In the Syntax section in SAS 9.2 documentation, the MDCDATA statement is not clearly documented. It fails to clarify that the SELECT= option on the MDCDATA statement only allows for a character variable and that the characters this variable takes must match the characters that appear on the first set of variable names on the VARLIST option. In other words, if the VARLIST option is specified as:

   VARLIST(name1=(name1var1 name1var2 name1var3) name2=(name2var1 name2var2  name2var3))

then observations on the variable specified on the SELECT= option must have characters 'name1var1', 'name1var2', or 'name1var3'.

In addition, the order of the variables on the first variable set determines the numbering of the alternatives and variables in subsequent variable sets should follow this same order. In other words, name1var1 corresponds to alternative 1, name1var2 corresonds to alternative 2, name1var3 corresponds to alternative 3. This pattern is the same for the name2 variables.

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