Date:         Wed, 25 Feb 1998 21:16:00 -0500
Reply-To:     Dave_Mabey_at_RDA8POSTOFFICE1@RDCCMAIL.READERSDIGEST.COM
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
From:         Dave_Mabey_at_RDA8POSTOFFICE1@RDCCMAIL.READERSDIGEST.COM
Subject:      Re: RENAMING A LARGE # OF VARIABLES
Comments: To: agmariam@UMICH.EDU
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

New Text Item:  RENAMING A LARGE # OF VARIABLES
 
   Been there, done that (often).  This should get you started.
   Just replace the libname and memname in the SQL, assuming
   you are not work with sequential datasets (tapes).  The macro
   var can be up to 32K characters ... You won't have problems with
   rename for just 200 variables, but if you start to modify the
   variable label on a few thousand variables you will have to break
   up the string.  In the example, I use the macro variable in the
   SET statement of a datastep.  You might consider using it in
   a PROC DATASETS ...; MODIFY ....; RENAME &MACVAR;
 
165   data a;
166    array vars vara varb longname;
167    put _all_;
168
169
 
_I_=. VARA=. VARB=. LONGNAME=. _ERROR_=0 _N_=1
NOTE: The data set WORK.A has 1 observations and 3 variables.
NOTE: The DATA statement used 0.33 seconds.
 
 
170   proc sql noprint;
171    select compress(name||'='
172      ||substr(name,1,6)||'95')
173    into :macvar separated by ' '
174    from sashelp.vcolumn
175    where libname="WORK"
176        & memname='A';
177
178   %put &macvar;
VARA=VARA95 VARB=VARB95 LONGNAME=LONGNA95
179
NOTE: The PROCEDURE SQL used 0.08 seconds.
 
 
180   data b;
181    set a (rename=(&macvar));
182    put _all_;
183    run;
 
VARA95=. VARB95=. LONGNA95=. _ERROR_=0 _N_=1
NOTE: The data set WORK.B has 1 observations and 3 variables.
NOTE: The DATA statement used 0.28 seconds.
 
 
______________________________ Reply Separator ____________________________
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Subject: RENAMING A LARGE # OF VARIABLES
Author:  agmariam@UMICH.EDU@INTERNET at RDNOTES
Date:    2/25/98 5:01 PM
 
 
(Embedded image moved to file: PIC001.PCX)
Hi! all,
I have two datasets with the same set of variables and same variable names.
The datasets are for 1994 and 1995. I would like to rename the variables in
one of the datasets but the number of variables is about 200.
Is there a more efficient way to do it than to rename all these variables
manually?
If I want to add 95 to all the variable names in the 1995
dataset, then how do I do that?
Thanks for your help.
Acham.
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* GOD IS NOT IN A HURRY BUT HE IS ALWAYS ON TIME *
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* Achamyeleh Gebremariam * * e-mail agmariam@umich.edu *
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