SUPPORT / SAMPLES & SAS NOTES
Problem Note 35161: A date constant with a null value no longer works in SAS® 9.2
 |  |  |  |
In releases of SAS® prior to SAS® 9.2, you could create a null date constant by using two quotation marks with no space between them, as shown in the example code below:
data _null_; x=''d; run;
Beginning in SAS 9.2, error messages like the following are generated when the same syntax is used to create a null date constant:
ERROR: Invalid date/time/datetime constant ''d. ERROR 77-185: Invalid number conversion on ''d.
To circumvent the problem, place a space between the quotation marks.
Operating System and Release Information
| Product Family | Product | System | SAS Release | |
| Reported | Fixed* | |||
| SAS System | Base SAS | z/OS | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 |
| Microsoft® Windows® for 64-Bit Itanium-based Systems | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter 64-bit Edition | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise 64-bit Edition | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| Microsoft Windows XP 64-bit Edition | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| Microsoft® Windows® for x64 | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| Microsoft Windows XP Professional | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| Windows Vista | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| 64-bit Enabled AIX | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| 64-bit Enabled HP-UX | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| 64-bit Enabled Solaris | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| HP-UX IPF | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| Linux | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| Linux for x64 | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| OpenVMS on HP Integrity | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||
| Solaris for x64 | 9.2 TS1M0 | 9.3 TS1M0 | ||