Transforming Data with SAS Functions
Manipulating SAS Date Values with Functions

 

Now let's use the MONTH function to complete the following task. Suppose you need to create a subset of the data set Hrd.Temp that contains information about all temporary employees hired during November. Hrd.Temp contains the dates that employees began work with the company and their ending dates, but there is no month variable.

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
RALEIGH	NC	27612	6970450	14516	14527	15	10	80

To determine in which month employees were hired, you can apply the MONTH function to the variable that contains the employee start date, BeginDate. You write the MONTH function as month(begindate) Then, to create the new data set, you include this function in a subsetting IF statement within a DATA step. This subsetting IF statement specifies that only observations in which the MONTH function extracts a value of 11 (for November) are placed in the new data set. data hrd.tempnov; set hrd.temp; if month(begindate)=11; run; Finally, you add a PROC PRINT step to the program so you can view the new data set. Notice that the PROC PRINT step includes a FORMAT statement to display the variables BeginDate and EndDate with the DATE9. format. data hrd.tempnov; set hrd.temp; if month(begindate)=11; proc print data=hrd.tempnov; format begindate enddate date9.; run; Here is a portion of the PROC PRINT output that is created by your program. Notice that the new data set contains information only about those employees who were hired in November.

City	State	Zip	Phone	BeginDate	EndDate	Pay Rate	Days	Hours
CARY	NC	27513	6224549	19NOV1999	12JAN2000	10	11	88
CHAPEL HILL	NC	27514	9974749	22NOV1999	30DEC1999	40	26	208
DURHAM	NC	27713	3633618	02NOV1999	13NOV1999	12	9	72
CARRBORO	NC	27510	9976732	16NOV1999	04JAN2000	15	7	64