Table of Contents
The SAS language’s SAS: Use CONTAINS function is a powerful tool that can be utilized in PROC SQL to efficiently search and filter data within a specified column. This function allows for the identification of specific patterns or strings of characters within a larger string, making it ideal for tasks such as data cleansing and text mining. By incorporating the CONTAINS function into PROC SQL, users can easily perform complex data manipulations and retrieve desired results with greater precision and speed. This feature enhances the functionality and versatility of the SAS language, making it a valuable tool for data analysis and management.
SAS: Use CONTAINS in PROC SQL
You can use the CONTAINS operator in the PROC SQL statement in SAS to only return rows where a variable in a dataset contains some string pattern.
The following examples show how to use the CONTAINS operator in practice with the following dataset in SAS that contains information about various basketball players:
/*create dataset*/
data my_data;
input team $ points;
datalines;
Cavs 12
Cavs 14
Warriors 15
Hawks 18
Mavs 31
Mavs 32
Mavs 35
Celtics 36
Celtics 40
;
run;
/*view dataset*/
proc printdata=my_data;
Example 1: Select Rows where Variable Contains One Pattern
We can use the CONTAINS operator in PROC SQL to select only the rows where the team contains the pattern ‘avs’ somewhere in the name:
/*select all rows where team contains 'avs'*/
proc sql;
select *
from my_data
where team contains 'avs';
quit;
Notice that only the rows where the team contains ‘avs’ somewhere in the name are returned.
Example 2: Select Rows where Variable Contains One of Several Patterns
We can use the CONTAINS operator in PROC SQL to select only the rows where the team contains the pattern ‘avs’ or the pattern ‘ics’ somewhere in the name:
/*select all rows where team contains 'avs' or 'ics'*/
proc sql;
select *
from my_data
where team contains 'avs' or team contains 'ics';
quit;
Only the rows where the team contains ‘avs’ or ‘ics’ somewhere in the name are returned.
Example 3: Select Rows where Variable Does Not Contain Pattern
The opposite of the CONTAINS operator in PROC SQL is NOT CONTAINS, which selects rows where some variable in a dataset does not contain a certain string pattern.
The following code shows how to use the NOT CONTAINS operator to select all rows where the team does not contain ‘avs’ in the name:
/*select all rows where team does not contain 'avs'*/
proc sql;
select *
from my_data
where team not contains 'avs';
quit;
Notice that only the rows where the team does not contain ‘avs’ somewhere in the name are returned.
The following tutorials explain how to perform other common tasks in SAS:
Cite this article
stats writer (2024). How can the SAS language’s SAS: Use CONTAINS be applied in PROC SQL?. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-can-the-sas-languages-sas-use-contains-be-applied-in-proc-sql/
stats writer. "How can the SAS language’s SAS: Use CONTAINS be applied in PROC SQL?." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 25 Jun. 2024, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-can-the-sas-languages-sas-use-contains-be-applied-in-proc-sql/.
stats writer. "How can the SAS language’s SAS: Use CONTAINS be applied in PROC SQL?." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2024. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-can-the-sas-languages-sas-use-contains-be-applied-in-proc-sql/.
stats writer (2024) 'How can the SAS language’s SAS: Use CONTAINS be applied in PROC SQL?', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-can-the-sas-languages-sas-use-contains-be-applied-in-proc-sql/.
[1] stats writer, "How can the SAS language’s SAS: Use CONTAINS be applied in PROC SQL?," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, June, 2024.
stats writer. How can the SAS language’s SAS: Use CONTAINS be applied in PROC SQL?. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2024;vol(issue):pages.