About This Book

Purpose

This book is a roadmap to expert use of macro language. It reveals the secrets, explains the tricks, and covers the programming techniques. While syntax is occasionally necessary, the focus is on exploring, testing, and experimenting. Push the software to its limits to discover what works, what fails, and what the possibilities are.

This book dives deep into advanced concepts. Nobody is going to sit down and read it cover to cover. Approach the subject from a different angle. Plan on reading until you discover an astounding idea or technique. Would you like to:

•    Create an output file, similar to the .log and .lst files, that automatically reflects the name of the program?

•    Halt a program as soon as the first error occurs?

•    Run a program using the version of all macros that was in place six months ago?

Once you find a technique that you like, work with your own macros for a while to fit that technique into the appropriate places. Reading starts you on the road toward magical macros. Practice ingrains the techniques, making them easy and natural.

Is This Book for You?

By its nature macro language is a subject for experienced SAS programmers. Macro language generates SAS code, and a programmer must be able to envision the SAS code needed to solve a programming problem in order to make effective use of macro language. If you need to review the syntax in more detail, SAS Press publishes good references:

•    SAS 9.4: Macro Language: Reference

•    Carpenter’s Guide to the SAS Macro Language, Second Edition

•    SAS Macro Programming Made Easy, Second Edition

This is the book that will take your skills to the next level.

Software Used to Develop This Book’s Content

SAS 9.3 was used to create the examples in this book.

The SAS data sets and programs used in this book are available from the author page at http://support.sas.com/virgile.

Example Code and Data

Access the example SAS code and data for this book by linking to its author page at http://support.sas.com/virgile.

For an alphabetical listing of all books for which example code and data is available, see http://support.sas.com/bookcode. Select a title to display the book’s example code.

If you are unable to access the code through the Web site, send e-mail to [email protected].

Additional Resources

SAS offers you a rich variety of resources to help build your SAS skills and explore and apply the full power of SAS software. Whether you are in a professional or academic setting, we have learning products that can help you maximize your investment in SAS.

Keep in Touch

We look forward to hearing from you. We invite questions, comments, and concerns. If you want to contact us about a specific book, please include the book title in your correspondence.

To Contact the Author through SAS Press

By e-mail: [email protected]

Via the Web: http://support.sas.com/author_feedback

SAS Books

For a complete list of books available through SAS, visit http://support.sas.com/bookstore.

Phone: 1-800-727-3228

Fax: 1-919-677-8166

E-mail: [email protected]

SAS Book Report

Receive up-to-date information about all new SAS publications via e-mail by subscribing to the SAS Book Report monthly eNewsletter. Visit http://support.sas.com/sbr.