How do you convert a numeric variable to a character variable in SAS?

Converting a numeric variable to a character variable in SAS is effectively accomplished using the PUT function. This function takes a numeric input and converts it to a character representation based on the specified format. The PUT function allows you to control how the numeric value is displayed as a character, which is particularly useful when you need to format the output in a specific way while maintaining the integrity of the original numeric data.

For example, if you have a numeric variable for a percentage and you want to convert it to a character variable that displays as a percentage string, you can use the PUT function with the respective format. This flexibility in formatting is what makes the PUT function the appropriate choice for this conversion task.

Other methods, like renaming a variable or using the LENGTH statement, do not actually perform the conversion from numeric to character. Renaming just changes the variable's name without altering its type, while the LENGTH statement specifies the length of a variable but does not change its data type either. The CHAR function is also not designed for this purpose and is typically associated with character strings rather than conversions between numeric and character types.