Date:         Mon, 2 Aug 1999 08:36:06 +0100
Reply-To:     tra <tra@PROTEUS.CO.UK>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Comments:     To: Tom Frenkel <taf2@IS8.NYU.EDU>
From:         tra <tra@PROTEUS.CO.UK>
Organization: Proteus Molecular Design Ltd
Subject:      Re: Making label follow value (in merge)
Comments: To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.VT.EDU
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Here is a trick I have used in similar circumstances:

        data merged ;
        merge b(obs=0) a b ;
        by byvar ;
        run ;

Tim


Tom Frenkel wrote:

> To SAS-L:
>
> It seems that, when you merge 2 datasets that have a common variable, SAS
> uses the label assigned to the *first* instance of the variable it sees,
> while of course using the value of the *last* instance.  Thus if we have:
>
>         data a ;
>         byvar=1 ;
>         x=10 ;
>         label x = 'from a' ;
>         run ;
>
>         data b ;
>         byvar=1 ;
>         x=20 ;
>         label x = 'from b' ;
>         run ;
>
>         data merged ;
>         merge a b ;
>         by byvar ;
>         run ;
>
> the value of x in "merged" will of course be 20.  But its label will be
> 'from a'.  Is there any way to change the label to 'from b', thus making
> the label of the variable consistent with its value?  Thanks!
>
>         --Tom
>
> Tom Frenkel
> Assoc. Research Scientist
> Center for Health & Public Service Research
> New York University
> taf2@is8.nyu.edu

--
T R Auton PhD MSc C.Math
Head of Biomedical Statistics
Proteus Molecular Design Ltd
Beechfield House
Lyme Green Business Park
Macclesfield
Cheshire SK11 0JL
UK
email: tra@proteus.co.uk