Clinical Statistical Programming

Debugging nested macros in SAS can feel like navigating a maze, but with the right tools, it becomes much more manageable. Two powerful options,  MLOGICNEST  and  MPRINTNEST , can significantly enhance your debugging process by providing detailed insights into the execution flow and generated SAS statements of nested macros. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to use these options effectively. What are Nested Macros? Before diving into debugging, let’s understand what nested macros are. In SAS, a macro is a piece of code or a script that can be reused multiple times. Nested macros are macros that call other macros within them. This nesting can help organize complex tasks into manageable parts but can also make debugging more challenging. Why Debugging Nested Macros is Important When working with nested macros, it’s crucial to ensure that each macro executes correctly and in the right order. Errors in nested macros can lead to incorrect results, wasted time, and frustrati...

Creating sample data is essential for testing, simulation, and analysis. Both SAS and R provide versatile methods to generate sample datasets. In this post, we'll compare how to create sample data side by side in SAS and R, offering more than five methods with examples and explanations. Method 1: Using Basic Data Structures SAS In SAS, the  DATA  step is the most basic way to create a sample dataset. /* SAS Example: Basic Data Step */ DATA sample_data;     input ID Name $ Age Height Weight;     DATALINES;     1 John 25 68 150     2 Jane 30 65 120     3 Jim 22 70 180     4 Jill 28 64 135     ; RUN; PROC PRINT DATA=sample_data;  RUN; Explanation : The  DATA  statement starts a new data step, creating a dataset named  sample_data . The  input  statement defines the variables:  ID ,  Name  (character type indicated by  $ ),  Age ,  Height , and  We...