SAS-using macro combine dataset but SAS doesn't recognise the target name - macros

Question

I used following code to combine several datasets in a library with one dataset. However, according to log file, the SAS did not recognise &target..* in the macro.
The log file is shown as following:
%macro combintprice(sourcelib=,from=,going=,target=);
proc sql noprint; /*read datasets in a library*/
create table mytables as
select *
from dictionary.tables
where libname = &sourcelib
order by memname ;
select count(memname)
into:numb
from mytables;
%let numb=&numb.; /*give a number to datasets in the library*/
select memname
into :memname1-:memname&numb.
from mytables;
quit;
%do i=1 %to &numb.;
proc sql;
create table &going.&&memname&i. as
select &from.&&memname&i...*, &target..*
from &from.&&memname&i. as a left join &target. as b
on a.date=b.date;
quit;
%end;
%mend;
%combintprice(sourcelib='AXP',from=AXP.,going=WORK.,target=axp1);

Answer 1

It often helps to break the code down into bits when debugging this sort of thing. Let's try running this with some dummy inputs and skip the first proc sql:
%let memname1= data1;
%let memname2= data2;
%let memname3= data3;
%let numb = 3;
%macro combintprice(sourcelib=,from=,going=,target=);
%do i=1 %to &numb.;
proc sql noexec;
create table &going.&&memname&i. as
select &from.&&memname&i...*, &target..*
from &from.&&memname&i. as a left join &target. as b
on a.date=b.date;
quit;
%end;
%mend;
%combintprice(sourcelib='AXP',from=AXP.,going=WORK.,target=axp1.);
This gives the following log output:
22: LINE and COLUMN cannot be determined.
NOTE 242-205: NOSPOOL is on. Rerunning with OPTION SPOOL might allow recovery of the LINE and COLUMN where the error has occurred.
ERROR 22-322: Syntax error, expecting one of the following: a quoted string, !, !!, &, *, **, +, ',', -, /, <, <=, <>, =, >, >=, ?,
AND, AS, BETWEEN, CONTAINS, EQ, EQT, FORMAT, FROM, GE, GET, GT, GTT, IN, INFORMAT, INTO, IS, LABEL, LE, LEN, LENGTH,
LET, LIKE, LT, LTT, NE, NET, NOT, NOTIN, OR, TRANSCODE, ^, ^=, |, ||, ~, ~=.
200: LINE and COLUMN cannot be determined.
NOTE: NOSPOOL is on. Rerunning with OPTION SPOOL might allow recovery of the LINE and COLUMN where the error has occurred.
ERROR 200-322: The symbol is not recognized and will be ignored.
NOTE 137-205: Line generated by the invoked macro "COMBINTPRICE".
76 proc sql noexec; create table &going.&&memname&i. as select &from.&&memname&i...*, &target..* from &from.&&memname&i.
_
22
76 ! as a left join &target. as b on a.date=b.date; quit;
ERROR 22-322: Syntax error, expecting one of the following: a name, *.
So the problem is that your macro code is generating invalid SQL. All those error messages generated by proc sql (even with noexec set) and bits of macro variables actually get in the way here, so let's just look at what actual code generated looks like, using equivalent %put statements:
%let memname1= data1;
%let memname2= data2;
%let memname3= data3;
%let numb = 3;
%macro combintprice(sourcelib=,from=,going=,target=);
%do i=1 %to &numb.;
%put
proc sql;
%put create table &going.&&memname&i. as
select &from.&&memname&i...*, &target..*
from &from.&&memname&i. as a left join &target. as b
on a.date=b.date;
%put quit;
%end;
%mend;
%combintprice(sourcelib='AXP',from=AXP.,going=WORK.,target=axp1.);
And this is the result (with just the few semicolons omitted):
proc sql
create table WORK.data1 as select AXP.data1.*, axp1..* from AXP.data1 as a left join axp1. as b on a.date=b.date
quit
You have a few too many periods. Try fixing this so that only valid SQL is produced, and then maybe it will work as expected.