Date:         Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:14:18 -0800
Reply-To:     karma <dorjetarap@GOOGLEMAIL.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         karma <dorjetarap@GOOGLEMAIL.COM>
Organization: http://groups.google.com
Subject:      Re: checking for the existence of variables
Comments: To: sas-l@uga.edu
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

On Jan 28, 3:21 pm, datan...@GMAIL.COM ("data _null_,") wrote:
> IN is not a macro operator.  Plus CHECKVAR did not work.  I don't

Ah ok, that would be the problem then, thanks for that.

I have to check whether a set of variables exist in a dataset. And if
not, then to generate a list of errors. I've managed to do this, but
each time I check for the existence of a variable in a dataset, I have
to run a query on the metadata, I was hoping there was a more
effiecient way of doing it. Part of my code is below.

%macro exists(dsn);
   %sysfunc(exist(&dsn))
%mend exists;

%macro empty(lib,dsn);
   proc sql noprint;
      SELECT left(put(nobs,8.))
          INTO: dnobs
          FROM dictionary.tables
          WHERE libname=upcase("&lib") AND memname=upcase("&dsn");
   quit;
%mend empty;

%macro checkvar(lib,dsn,var);
   proc sql noprint;
      SELECT left(put(count(*),8.))
          INTO: exist
          FROM dictionary.columns
          WHERE libname=upcase("&lib") AND
         memname=upcase("&dsn") AND name=upcase("&var");
   quit;
%mend checkvar;


%macro checkdata;
%let exist=;
%let dnobs=;
%let chklist=;


%put >>> *** AE dataset issues.***;

%if %exists(dmdata.ae) %then %do;
   %empty(dmdata,ae);%put &dnobs;
   %if &dnobs %then %do;
      *** STUDYID;
      %checkvar(dmdata,ae,studyid);
      %if &exist %then %let chklist=&chklist STUDYID;
          %else %put !STUDYID does not exist.;