Creating Our Own Dataset in SAS Using CARDS or DATALINES

Welcome back to Mindful Data Minds! In this session, we’ll learn how to create a dataset in SAS using text data that we already have — with the help of CARDS or DATALINES statements.

Why Use CARDS or DATALINES?

Sometimes we don’t want to import data from an external file. Instead, we want to quickly create a dataset by typing values directly into SAS. For this, we use CARDS or DATALINES.

Watch the Full Tutorial

What You Will Learn

• How to create datasets using CARDS/DATALINES.
• How SAS handles numeric vs. character variables.
• How to define lengths for character variables.
• How to use colon (:) and ampersand (&) modifiers.

Step 1: Define the Data Step

Start by writing a Data Step:

data a;
   input EmpID Name $ Department $ City $;
   datalines;
1 A Sales Delhi
2 B HR Mumbai
3 C Analytics Chandigarh
;
run;

Explanation:

• data a; → Creates a dataset named a.
• input → Defines the variables (EmpID, Name, Department, City).
• $ → Marks character variables.
• datalines; → Indicates that data will follow.
• The rows below are the actual data records.
• run; → Executes the step.

Step 2: Understanding Data Types

• By default, SAS treats variables as numeric unless you add a $ for character.
• Numeric missing values are shown as a dot (.).
• Character missing values are shown as blank.

Step 3: Handling Lengths

By default, SAS sets character variable length to 8. Longer values get trimmed. To fix this, define a length:

length Name $ 15 Department $ 20 City $ 20;

This ensures SAS can store longer text values.

Step 4: Using Modifiers

SAS provides modifiers to handle special cases:

• Colon (:) → Reads up to the defined length but stops at a delimiter (like space).
• Ampersand (&) → Allows multiple words (e.g., first name + last name) to be read into one variable.

Example with ampersand:

input Name & $20 Department $ City $;

This ensures “John Doe” is read as one value for Name.

Final Dataset

After running the code, you’ll get a dataset with:

• Employee IDs (numeric)
• Names (character, with full names supported)
• Departments (character)
• Cities (character)

Next Step

Continue learning by exploring the next tutorial in this series. Also subscribe to get notified about new lessons.

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