Date:         Wed, 5 May 1999 11:40:05 -0400
Reply-To:     bill_droogendyk@DOFASCO.CA
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
From:         "W. Droogendyk" <bill_droogendyk@DOFASCO.CA>
Subject:      Re: reading data with the date format.
Comments: To: PapanikolaouP@CARDIFF.AC.UK
Content-Type: text/plain

Panos:
 
depending on the format of the 3 variables that you have, the mdy function
may be all that you need e.g.
 
date=mdy(month,day,year)
 
It will then be a sas date value which you can format in any way you wish.
 
hth
 
W. (Bill) Droogendyk
Quality Systems, Dofasco Inc.
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
 
Voice: 905 548 7200 x3359
Fax:     905 548 4007
email:  <mailto:bill_droogendyk@dofasco.ca> bill_droogendyk@dofasco.ca
 
        -----Original Message-----
        From:   Panos PAPANIKOLAOU [SMTP:PapanikolaouP@CARDIFF.AC.UK]
        Sent:   Wednesday, May 05, 1999 12:16
        To:     SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU
        Subject:        Re: reading data with the date format.
 
        Dear All,
 
        I have three distict  variables each of those indicates the day, the
        month and the year of an event such as the admission to the
hospital.
 
        I want to create a new variable which will be such as:
 
               day-month-year.
 
        That is, I want SAS to read this variable with the date format.
 
        One thought is to do in two steps by using the trim function. First,
        you create a new variable for day and month such as:
 
        X=day||trim(month) ; you can then repeat this step for year and thus
        creating a new variable Y, ie., Y=X||trim(year) ;
 
        I do not know whether or this is the right course of action.
        Equally, I am not sure how I would read this new variable in the
        date format. That is, how would i have SAS to read Y in date format.
 
        I would appreciate if I would have comments and ideas on how to
        proceed, please.
 
        Thank you very much indeed for taking the time to consider my
        request.  I look forward to hearing from you.
 
        Regards
        Panos Papanikolaou.