nine.angelina@GMAIL.COM wrote back: >Sorry, Maybe I didn't express my quenstion clearly. >I don't really want to show the time order. >I just want to know which combination of the time order the observation >belongs to.Becuase the three numbers of the first observation is >20050101<20050123<20050126, that means time1 is earlier than time2 and >time2 is earlier than time3, the combination is 1 in the Number variable. >And those of the second observation is 20050707<20050808<20060606, that >means time1 is earlier than time3 and time3 is earlier than time2, the >combination is 2 in the Number variable. I think a direct method. I don't >know whether it works because I haven't reinstalled SAS in my computer in >my home.

Here's a really simple way to do it and get six unique levels. You can fiddle the Boolean components to get the numbering in any order you want:

data next; set YourData; compare = 1 + (temp1>temp2) + (temp1>temp3) + 3*(temp2>temp3); run;

Of course, this approach is not extensible.

So.. why do you want this kind of comparison?

HTH, David -- David L. Cassell mathematical statistician Design Pathways 3115 NW Norwood Pl. Corvallis OR 97330

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