Date:         Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:51:02 +0000
Reply-To:     "Zdeb, Michael S" <mzdeb@ALBANY.EDU>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Zdeb, Michael S" <mzdeb@ALBANY.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Macro Related - Interview Question
Comments: To: B & E Zimmerman <beezee62f@VERIZON.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <005d01ccdd14$e418b290$ac4a17b0$@net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

hi ... so if most of the answers are SQL-related, how about a data step ..

data _null_;
length vars $100;
do until (done);
   set sashelp.vcolumn end=done;
   where libname='SASHELP' and memname='CLASS';
   vars=catx(',',vars,name);
end;
call symputx('vars',vars);
run;

%put |&vars|;
LOG ...
|Name,Sex,Age,Height,Weight|

SYMPUTX trims the value regardless of the length of VARS in the data step

and, as Joe said "If for some unknown reason there were a good reason to make individual
macro variables, it would go something like this ..."

data _null_;
do j=1 by 1 until (done);
   set sashelp.vcolumn end=done;;
   where libname='SASHELP' and memname='CLASS';
   call symputx(catt('v',j),name);
end;
run;

%put &v1 &v2 &v3 &v4 &v5;
LOG ...
Name Sex Age Height Weight

ps this is pretty neat ... from Frank DiIorio, a two-page reference card ...

"Summary of SAS Dictionary Tables and Views"
http://www.codecraftersinc.com/pdf/DictionaryTablesRefCard.pdf


Mike Zdeb
U@Albany School of Public Health
One University Place (Room 119)
Rensselaer, New York 12144-3456
P/518-402-6479 F/630-604-1475

________________________________________
From: SAS(r) Discussion [SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of B & E Zimmerman [beezee62f@VERIZON.NET]
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 11:58 AM
To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Macro Related - Interview Question

Listers:

Thanks to everyone who replied (so quickly): Data _null_, Toby Dunn,
Sterling Paramore, Joe Matise, Otto Burgess and anyone else I neglected to
mention.

Basically most of the answers related to the dictionary tables (columns)
capability of SAS combined with Proc SQL.

Thanks again,

Bernie  Z.