Date:         Mon, 5 Oct 2009 14:42:28 -0400
Reply-To:     Andrew.Clapson@STATCAN.GC.CA
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Andrew Clapson <Andrew.Clapson@STATCAN.GC.CA>
Subject:      Assigning the value of one variable to another
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Hello SAS list,

I am trying to figure out how to take a variable and give it the value
(i.e. copy the value) of another observation in the dataset.

Here's the skinny:

I have an identifier variable ('ID'), a status code ('Status'), and date
of birth ('Date'), let's say.  I want each observation to have a value
for 'Date', but some are missing.  Of the observations missing a value
for the 'Date' variable, those with the 'Status' of "03" should have the
same date of birth - 'Date' - as another observation in the dataset.
(These data aren't people, they're companies, and some companies are
'children' of others, so I can copy the 'Date' value from the parent
company).

I got about as far as this with the code:

DATA DS2;
SET DS1;
        IF 'Status' = 03 THEN DO;
                IF 'ID' IN (#1,#2,#2) THEN 'Date' = ('Date' value from
observation w/ ID #4) ???
        END;
RUN;

What I want to do is:
- for all observations with a 'Status' of "03", make the value of the
'Date' variable equal to that of its parent company.  I have a list of
the 'ID' numbers, so it is simple to tell which parents correspond to
which children, but what procedure would I use?

Is there a command and/or an elegant way to assign values to specific
observations like this?


Thanks for your help,

Andy Clapson