Date:         Thu, 9 Feb 2012 10:13:04 -0600
Reply-To:     Joe Matise <snoopy369@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Joe Matise <snoopy369@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: cleaning data" dates
Comments: To: Sas Beginner <cep@stuntz.org>
In-Reply-To:  <201202091608.q19F1due031657@waikiki.cc.uga.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

If you just try to INPUT it with the correct informat (looks like
MMDDYY8.), it will either work (give you a valid result) or not work (give
you missing) if it is not a valid date format (ie, not as you say below).

IE:

enddate=input(enddate_char,MMDDYY8.);

The only possible issue I could forsee is if it is something like
051980
which is not 8 long of course, and would translate into 05/19/80 (1980) but
could as easily be 05/xx/1980.  If that result is okay then let it go;
otherwise verify the length (using LENGTH) of the variable first.

-Joe


On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 10:08 AM, Sas Beginner <cep@stuntz.org> wrote:

> i need to clean a dataset. the date variables are character. what is the
> easiest way to verify it is a valid date and convert it to variable with a
> date format.
>
> is this the easiest or is there a sas macro or common code that i could
> use?
>
>  yy = input (substr(enddate_char,1,4), 8.);
>  mm = input (substr(enddate_char,5,2), 8.);
>  dd = input (substr(enddate_char,7,2), 8.);
>  verify yy, mm (1-12 inclusive), dd (1-31)
>  if yy, mm and dd passed the verification, then endate = mdy (mm,dd,yy);
>
>  thank you.
>