Practical and Efficient SAS Programming

Chapter 4: The Macro Facility

Introduction

Understanding Macro Variables

Using the “Dot” in Macro Variable Names

Determining How Many &s to Use

Understanding Quotation Marks

Using Macro Quoting

Unquoting

Forcing Single Quotation Marks

Writing Macros

Using Autocall Macros

Determining When to Write a Macro

Wrapping Long Lines of Code

Using the IN Operator

Testing for Blanks

Validating Parameters

Creating Macro Functions

Introduction

I rarely write a SAS program that doesn’t contain macro variables and macros. Macros enable you to take more control over your programs: passing values from one part of the program to another, conditionally executing sections of code, running the same piece of code multiple times, and performing countless other tasks. ...