= SAS Formats =

SAS supports numeric variables and strings, with conversion options. There are many (i.e. hundreds) of formats on top of numerics that impact visualization, not storage.

<<TableOfContents>>

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== Datetime ==

SAS prefers the DATE9 format--date constants are declared as `"ddMMMyyyy"d`. However there is a plethora of formats available.

||'''Format''' ||'''Appears as...'''    ||'''Note'''              ||
||DATETIME20   ||`dd-MMM-yyyy:hh:mm:ss` ||`MMM` is as JAN, not 001||
||DATETIME18   ||`ddMMMyyyy:hh:mm:ss`   ||`MMM` is as JAN, not 001||
||DATETIME16   ||`ddMMMyy:hh:mm:ss`     ||`MMM` is as JAN, not 001||
||DATE11       ||`dd-MMM-yyyy`          ||`MMM` is as JAN, not 001||
||DATE9        ||`ddMMMyyyy`            ||`MMM` is as JAN, not 001||
||DATE7        ||`ddMMMyy`              ||`MMM` is as JAN, not 001||
||TIME8        ||`hh:mm:ss`             ||                        ||
||TIME5        ||`hh:mm`                ||                        ||
||MMDDYY10     ||`mm/dd/yyyy`           ||                        ||
||MMDDYY8      ||`mm/dd/yy`             ||                        ||
||DDMMYY10     ||`dd/mm/yyyy`           ||                        ||
||DDMMYY8      ||`dd/mm/yy`             ||                        ||
||MONYY7       ||`MMMyyyy`              ||`MMM` is as JAN, not 001||
||MONNAME      ||`M`                    ||`M` is as January       ||



=== Computation ===

Dates and datetimes can be computed from scratch like:

{{{
today = today();
new_years_day = mdy(1,1,2020);
}}}

Dates and datetimes can be computed relative to another value like:

{{{
one_month_away = intnx('month', today(), 1);
four_weeks_ago = intnx('week', today(), -4);
}}}

Valid date intervals are: `YEAR`, `SEMIYEAR`, `QTR`, `MONTH`, `SEMIMONTH`, `TENDAY`, `WEEK`, `WEEKDAY`, and `DAY`.

Valid datetime intervals are: `DTYEAR`, `DTSEMIYEAR`, `DTQTR`, `DTMONTH`, `DTSEMIMONTH`, `DTTENDAY`, `DTWEEK`, `DTWEEKDAY`, and `DTDAY`.

Data can be extracted from dates and datetimes using `day()`, `month()`, and `year()`.

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== Numerics ==

Given 12345.67...

||'''Format''' ||'''Using...''' ||'''Appears as...''' ||'''Note'''                                   ||
||w.           ||5.             ||12346               ||Round to nearest integer                     ||
||w.d          ||5.1            ||12345.7             ||Round to nearest decimal at lowest precision ||
||COMMAw.d     ||COMMA6.1       ||12,345.7            ||                                             ||
||COMMAw.d     ||COMMA5.1       ||12345.7             ||Insufficient width for comma                 ||
||DOLLARw.d    ||DOLLAR10.2     ||$12,345.67          ||                                             ||
||EUROw.d      ||DOLLAR10.2     ||€12.345,67          ||European-style decimal and commas            ||
||Zw.d         ||Z8.            ||00012346            ||                                             ||

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== Strings ==

String variables are only formatted to a length. The format is specified as `$N` where `N` is the width.



=== Length Statement ===

Often, it is important to specify a string's length before creating it. Observe:

{{{
data _NULL_;
    VAR="FOO";
    VAR="FOOBAR";
run;

/* variable VAR is 3-wide and contains "FOO" */

data _NULL_;
    length VAR $60;
    VAR="FOO";
    VAR="FOOBAR";
run;

/* variable VAR is 60-wide and contains "FOOBAR" */
}}}



=== put Formats ===

The `put` function accepts additional formatting details:

 * `-L`	left aligns the value
 * `-C` centers the value
 * `-R` right aligns the value

{{{
VAR2 = put(VAR1, $60. -R);
}}}



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