1. © OCS Biometric Support 1 SAS macro %_COUNT_ Jim Groeneveld, OCS Biometric Support, Leiden, the Netherlands. CC01 – PhUSE 2008

2. © OCS Biometric Support 2 SAS macro %_COUNT_ AGENDA / CONTENTS 1.Purpose: stating the problem 2.SPSS solution with COUNT 3.SAS alternative functionality 4.SAS additional functionality

3. © OCS Biometric Support 3 SAS macro %_COUNT_ PURPOSE: stating the problem Counting the occurrence of many specific values of specified variables in SAS data step takes quite a lot of coding work. Macro %_COUNT_ facilitates the process.

4. © OCS Biometric Support 4 SAS macro %_COUNT_ Counting values of variables How often do certain numerical or character values occur in specific variables within records? Var1Var2Var3Var4Count 4,5,6 12341 56782 VarAVarBVarCVarDCount 'b'-'f' abcd3 efgh2

5. © OCS Biometric Support 5 SAS macro %_COUNT_ SPSS solution with COUNT (1) SPSS has the command COUNT, syntax: simple form (example): COUNT Countvar = var_a, var_b [...] (value_1, value_2, value_3 [...]). general form: COUNT CountVar = variable_list (value_list) [... (...) [... (...)]] [/...=... (...) [... (...)]] [/...].

6. © OCS Biometric Support 6 SAS macro %_COUNT_ SPSS solution with COUNT (2) in which a variable_list consists of: variables names | implied consecutive variable list: variable_1 TO variable_N; and in which a value_list consists of: separate either numeric or character values | range(s) of values with THRU, including LO and HI for one-sidedness.

7. © OCS Biometric Support 7 SAS macro %_COUNT_ SPSS solution with COUNT (3) SPSS COUNT, complex example: COUNT Counter1 = NumA, NumB (0, MISSING) / Counter2 = NumC, NumD, NumE TO NumI (3, 5 THRU 9, 14 THRU HI, SYSMIS) CharA, CharB, CharC TO CharH, CharI ('a text', 'b text', "any!@#$").

8. © OCS Biometric Support 8 SAS macro %_COUNT_ SAS alternative functionality (1) (approx.) equivalent SAS only code: Counter1 = (NumA=0) + MISSING(NumA) + (NumB=0) + MISSING(NumB); Counter2 = (NumC EQ 3) + (NumC>=5 AND NumC =14) + MISSING(NumC) + (NumD EQ 3) + (NumD>=5 AND NumD =14) + MISSING(NumD) + (NumE EQ 3) + (NumE>=5 AND NumE =14) + MISSING(NumE) + (NumF EQ 3) + (NumF>=5 AND NumF =14) + MISSING(NumF) + (NumG EQ 3) + (NumG>=5 AND NumG =14) + MISSING(NumG) + (NumH EQ 3) + (NumH>=5 AND NumH =14) + MISSING(NumH) + (NumI EQ 3) + (NumI>=5 AND NumI =14) + MISSING(NumI) + (CharA IN('a text', 'b text', "any!@#$")) + (CharB IN('a text', 'b text', "any!@#$")) + (CharC IN('a text', 'b text', "any!@#$")) + (CharD IN('a text', 'b text', "any!@#$")) + (CharE IN('a text', 'b text', "any!@#$")) + (CharF IN('a text', 'b text', "any!@#$")) + (CharG IN('a text', 'b text', "any!@#$")) + (CharH IN('a text', 'b text', "any!@#$")) + (CharI IN('a text', 'b text', "any!@#$")) ;

9. © OCS Biometric Support 9 SAS macro %_COUNT_ SAS alternative functionality (2) (approx.) equivalent %_Count_ code: %_COUNT_ (( Counter1 = NumA, NumB (0, _SYSMIS_) / Counter2 = NumC NumD NumE _TO_ NumI (3 5 _THRU_ 9 14 _THRU_ _HI_ _SYSMIS_) CharA, CharB, CharC _TO_ CharH, CharI ('a text', 'b text', "any!@#$").));

10. © OCS Biometric Support 10 SAS macro %_COUNT_ SAS alternative functionality (3) Syntax conversion from SPSS to SAS: SAS macro %_Count_ supports the same syntax and functionality as the SPSS command COUNT. Keywords start and end with _underscores_ and the concept of missing values differs between SPSS and SAS, but that is not relevant.

