Date:         Tue, 16 Nov 2004 10:03:07 -0800
Reply-To:     Kevin Auslander <kevin.auslander@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Kevin Auslander <kevin.auslander@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      proc report in an external macro
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Hello SAS-L.  I am currently working on improving a standard reporting system.  The system consists of several macros that calculate and format various statistics.  There are aslo macros that produce the final output tables.  Many of these output macros contain a call to proc report.  The system is robust in that it can create many types of output tables with many formating options.  As a result, the report macros have become huge (20 parameters).  In my opinion using the macros is much more difficult than simply calling proc report directly inside the SAS program.  Or at least calling proc report from an internal macro that is easily modified by the programmer.  I think putting proc report in an external macro is a big mistake.  Proc report has too many options to be encapsulated in a macro.  There is no macro that can access all of proc reports features without requireing 20 to 40 parameters.  If it takes that many parameters, why not call proc report directly.  Does anyone know of
 any publications on this matter.  Or does anyone have any comments/suggetions.  Thanks.

Kevin