Debugging Logic Errors in the DATA Step

To debug logic errors in a DATA step, you can use the DATA step debugger. This tool enables you to issue commands to execute DATA step statements one by one and then pause to display the resulting variables ' values in a window. By observing the results that are displayed, you can determine where the logic error lies. Because the debugger is interactive, you can repeat the process of issuing commands and observing results as many times as needed in a single debugging session. To invoke the debugger, add the DEBUG option to the DATA statement and execute the program. For detailed information about how to use the DATA step debugger, see SAS Language Reference: Dictionary .