Comparing SQL Joins and DATA Step Match-Merges
A Brief Overview
DATA step match-merges
and PROC SQL joins can produce the same results. However, there are
important differences between these two techniques. For example, a
join does not require that you sort the data first; a DATA step match-merge
requires that the data be sorted.
It is useful to compare
the use of SQL joins and DATA step match-merges in the following situations:
-
when all of the values of the selected variable match
-
when only some of the values of the selected variable match
When All of the Values Match
When all of the
values of the BY variable match, you can use a PROC SQL inner join
to produce the same results as a DATA step match-merge.
Suppose you want ...
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