title: how to enter empty value in SAS into variable if no records were found
body: <p>I'm working on SAS and I'm getting values from data-sets and saving them in SAS into variables.</p>
  
  <p>Sample data:</p>
  
  <pre><code>table
  RK | ID | column_1 | column_2
  1  | one| value_1  |  
  2  | two| value_1  |  value_2
  
  proc sql noprint;
  
  select column_1 
  into: variable_1
  from table
  where RK = 1;
  
  select column_2
  into: variable_2
  from table
  where RK = 1;
  
  quit;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Now I want to use those variables in my report and if there is no data in my into variables I want to print a blank space. as</p>
  
  <pre><code>%put &amp;variable_1;
  %put &amp;variable_2;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Result</p>
  
  <pre><code>value_1
  &amp;variable_2
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>if there is no value in my into variable I want it to print nothing but a blank space to my log or in my report. </p>
  
  <p>How can I do this?</p>
  
  <p>Expected result</p>
  
  <pre><code>value_1
  (A blank space)
  </code></pre>