LAST: Retrieving the Preceding Value

How to:

Retrieve the Preceding Value

Available Languages: reporting

The LAST function retrieves the preceding value for a field.

The effect of LAST depends on whether it appears in a DEFINE or COMPUTE command:

In a DEFINE command, the LAST value applies to the previous record retrieved from the data source before sorting takes place.
In a COMPUTE command, the LAST value applies to the record in the previous line of the internal matrix.

Do not use LAST with the -SET command in Dialogue Manager.

Syntax: How to Retrieve the Preceding Value

LAST fieldname

where:

fieldname

Alphanumeric or Numeric

Is the field name.

Note: LAST does not use an output argument.

Example: Retrieving the Preceding Value

LAST retrieves the previous value of the DEPARTMENT field to determine whether to restart the running total of salaries by department. If the previous value equals the current value, CURR_SAL is added to RUN_TOT to generate a running total of salaries within each department.

TABLE FILE EMPLOYEE
PRINT LAST_NAME CURR_SAL AND COMPUTE
RUN_TOT/D12.2M = IF DEPARTMENT EQ LAST DEPARTMENT THEN
                (RUN_TOT + CURR_SAL) ELSE CURR_SAL ;
AS 'RUNNING,TOTAL,SALARY'
BY DEPARTMENT SKIP-LINE
END

The output is:

                                                   RUNNING
                                                     TOTAL
DEPARTMENT  LAST_NAME            CURR_SAL           SALARY
----------  ---------            --------          -------
MIS         SMITH              $13,200.00       $13,200.00
            JONES              $18,480.00       $31,680.00
            MCCOY              $18,480.00       $50,160.00
            BLACKWOOD          $21,780.00       $71,940.00
            GREENSPAN           $9,000.00       $80,940.00
            CROSS              $27,062.00      $108,002.00
PRODUCTION  STEVENS            $11,000.00       $11,000.00
            SMITH               $9,500.00       $20,500.00
            BANNING            $29,700.00       $50,200.00
            IRVING             $26,862.00       $77,062.00
            ROMANS             $21,120.00       $98,182.00
            MCKNIGHT           $16,100.00      $114,282.00