Date:         Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:36:21 -0500
Reply-To:     Joe Matise <snoopy369@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Joe Matise <snoopy369@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Is there a way to remove trailing zeros from a numeric
              variable?
Comments: To: brian_c_wallace@yahoo.com
In-Reply-To:  <543216.62201.qm@web50902.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

It rather depends on what you're planning on doing with the number.  In
what, precisely, do you want to see the number formatted that way?  In a
proc print/freq/means/report/etc.?  In an export to another data type
(excel, access, spss, sql, etc.)?

-Joe

On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 11:27 AM, Brian Wallace
<brian_c_wallace@yahoo.com>wrote:

> I keep running up against the defined format.  I've tried converting the
> numeric variable back to a character using the BEST format then BACK to a
> numeric but I keep losing precision.
>
> An example.  I've converted these character variables to numeric variables:
>
>  character variables     --> converted to -->   numeric variables
>
> 49.9568 sq. cm                                  49.9568000
> 50.3701 sq. cm                                  50.3701000
> 6.43636 sq. cm                                   6.4363600
> 4.48661 sq. cm                                   4.4866100
> 0.0297726 sq. cm                                 0.0297726
>
> Now, I need to remove those trailing zeros, yet keep the variable a numeric
> variable and not loose any precision.  I need them to look like:
>
> 49.9568
> 50.3701
>  6.43636
>  4.48661
>  0.0297726
>
> but still remain numbers.
>
> Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Brian Wallace
>