Beginning Macro Design Issues

Macro!!! Why does this word strike fear into even the most battle hardened SAS® programmers? The word macro conjures up visions of complex and convoluted programming which leads to hours of confusing debugging and mind-twisting logical problem solving. Does macro programming have to be this hard? No, it does not. With a little forethought and some careful planning, practically anyone can follow a few simple design principles and turn a complex and seemingly confusing macro problem into a simple, easy-to-follow macro. Although this paper is not a comprehensive discussion of macro design issues, the instructions provided will give the reader a basic foundation on which to start writing clear and concise macros. While programmers of all levels can learn something from this paper, the beginner and intermediate skilled SAS programmers are the intended audience