Transforming Data with SAS Functions
Converting Data with Functions

Introduction to Converting Data Suppose you are asked to complete a number of modifications to the data set Hrd.Temp. The first modification is to create a new variable that contains the salary of temporary employees. Examining the data set, you realize that one of the variables needed to calculate salaries is the character variable PayRate. To complete the calculation, you need to convert PayRate from character to numeric.

SAS Data Set Hrd.Temp

City	State	Zip	Phone	BeginDate	EndDate	PayRate	Days	Hours
CARY	NC	27513	6224549	14567	14621	10	11	88
CARY	NC	27513	6223251	14524	14565	8	25	200
CHAPEL HILL	NC	27514	9974749	14570	14608	40	26	208

data hrd.newtemp; set hrd.temp; Salary=payrate*hours; run; In such cases, you should use the INPUT function before attempting the calculation. The INPUT function converts character data values to numeric. The PUT function converts numeric data values to character. Both functions are discussed in this section. Potential Problems of Omitting INPUT or PUT What happens if you skip the INPUT or the PUT function when converting data? SAS software will detect the mismatched variables and try an automatic character-to-numeric or numeric-to-character conversion. However, this process won't always work. Suppose each value of PayRate began with a dollar sign ($). When SAS software tries to automatically convert the value of PayRate to numeric values, the dollar sign blocks the process. The value cannot be converted into a numeric value. Similar problems can occur with automatic numeric-to-character conversion. It is always best to include INPUT and PUT functions in your programs when conversions occur.