Date:         Fri, 30 Mar 2007 13:38:19 -0400
Reply-To:     Ed Heaton <EdHeaton@WESTAT.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Ed Heaton <EdHeaton@WESTAT.COM>
Subject:      Re: select statement in data step
Comments: To: Jean-Jacques Dubois <jjbdubois@MINDSPRING.COM>,
          Harry Droogendyk <harry.droogendyk@RBC.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <200703281652.l2SAkwX6011383@mailgw.cc.uga.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I, for one, don't like the ELSE IF construct.  So, I generally use the
select statement if presented with more than two branches.  It just
seems easier to grasp when looking at code and at least as easy to code.
Furthermore, the OTHERWISE statement reminds me to consider things that
don't follow one of the branches.

Ed

Edward Heaton, Senior Systems Analyst,
Westat (An Employee-Owned Research Corporation),
1650 Research Boulevard, RW-4541, Rockville, MD 20850-3195
Voice: (301) 610-4818                  Fax: (301) 294-3879
mailto:EdHeaton@Westat.com             http://www.Westat.com




-----Original Message-----
From: owner-sas-l@listserv.uga.edu [mailto:owner-sas-l@listserv.uga.edu]
On Behalf Of Jean-Jacques Dubois
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 12:52 PM
To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU; Harry Droogendyk
Subject: Re: select statement in data step


Harry,
 woops! I should have taken a look at sashelp.class first. Whenever I
have
used 'select', it is to create a new variable, and with an explicitly
defined value of that variable corresponding to every combination of the
other variables. Hence, I have not needed the trailing 'otherwise'.

I, for one, have run into situations where 'select' is somewhat less
confusing than piling on the 'if-thens', and possibly more economical,
but
it is often a wash, and not worth it when one or two 'if-thens' would do
the
job.