avg1 avg2 avg3 avg4 avg5; end; retain avg1 avg2 avg3 avg4 avg5; if x<2 then y=avg1*x; else if x<4 then y=avg2*x; else if x<6 then y=avg3*x; else if x<8 then y=avg4*x; else y=avg5*x; %mend;

data temp; infile scrinput; input x; %model run; ************************************************************** With avgs.txt as: 10 20 30 40 50

And scorinput.txt as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

This does what I want it to do except I would rather have the values avg1-avg5 as a macros rather than 5 fields for all 9 records (in actuality, there will be 10 such fields and millions of records, hence why the macro would be a big space saver)

My only constraint is that I can only make changes to the macro, not the data step.

How do I read them in and store them as macro vars rather than adding them to the dataset given the constraint that this all has to be done within the macro which has to run within the datastep. Is it even possible to avoid adding them to the dataset?

Also, comments on more efficient, eloquent, etc. coding are always welcome.

Thanks

PS I am sure it will require call symput or something similar, but I am not as familiar with that and could use some help.

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