How to Set Variable Values to Missing in a DATA Step

You can set values to missing within your DATA step by using program statements such as this one:

if age<0 then age=.;

This statement sets the stored value of AGE to a numeric missing value if AGE has a value less than 0.

Note: You can display a missing numeric value with a character other than a period by using the DATA step's MISSING statement or the MISSING= system option. [cautionend]

The following example sets the stored value of NAME to a missing character value if NAME has a value of "none":

if name="none" then name=' ';

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