Hi, I will definitely try that out. However I just want to be sure because vi has a value of S and B and S should be placed before B. Is that the sorting order of EBCDIC. I have not had a chance to try my own solution of implementing a special missing value and creating a sorting variable. what do you think about it.

Thanks

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 10:42:39 -0800, Jim Simmons <emailjimsimmons@yahoo.com> wrote: > Nishant, > > Dennis is correct that the EBCDIC collating sequence will correctly sort your data. You can invoke this sequence in non-EBCDIC environments with the following: > > PROC SORT EBCDIC; > BY P VI; > RUN; > > That seems to me to be the easiest way assuming you already have the missing numeric value for DO in obs 5 represented by a "."(SAS missing numeric value). > > Jim Simmons > > Dennis Diskin <diskin@SNET.NET> wrote: > Nishant, > > Unless you are running on an EBCDIC system (IBM > mainframe), in which case you can just sort: > > My suggestion: > > sort normally on p and vi and then: > > data ordered; > set sorted(where=(vi eq 'b')) > sorted(where=(bi ne 'b')); > by p; > run; > > HTH, > Dennis Diskin > > --- Nishant Dholakia > wrote: > > Hi, > > I have to create data set in which data is supposed > > to be like this > > > > p vi do > > 1 b 20 > > 1 3 40 > > 1 4 40 > > 2 b 20 > > 2 3 > > > > basically the sorting has to be done by p and vi. > > However the issue I am > > facing is that vi is character values. using input i > > can convert the values > > to numeric and sort however there is one value (b) > > that can not be > > manipulated this way. the value b should always be > > the first for any p > > value. > > b is already present so I can not use the logic if > > first.p then vi =b; > > Is there some way to do this. > > > > thanks > > >

-- Nishant H. Dholakia 607 262 0860

"its your attitude not your aptitude that determines your altitude"