Ad Hoc Report for Users

Michael A. Mace, Lincoln National Corporation, Fort Wayne, Indiana

ABSTRACT
The two programs or techniques described here will allow clients
to produce their own customized (ad hoc) reports. This provides
the client with independence and flexibility and frees the
programmer from report boy syndrome. One technique uses a
series of %PUT and %INPUT statements to step the client
through the process; the second simply uses a brief description
to guide the client in entering an SQL statement.
INTRODUCTION
The techniques I present here resolve two reporting needs of
clients. First, when a basic report simply needs to be produced
based on new criteria, such as beginning and ending dates or a
different location, code, et cetera. Second, when the client wants
to explore the data or answer a simple question, like how many
widgets are what color.
No matter how careful and far-sighted you are in developing an
application in cooperation with a client to meet the reporting
needs, invariably you will receive a phone call or e-mail asking for
one more special report. Next month or next year you will be
asked for yet another, and each time you have to refresh your
memory regarding the purpose of the application and the
variables used. If you have an exceptionally inquisitive, helpless,
or demanding client, you will quickly become a report boy. No
longer! With the use of either or both of the techniques presented
here, you can free yourself and your clients to do things you are
both being paid to do.
I should also mention that when I work with my clients in creating
an application, I constantly emphasize that they are the owners
and users of the application and need to know the basics of what
things are, how things work, and what can be reasonably
expected. Just as they educate me about their needs, I try to
educate them about the tools of the SAS system. This mutual
understanding helps not only in the initial development but also
during any trouble-shooting or future modifications.
As you will see in this paper, I assume that the client knows the
structure of the application and knows what he/she wants to get
out of it, and will think about what is being requested and typed.
Go ahead and laugh; I admit there are times I need the patience
of Job and the tact of Solomon.
%PUT and %INPUT
The first technique steps the user through the criteria-gathering
process. %PUT is used here to display the prompt; %INPUT is
used to capture the response in a macro variable. Here is a short
example:
%PUT Please enter the variable for which you want a frequency
table ;
%INPUT freqvar ;
PROC FREQ DATA= fileref.dsname ;
TABLES &freqvar / options ;
RUN ;
When working with dates, the prompt is very specific:
%PUT Please enter the BEGINNING date as DDMONYYYY: ;
%PUT i.e. 06APR2007 ;
%INPUT begndate ;
The response could be used thusly:
SET filref.dsn(WHERE=("&begndate"D<=datevar<="&enddate"D)
Remember that macro variable values are text. Therefore I
request the date values in DATE9. format so that I do not need to
make any data conversions. Also notice that I have requested a
four-character year to make sure everyone remembers that the
turn of the century is upon us.
One assumption here is that the client will enter exactly what is
requested as requested; if the criteria are not entered correctly,
an empty report will be produced. I do not do any error checking
when it comes to the clients inputs; that could be incorporated if
deemed necessary.
You can also prompt for multiple values. There are several ways
to do this and reasons why you will use one rather than another,
in particular, how the response is going to be used. Here is an
example within a macro.
%MACRO macronam ;
.
%PUT Please enter the first three characters of desired
homebase(s), ;
%PUT in single quotes, - separate multiple homebases with
commas, ;
%PUT ex.: '041','042','037' ;
%INPUT hb ;
.
.
DATA dsname ;
.
.
%IF %LENGTH(&hb) GT 0
%THEN %DO ;
IF SUBSTR(homebase,1,3) IN(&hb) ;
%END ;
RUN ;
.
.
%MEND macronam ;
%macronam ;
Another accessory tool you need for a truly ad hoc report is the
automatic macro variable, &SYSBUFFR, which accepts any
response to a %INPUT prompt that is not matched with a specific
variable.
%PUT Please enter whatever you want ;
%INPUT ;
2
The value of &SYSBUFFR would be whatever the user typed.
This allows a great deal of flexibility, independence, and yes,
uncertainty; however it is crucial for our purposes.
Please refer to SAS Guide to Macro Processing, Version 6,
Second Edition .for a thorough discussion about macros, macro
variables, %PUT, %INPUT, and &SYSBUFFR.
Remember what I said earlier about the client knowing the
application? Since the client is going to produce these ad hoc
reports, it is absolutely necessary for them to know the variables.
Therefore, be sure to provide a printout of PROC CONTENTS to
each client and educate your clients using SAS/FSP products,
FSEDIT or FSBROWSE, that by placing the cursor on a field and
pressing F1, the name, type, format, and informat of the
underlying variable will be displayed in the message line.
