Hi John, This idea may help:

data try_it; infile cards; input B $ A1-A10; cards; A1 0 1 2 4 3 5 6 1 2 7 A5 7 4 6 5 7 5 3 9 2 8 A9 1 4 7 4 6 5 7 5 3 9 A7 5 7 5 3 9 2 8 6 5 3 A4 5 3 1 1 4 7 4 6 5 7 ; run;

Where B contains the field name of the field whose value you want in C.

data result(keep=B C); length B $8.; * 8 being the maximum varname length;

dsid=open("work.try_it","is"); * Open the dataset using SCL-like base function;

rc = fetch(dsid); * Read the first record; do while (rc = 0); * Loop until finished; B = getvarc(dsid,1); * Get the character value of B (var number 1, vary if not in pos 1); var = varnum(dsid,B); * Get the position of the var named in B; C = getvarn(dsid,var); * Get the value of that var into C; output; * Write record; rc = fetch(dsid); * Read next record; end; rc = close(dsid); * Close dataset; stop; run;

You'll have to do some fancy footwork if your vars are mixed char & num.

Hope this helps. Let me know if I can help further.

Martin

---------- From: John Potelle[SMTP:JPotelle@HER-CHER.ORG] Reply To: John Potelle Sent: 20 August 1998 08:05 To: SAS-L@AKH-WIEN.AC.AT Subject: Indirect var reference in a DATA step

I'm using SAS 6.11 on Digital UNIX and SAS 6.12 on Win95.

I have a dataset set up like this: One var (B) contains the name of another var (out of many possible vars; each obs could be different). I want to create a third var (C) with the value of the var specified by (B). Here psudo-code example:

A="This is the value I want"; B="A"; C=Value(B); /* Or some such mechanism.You get the idea */

C should equal "This is the value I want";

Any ideas how this can be in a single data step? If not, how would you accomplish this?