Hack 4.19 Up-Coding Text Variables with the VVALUE Function

SAS Programming Professionals,

Did you know that you can use a SAS format to up-code text variables based on a numeric response variable?

The VVALUE function returns a character value that is the results of bouncing a numeric variable’s value against a format.  The format for the VVALUE function is:

VVALUE (variable)

Let’s look at an example:

/* Create potato chip format */

proc format;

      value chiptype

      1 = "Ruffles"

      2 = "Lay's"

      3 = "Kettle"

      4 = "Miss Vickies"

      5 = "Pringles"

      other = "Don't Know"

      ;

run;

/* Create example data set */

data class;

set  sashelp.class;

Chip_Response = mod(age, 10);

format Chip_Response chiptype.;

run;

/* Upcode value of Chip_Response_Text */

data class_Response;

set  class;

length Chip_Response_Text $12.;

Chip_Response_Text = vvalue(Chip_Response);

run;

proc print noobs data=class_Response;

title1 "Results of the Potato Chip Question";

var Name Age Chip_Response Chip_Response_Text;

format Chip_Response 8.;

run;

First we create the CHIPTYPE format to associate numeric responses with the related potato chip type as per the questionnaire.  The first DATA step creates the Chip_Response variable that represents the various subject’s response to the potato chip question in the survey.

The second DATA step uses the VVALUE function to assign the correct response text value to Chip_Response_Text, based on the value found in variable Chip_Response.  Since the argument to VVALUE is Chip_Response, the function looks to the CHIPTYPE format for the values that should be returned.  It does so because CHIPTYPE is the format associated with variable Chip_Response.  Chip_Response values of 1 result in Chip_Response_Text values of “Ruffles”, values of 2 result in “Lay’s”, and so forth; as per the CHIPTYPE format.

The output of the PROC PRINT looks like this:

Results of the Potato Chip Question

       Chip_

   Chip_      Response_

Name       Age    Response    Text

Alfred      14           4    Miss Vickies

Alice       13           3    Kettle

Barbara     13           3    Kettle

Carol       14           4    Miss Vickies

Henry       14           4    Miss Vickies

James       12           2    Lay's

Jane        12           2    Lay's

Janet       15           5    Pringles

Jeffrey     13           3    Kettle

John        12           2    Lay's

Joyce       11           1    Ruffles

Judy        14           4    Miss Vickies

Louise      12           2    Lay's

Mary        15           5    Pringles

Philip      16           6    Don't Know

Robert      12           2    Lay's

Ronald      15           5    Pringles

Thomas      11           1    Ruffles

William     15           5    Pringles

Note that if you do not specify a length for a variable created with the VVALUE function, the variable length will default to 200 characters.  Ouch!

Best of luck in all your SAS endeavors!

---MMMMIIIIKKKKEEEE

(aka Michael A. Raithel)

Author of the new cult classic for computer programmers:  It Only Hurts When I Hit <ENTER>
Print edition:  http://tinyurl.com/z8bzx2e 
Kindle edition: http://tinyurl.com/zypgqa7 

The hack above is an excerpt from the book:  Did You Know That?  Essential Hacks for Clever SAS Programmers

http://tinyurl.com/zfd67rh