Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2010 11:11:39 -0500
Reply-To: Arthur Tabachneck <art297@ROGERS.COM>
Sender: "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From: Arthur Tabachneck <art297@ROGERS.COM>
Subject: Re: Fun With SAS - My Vote for Oddest SAS Programming Language
"Feature"
Murphy,
Nat's responses about historical trends in the evolution of computers made
me remember one that shows that SAS wasn't the first to include sound in
their machines.
I remember one of the early mainframes I worked on, a Xerox model. When you
shut it down, it played the Star Spangled Banner for you. You can read a
little about it at: http://arcterex.net/net.rum
Art
---------
On Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:57:28 +0800, Murphy Choy <goladin@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>Hi to all,
>
>I would like to vote for the call sound routines as the oddest function in
>SAS. I cannot understand why a sound producing function is present in a
data
>processing/analytics software?
>
>On Thu, Dec 30, 2010 at 8:51 AM, Jack Hamilton
<jfh@stanfordalumni.org>wrote:
>
>> I would like a REORDER data set option, available for both input and
output
>> data sets. I think that would be more useful - you might want to use the
>> same data set in several places with its variables in different order
(input
>> data set option), and you might also want to create several different
data
>> sets in a single data step, each with its variables in a different order
>> (output data set option).
>>
>>
>> On Dec 29, 2010, at 3:35 PM, Arthur Tabachneck wrote:
>>
>> > Paul,
>> >
>> > I totally agree, but also wish that SAS would actually create some
extra
>> > functions, based on the ones you mention, but with with each being
>> limited
>> > to accomplish basic functions.
>> >
>> > E.g., A lot of confusion would have been avoided over the years if a
>> REORDER
>> > function existed that was really just an extremely limited version of
>> > RETAIN.
>> >
>> > Art
>> > ------
>> > On Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:12:19 -0500, Paul Dorfman
<sashole@BELLSOUTH.NET>
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> >> Mike,
>> >>
>> >> I would vote for RETAIN and LAG/DIF, as in my opinion, both are
>> misnamed,
>> >> which alone has fostered endless heap of confusion in generations of
SAS
>> >> programmers.
>> >>
>> >> Since RETAIN is a negative compile time imperative, I would rather
have
>> the
>> >> instruction name start with a negative prefix, say, NOSETMISS,
>> NOAUTONULL,
>> >> etc., even if such neologisms roll off the tongue much more awkwardly
>> than
>> >> RETAIN. An oddly shaped keyword is a lesser evil than countless
>> neophytes
>> >> scratching their heads asking what the heck the statement tells SAS to
>> >> retain.
>> >>
>> >> Likewise, if LAG had been called QUEUE, a great body of SAS confusion
>> could
>> >> have been avoided - both primary (based on not reading the
documentation
>> > and
>> >> instead trying to ascertain the workings of LAG by code
>> cannibalization),
>> >> and secondary (based, for example, on misguided recommendations to
avoid
>> >> using LAG in conditional clauses and such). Perhaps it would be even
>> better
>> >> if the functions were called something like QUEUEVAL and QUEUEDIF (or
>> > maybe
>> >> just QVAL and QDIF) - at least then no nonsensical impression would be
>> >> imparted that the functions have anything to do with the "current" and
>> >> "preceding" observations.
>> >>
>> >> And, on the seasonal note: Happy New Year, everyone!
>> >>
>> >> Kind regards
>> >> ------------
>> >> Paul Dorfman
>> >> Jax, FL
>> >> ------------
>> >>
>> >> On Wed, 29 Dec 2010 08:39:58 -0500, Michael Raithel
>> >> <michaelraithel@WESTAT.COM> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> Dear SAS-L-ers,
>> >>>
>> >>> Each and every one of us who eats, drinks, breathes, sleeps, and
dreams
>> > SAS
>> >> programming has one. It's that one feature of SAS that we think is
kind
>> >> of... is very... is somewhat... well, odd. It could be an option, a
>> > format,
>> >> an informat, a function, a call routine, a statement, a PROC, etc. but
>> it
>> >> exists and we scratch our heads and wonder why.
>> >>>
>> >>> If you can relate to this, let the list know your own vote for the
>> oddest
>> >> SAS programming language feature.
>> >>>
>> >>> Here is one of mine:
>> >>>
>> >>> The EXCHANGE statement on PROC DATASETS swaps the names of two SAS
data
>> >> sets. So, if it were executed against NEWFILE and OLDFILE, the name of
>> >> NEWFILE would be changed to OLDFILE and the name of OLDFILE would be
>> > changed
>> >> to NEWFILE. Consequently, the names of the two files would be
>> exchanged.
>> >> And, it would happen in the flashing blur of a nanosecond!
>> >>>
>> >>> Here is an example:
>> >>>
>> >>> proc datasets library=work nolist;
>> >>> exchange newfile = oldfile;
>> >>> run;
>> >>> quit;
>> >>>
>> >>> In this example, we exchange the names of the NEWFILE and OLDFILE
data
>> >> sets. The contents of each data set remains the same; it is just that
>> they
>> >> got a name change.
>> >>>
>> >>> The EXCHANGE statement always reminds me of the Metamorphosis
Illusion
>> >> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphosis_(illusion)
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphosis_%28illusion%29>). I think that
in
>> >> the unlikely event that I ever use it in one of my programs, I will
>> watch
>> > it
>> >> very, very closely to see if I can discern exactly how the trick is
>> done:)
>> >>>
>> >>> Happy New Year to one and all!
>> >>>
>> >>> I hope that this suggestion proves helpful now, and in the future!
>> >>>
>> >>> Of course, all of these opinions and insights are my own, and do not
>> >> reflect those of my organization or my associates. All SAS code and/or
>> >> methodologies specified in this posting are for illustrative purposes
>> only
>> >> and no warranty is stated or implied as to their accuracy or
>> applicability.
>> >> People deciding to use information in this posting do so at their own
>> risk.
>> >>>
>> >>> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>> >>> Michael A. Raithel
>> >>> "The man who wrote the book on performance"
>> >>> E-mail: MichaelRaithel@westat.com
>> >>>
>> >>> Author: Tuning SAS Applications in the MVS Environment
>> >>>
>> >>> Author: Tuning SAS Applications in the OS/390 and z/OS Environments,
>> > Second
>> >> Edition
>> >>> http://www.sas.com/apps/pubscat/bookdetails.jsp?catid=1&pc=58172
>> >>>
>> >>> Author: The Complete Guide to SAS Indexes
>> >>> http://www.sas.com/apps/pubscat/bookdetails.jsp?catid=1&pc=60409
>> >>>
>> >>> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>> >>> One man's "magic" is another man's engineering. "Supernatural" is a
>> null
>> >> word. - Robert A. Heinlein
>> >>> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>>
>
>
>
>--
>Regards,
>Murphy Choy
>
>Certified Advanced Programmer for SAS V9
>Certified Basic Programmer for SAS V9
>DataShaping Certified SAS Professional
| 