Finally, here is the complete ad hoc report program using %PUT,
%INPUT, and &SYSBUFFR:
OPTIONS DATE NUMBER ;
LIBNAME realstat sccp.realstat.perm.sasdata SERVER=
SHARE6P ;
FOOTNOTE "<ADHOCRE>" ;
TITLE1 "Company Name: REAL ESTATE" ;
%MACRO adhoc ;
CLEAR ;
%LET null = ;
%PUT Please enter which data set you want to report against: ;
%PUT AGREEMNT CONDEMN EXPENSE INSCERT
MUNIADRS PROPERTY ;
%PUT RAILROAD RENTAL SALE TAX TAXJCPL TRANSROW
TXCLLCTR VDRS ;
%INPUT dsn ;
%PUT %STR( ) ;
%PUT Please list ALL of the variables you want on the report ;
%PUT in the desired order: ;
%PUT INCLUDING any variables by which you may want to sort
;
%PUT THEN press <ENTER> ;
%INPUT ;
%LET var = &SYSBUFFR ;
%PUT %STR( ) ;
%PUT If you want to specifiy an additional subsetting criterium, ;
%PUT please enter it as: variable comparison_operator value
;
%PUT OR: FUNCTION(variable,parameters)
comparison_operator value ;
%INPUT ;
%LET criteria = &SYSBUFFR ;
TITLE4 "%UPCASE(&criteria)" ;
%MACRO criteria ;
%IF %LENGTH(&criteria) = 0
%THEN ;
%ELSE %STR(IF &criteria ;) ;
%MEND criteria ;
%PUT %STR( ) ;
%PUT Please enter the SORT variables in the desired order: ;
%PUT NB: The sort variables MUST have been included in the
variable list;
%INPUT ;
%LET sortvar = &SYSBUFFR ;
%MACRO sortvar ;
%IF %LENGTH(&sortvar) = 0
%THEN ;
%ELSE %DO ;
PROC SORT DATA= &dsn NODUPLICATES ;
BY &sortvar ;
RUN ;
%END ;
%MEND sortvar ;
%PUT %STR( ) ;
%PUT Finally, if you want an additional TITLE, please enter it: ;
%INPUT ;
%LET title3 = %UPCASE(&SYSBUFFR) ;
TITLE3 "&title3" ;
DATA dsn ;
SET realstat.&dsn (KEEP= &var ) ;
%criteria ;
RUN ;
%sortvar ;
PROC PRINT DATA= dsn NOOBS UNIFORM ;
VAR &var ;
BY &sortvar ;
RUN ;
%MEND adhoc ;
%adhoc ;
LIBNAME realstat CLEAR ;
PROC SQL
The second technique for producing ad hoc reports was literally
thrown together in response to a clients comment that he knew
how to write structured queries in other software languages.
%PUT is used to display all of the instructions at one time.
%INPUT and &SYSBUFFR are used to accept the complete
response. Here again, the client must be familiar with the
variables, their names, types, et cetera, and must follow the
instructions exactly or nothing will be produced.
3
LIBNAME rtk chem.gencortk.perm.sasdata SERVER= share6p ;
LIBNAME library chem.formats.perm.sasdata SERVER=
share6p ;
OPTIONS DATE NUMBER NOCAPS ;
FOOTNOTE "<ADHOCSQL>" ;
TITLE1 "Company Name: RIGHT-TO-KNOW" ;
CLEAR ;
%PUT %STR( ) ;
%PUT Enter your SQL statements below (RTK is the first-level
dsn qualifier, i.e. fileref) ...;
%PUT %STR( ) ;
%PUT SELECT variable, variable(s), ... <SPACE> ;
%PUT FROM fileref.dataset alias, fileref.dataset alias ...
<SPACE> ;
%PUT WHERE condition(s) ... <SPACE> ;
%PUT ORDER BY variable, variable(s), ... ;
%PUT %STR( ) ;
%PUT THEN, AND ONLY THEN, press <ENTER> ;
%INPUT ;
%LET sqlstmt = &SYSBUFFR ;
PROC SQL ;
&sqlstmt ;
;
QUIT ;
RUN ;
LIBNAME library CLEAR ;
LIBNAME rtk CLEAR ;
CONCLUSION
One limitation to these techniques is that the output will be
formatted by the procedure used, which could result in wrapping
of output depending on how many variables are requested.
Another limitation is that it is extremely unwieldy, though not
impossible, to specify criteria for an array of variables, such as
var1-var30. If the client really wants a report of these variables,
there is a bit more programming that needs to be done
beforehand.
I trust that these techniques will become valuable tools for your
immediate and future use to enhance the applications you write
to better serve your clients reporting needs and free yourself
from the report-boy syndrome.
For more on user-customized report generation, please see my
paper, Using %WINDOW to Obtain User Criteria for Reports,
also in these NESUG 97 proceedings.
SAS and SAS/FSP are registered trademarks or trademarks of
SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. Indicates
USA registration.
Other brand name and product names are registered trademarks
or trademarks of their respective companies.
REFERENCES
SAS Institute Inc. (1990), SAS Guide to Macro Processing,
Version 6, Second Edition, Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc.
Michael A. Mace
Lincoln National Reinsurance
One Reinsurance Way
1700 Magnavox Way
P.O. Box 7708
Fort Wayne, IN 46804-7708
219-455-0689
e-mail: [email protected]