The
input data set usually contains a date variable to use as either a class or
an ID variable. Although PROC TIMEPLOT does not require an input data set
sorted by date, the output is usually more meaningful if the observations
are in chronological order. In addition, if you use a CLASS statement, the
output is more meaningful if the input data set groups observations according
to combinations of class variable values. (For more information see CLASS Statement .)
For
each plot request, PROC TIMEPLOT prints a listing and a plot. PROC TIMEPLOT
determines the arrangement of the page as follows:
- If you use POS=, the procedure
- determines the size of the plot from the POS=
value
- determines the space for the listing from the width of the columns
of printed values, equally spaced and with a maximum of five positions between
columns
- centers the output on the page.
- If you omit POS=, the procedure
- determines the
width of the plot from the value of the AXIS= option
- expands the listing to fill the rest of the
page.
If there is not enough room to print the listing and the plot for a
particular plot request, PROC TIMEPLOT produces no output and writes the following
error message to the SAS log:
ERROR: Too many variables/symbol values
to print.
The error does not affect other plot requests.
The listing in the output contains different information depending on
whether or not you use a CLASS statement. If you do not use a CLASS statement
(see Plotting a Single Variable ),
PROC TIMEPLOT prints (and plots) each observation on a separate line. If
you do use a CLASS statement, the form of the output varies depending on whether
or not you specify a symbol variable (see Using a Symbol Variable ).
Four
types of variables can appear in the listing from PROC TIMEPLOT: plot variables,
ID variables, class variables, and symbol variables (as part of some column
headers). Plot variables and symbol variables can also appear in the plot.
Observations with missing values of a class variable form a class of
observations.
In the listing, missing values appear as a period (.), a blank, or a
special missing value (the letters A through Z and the underscore (_) character).
In the plot, PROC TIMEPLOT handles different variables in different
ways:
- An observation or class of observations with a missing value of
the plot variable does not appear in the plot.
- If you use a symbol variable (see the discussion of
plot
requests ), PROC TIMEPLOT uses a period (.) as the symbol variable on
the plot for all observations with a missing value of the symbol
variable.
Copyright 1999 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.
