If you use the METADATA_SETASSN function to modify the association list for a metadata object, the function fails to assign the return code if it completes successfully.

If the return code value has not been assigned a value in a prior statement, the value will retain the missing value to which it was originally initialized. If the return code variable was assigned a value in a previous statement, the variable will retain that assigned value.

This behavior might cause unexpected results when the value for the return code variable is tested in a conditional statement such as IF-THEN-ELSE, DO WHILE, or DO UNTIL.

To circumvent the problem, explicitly initialize the return code variable to a missing value prior to executing the METADATA_SETASSN function, and include the missing condition in any conditional logic, for example:

      rc=.;
      if rc < 0 and rc ne . then do;
        /*statements to execute when the association update fails*/
      end;

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