Macro Debugging Options in SAS

The SAS Macro Facility is a powerful feature that allows for dynamic code generation and automation. However, when macros become complex, it can be challenging to understand how they are executing and where issues might arise. SAS provides several debugging options to help developers trace the execution of macros and diagnose problems. In this article, we will explore the following debugging options:

• MPRINT
• MLOGIC
• SYMBOLGEN
• MACROGEN
• MFILE

MPRINT

The MPRINT option is used to display the SAS statements that are generated by macro execution. This option helps you see the actual code that a macro produces, which is essential for understanding what your macro is doing.

Basic Example:

options mprint;

%macro greet(name);
    %put Hello, &name!;
%mend greet;

%greet(Sarath);

When you run the above code with the MPRINT option enabled, you will see the following output in the SAS log:

MPRINT(GREET):   %put Hello, Sarath!;

This output shows that the macro successfully resolved the &name variable to "Sarath" and executed the %put statement with that value.

Advanced Example:

Consider a more complex macro that generates a data step based on input parameters:

options mprint;

%macro filter_data(age_limit);
    data filtered;
        set sashelp.class;
        where age > &age_limit;
    run;
%mend filter_data;

%filter_data(12);

With MPRINT enabled, the log will show the following:

MPRINT(FILTER_DATA):   data filtered;
MPRINT(FILTER_DATA):   set sashelp.class;
MPRINT(FILTER_DATA):   where age > 12;
MPRINT(FILTER_DATA):   run;

This output is the exact code generated and executed by the macro, making it easier to verify that your macro is working as intended.

MLOGIC

The MLOGIC option provides detailed information about the macro execution logic, including the evaluation of conditions, the flow of macro execution, and the resolution of macro variable values. This option is particularly useful when debugging complex macros that involve conditional logic and multiple macro variables.

Basic Example:

options mlogic;

%macro check_age(age);
    %if &age > 12 %then %put Age is greater than 12;
    %else %put Age is 12 or less;
%mend check_age;

%check_age(14);

The log output with MLOGIC enabled will be:

MLOGIC(CHECK_AGE):  Beginning execution.
MLOGIC(CHECK_AGE):  %IF condition &age > 12 is TRUE
MLOGIC(CHECK_AGE):  %PUT Age is greater than 12
Age is greater than 12
MLOGIC(CHECK_AGE):  Ending execution.

This output shows the logical flow within the macro, including how the %IF condition was evaluated and which branch of the logic was executed.

Advanced Example:

Let's consider a macro that processes a dataset differently based on a condition:

options mlogic;

%macro process_data(gender);
    %if &gender = M %then %do;
        data males;
            set sashelp.class;
            where sex = "M";
        run;
    %end;
    %else %do;
        data females;
            set sashelp.class;
            where sex = "F";
        run;
    %end;
%mend process_data;

%process_data(M);

With MLOGIC enabled, the log will detail how the macro made its decision:

MLOGIC(PROCESS_DATA):  Beginning execution.
MLOGIC(PROCESS_DATA):  %IF condition &gender = M is TRUE
MLOGIC(PROCESS_DATA):  %DO loop beginning.
MLOGIC(PROCESS_DATA):  %END loop.
MLOGIC(PROCESS_DATA):  Ending execution.

This output provides insight into the decision-making process within the macro, showing that the macro correctly identified the gender as "M" and executed the appropriate branch of code.

SYMBOLGEN

The SYMBOLGEN option is used to display the resolution of macro variables, showing their values before and after resolution. This option is crucial for understanding how macro variables are being substituted during macro execution.

Basic Example:

options symbolgen;

%let myvar = 20;

%macro show_var;
    %put The value of myvar is &myvar;
%mend show_var;

%show_var;

The log output with SYMBOLGEN enabled will show the resolution of the macro variable:

SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable MYVAR resolves to 20
The value of myvar is 20

This output confirms that the macro variable &myvar was correctly resolved to "20" before being used in the %put statement.

Advanced Example:

Consider a macro that constructs a filename dynamically based on a date:

options symbolgen;

%let year = 2024;
%let month = 09;
%let day = 01;

%macro create_filename;
    %let filename = report_&year.&month.&day..txt;
    %put &filename;
%mend create_filename;

%create_filename;

The log output with SYMBOLGEN enabled will detail the resolution process:

SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable YEAR resolves to 2024
SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable MONTH resolves to 09
SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable DAY resolves to 01
SYMBOLGEN:  Macro variable FILENAME resolves to report_20240901.txt
report_20240901.txt

This output shows how the macro variables were resolved and concatenated to form the final filename.

MACROGEN

The MACROGEN option displays the source code of macros during their compilation. This is useful when you need to verify the structure of your macros, especially when dealing with complex nested macros or dynamic macro generation.

Example:

options macrogen;

%macro example_macro;
    %put This is a simple macro;
%mend example_macro;

%example_macro;

With MACROGEN enabled, the log will show when the macro definition is complete:

MACROGEN(EXAMPLE_MACRO):  Macro definition is complete.
This is a simple macro

While this option is not as frequently used as the others, it can be helpful in ensuring that your macro definitions are compiled as expected, particularly in complex macro libraries.

MFILE

The MFILE option allows you to direct the output of the MPRINT option to an external file. This can be particularly useful when you want to save the generated code for documentation, further analysis, or debugging purposes.

Example:

In this example, we will save the generated code to a file named mprint_output.sas:

filename mprint_file 'C:\temp\mprint_output.sas';
options mfile mprint;

%macro example;
    data _null_;
        set sashelp.class;
        where age > 12;
        put 'Processing ' name= age=;
    run;
%mend example;

%example;

options nomfile;
filename mprint_file clear;

With this setup, the generated SAS code from the macro will be written to the specified file. You can then open this file in a text editor to review the code:

data _null_;
    set sashelp.class;
    where age > 12;
    put 'Processing ' name= age=;
run;

This option is extremely helpful when you need to review the generated code outside of the SAS environment or when the log becomes too cluttered.

Conclusion

Each of these macro debugging options provides valuable insights into the execution of SAS macros. By using MPRINT, MLOGIC, SYMBOLGEN, MACROGEN, and MFILE effectively, you can diagnose issues, understand the flow of your macros, and ensure that your code is executing as intended. Mastering these tools is an essential skill for any SAS programmer working with macros.