Ever wanted to quickly check what an unformatted SAS date or datetime value means?  Of course you have. 

You probably write a quick data _null_ step to put the value to the Log with the appropriate format.

You might use a macro to do the job, but if you're running SAS on a Windows platform, download this free, easy-to-use utility to convert SAS date, datetime and time values to something meaningful, and visa versa.

So...

1. Download the SAS catalog, saving it in an appropriate directory e.g. c:\ssutil.
    
2. Assign a library to this directory in your autoexec.sas  e.g. libname ssutil 'c:\ssutil';
    
3. Customise the toolbox in the SAS Log and Editor windows to add a button to start the Date Converter:

   - Right click on the toolbox and select Customize... Then select the Customize tab.

   - Press the New Tool Icon and:

       - Set the Command to: afa c=ssutil.dateconv.dateconv.frame

       - Set the Help Text and Tip Text fields to: Date Converter

       - Press the Help button if you're not sure what to do.
    

4. Alternatively, define a macro command in your autoexec, like this:

    

   libname ssutil 'c:\ssutil';

   %macro dc / cmd;
      afa c=ssutil.dateconv.dateconv.frame;
   %mend;

    

   You can then just enter  dc  on the command line to invoke the Date Converter.