Getting Started with the Macro Facility
This document
is the macro facility language reference for SAS. It is a reference
for the SAS macro language processor and defines the SAS macro language
elements. This section introduces the SAS macro facility using simple
examples and explanation.
The macro
facility is a tool for extending and customizing SAS
and for reducing the amount of text that you must enter to do common
tasks. The macro facility enables you to assign a name to character
strings or groups of SAS programming statements. You can work with
the names that you created rather than with the text itself.
The SAS macro language is a string based language.
It does not support the use of hexadecimal character constants.
Note: The SAS macro language does
not support using hexadecimal values to specify non-printable characters.
When you use a macro
facility name in a SAS program or from a command prompt, the macro
facility generates SAS statements and commands as needed. The rest
of SAS receives those statements and uses them in the same way it
uses the ones that you enter in the standard manner.
When SAS compiles
program text, two delimiters trigger macro processor activity:
refers to a macro variable. Replacing Text Strings Using Macro Variables explains how to create a macro variable. The form &name is called a macro variable reference.
refers to a macro. Generating SAS Code Using Macros explains how to create a macro. The form %name is called a macro call.
The text
substitution produced by the macro processor is completed before the
program text is compiled and executed. The macro facility uses statements
and functions that resemble the statements and functions that you
use in the DATA step. An important difference, however, is that macro
language elements can enable only text substitution and are not present
during program or command execution.
