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+/************************************************************************************************
+ USING DATE DIRECTIVES ON THE PICTURE STATEMENT                                                                                   
+     This program creates formats to display dates in a customized way.                                                                         
+     Keywords: PROC FORMAT, FORMAT, PICTURE, DATATYPE=                                                               
+     SAS Versions: SAS 9, SAS Viya                                                    
+     Documentation: https://documentation.sas.com/?cdcId=pgmsascdc&cdcVersion=default&docsetId=proc&docsetTarget=p1xidhqypi0fnwn1if8opjpqpbmn.htm
+     1. The picture statement can create formats that can be used to display dates. Start by using PROC FORMAT with a PICTURE
+        statement that has a datatype= option. 
+     2. The picture statement identifies the name of the new format. It then specifies the range of values to which a template 
+        will be applied. Use the LOW and HIGH to keywords to indicate that the range includes everything from the lowest value 
+        to the highest.
+     3. It then specifies a template or pattern for the format. In this case we use date directives to define the template. In
+        quotes this template includes three date directives - %0d specifies that the day of the month be written out in one or two 
+        digits, %b specifies that the month be written out in a three letter abbreviation, and %Y specifies that a 4-digit
+        year be written out. These elements are separated by the tilde character (~). The pattern closes with spaces to account for
+        the length of labels.
+     4. Next, in parentheses, the datatype is specified. The datatype= option can specify that the format is for a date, 
+        a time, or a datetime.  
+     5. In the PROC PRINT apply the format and see the results.
+     6. Text can be combined with picture templates to create truly customized formats. Text be can be used  for some levels of a 
+        format and date directives for other levels. 
+     7. SAS date constants (as well as time constants and datetime constants) can be used to specify the beginning and end of
+        a date range.
+     8. In using date directives remember that case can matter. A lower case b results in a 3-letter abbreviation for month, while 
+        an upper case B spells out the whole month.
+************************************************************************************************/
+
+proc format;
+   picture /*1*/ hirefmt   /*2*/ low-high = '%0d~%b~%Y    '  /*3*/  (datatype=date) /*4*/ ;
+run;
+
+data crew;
+   infile cards;
+   input FirstName : $35. LastName : $35. HireDate : date9.;
+   cards;
+SALLY BEAUMONT 07NOV1992 
+CHRISTOPHER BERGAMASCO 12MAY1985 
+BARBARA-ANN BETHEA 04AUG1988 
+ROBERT BJURSTROM 22APR1987 
+SUSAN BONDS 23SEP1982 
+TERESA CHANG 03APR1994 
+JOANN CHOPRA 31MAR1993 
+ANNETTE CHRISTENSEN 12MAY1983 
+JOHN CHRISTIAN 15JAN1982 
+DOUGLAS CIAMPA 13JAN1984 
+JOHN CLAYTON 12OCT1986 
+WILLIAM DIELEMAN 26NOV1983 
+DANIEL DOWELL 09FEB1994 
+JOANNE DOWTY 05JUL1983 
+KENNETH EATON 05JUL1993 
+ANITA EHRISMAN 26JAN1984 
+KAREN ELAM 26FEB1986 
+GREGORY ELLIS 23FEB1981 
+ROBERT EUNICE 15APR1994 
+LISA FEENSTRA 04APR1993 
+;
+run;
+
+proc print data=crew; /*5*/
+   var firstname lastname hiredate;
+   format hiredate hirefmt.;
+   title 'Crew Hire Dates with Custom Date Format';
+run;
+
+proc format;                                         
+   picture mrg /*6*/
+      low-<'01apr1990'd = 'Pre-Merger' /*7*/
+      '01apr1990'd-'31mar1993'd = '%B during Merger Process      ' (datatype=date) /*8*/
+      other = 'Post-Merger'; 
+run;
+proc print data=crew(obs=20);
+   var firstname lastname hiredate;
+   format hiredate mrg.;
+   title 'Crew Hire Dates with Text/Date Format';
+run;  
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