11. © OCS Biometric Support 11 SAS macro %_COUNT_ SAS alternative functionality (4) Comparable features of macro %_Count_ a.full syntax and functionality support; b.any constant character value text; c.missing value support with _SYSMIS_; d.support of implied, consecutive, same type variable lists: _TO_-convention; e.f. support of (numeric) value ranges: _THRU_-convention; _LO_ and _HI_.

12. © OCS Biometric Support 12 SAS macro %_COUNT_ SAS additional functionality Extraneous features of macro %_Count_: a.lexicographic comparison of character values with the _THRU_ keyword; b.variables in value (range) lists (no TO) c.constant values in variable list (no TO) d.array elements as variables, except with an implied list (_TO_-convention) e.SAS name literals instead of variables.

13. © OCS Biometric Support 13 SAS macro %_COUNT_ SAS use of macro %_Count_ Macro %_Count_ call within data step: 1.SPSS-like code between double left and right parentheses: one set to start the macro and the other set to contain the whole SPSS-like code as one value for the main, first, positional macro argument that is parsed by the macro; 2.newer versions will contain some bells and whistles as additional arguments.

14. © OCS Biometric Support 14 Q&A: SAS macro %_COUNT_ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS SASquestions@ocs-consulting.com Jim.Groeneveld@ocs-biometricsupport.com http://home.hccnet.nl/jim.groeneveld/count

15. © OCS Biometric Support 15 Q&A: SAS macro %_COUNT_ Origin of SAS macro %_Count_ 1.SPSS experience from 1975 to 1997; a.mainframe versions, command language; b.SPSS/PC, command language oriented; c.SPSS for Windows with graphical user interface; d.SPSS9toX: SPSS-9 to SPSS-X syntax converter; 2.SAS experience since 1997 (to date); a.contributor to SAS-L (comp.soft-sys.sas); b.aware of nice SPSS features lacking in SAS; c.needed functionality like COUNT (and RECODE); d.much experience with writing SAS macros.

16. © OCS Biometric Support 16 Q&A: SAS macro %_COUNT_ Comparison of SPSS and SAS missings SPSS – numeric and short strings: user defined: any values per variable (up to three, or one plus a range) system missing: automatically assigned (just one) (not applicable to strings) SAS - only fixed values: character: space numeric:._..a to.z (28 ones in order)

17. © OCS Biometric Support 17 Q&A: SAS macro %_COUNT_ Algorithm of _TO_-convention Hardly or not at all possible to let the macro know the implied variable names PROC CONTENTS, VARNUM and VARNAME Macro does not need to know var names: %LET Incr = %IncrIndx; %* GLOBAL; ARRAY _0&Incr StartVar EndVar; DO _0_ = 1 TO DIM(_0&Incr); DROP _0_;

18. © OCS Biometric Support 18 Q&A: SAS macro %_COUNT_ SAS name literal A SAS name literal is a name token that is expressed as a string within quotation marks, followed by the letter n. For more information about SAS name literals, see SAS Language Reference: Concepts. Example: 'This !@#$%^&* value'n = 0 ;

19. © OCS Biometric Support 19 Q&A: SAS macro %_COUNT_ Conversion Demonstration To see the generated, converted SAS code of a call to the macro %_Count_ (many macros actually) run the code: %PUT {Start of generated code} %QUOTE( /* the complete %_Count_ call here */ ) {End of generated code} ; All (unconditionally) generated SAS code will appear in the log, not neatly formatted, but logically working.

20. © OCS Biometric Support 20 Q&A: SAS macro %_COUNT_ Newer version's extra features additional user specifiable arguments: GlobIncr=_ArrayNr /* name of unique global incr. macro variable */, ArPrefix=_0 /* prefix of unique temporary SAS array for TO-list */, IndexVar=_0_ /* name of unique index variable for array elements */, Sysmis=_SYSMIS_, To=_TO_, Thru=_THRU_, Lo=_LO_, Hi=_HI_, Assign==, NewCount=/

21. © OCS Biometric Support 21 Q&A: SAS macro %_COUNT_ Additional unintended features Expressions without spaces, with +-* involving constant and variable values: Counter21 = a, b c (3, -5+7) /* expression with constant values */ / Counter22 = b, a b (c-a, 9) /* expression with variables */ / Counter23 = a+c (2*2) /* expression in variable list as well */ Not at all guaranteed! No div., log. expr.?