Introduction to SAS

Question 1

What is the Project Tree?

Answer 1

It displays the Process Flow.

Question 2

What is the Process Flow?

Answer 2

A graphical representation of the project.

Question 3

What is the log window?

Answer 3

It displays errors, warning and notes on execution of codes.

Question 4

What is the result window?

Answer 4

The window where results are displayed.

Question 5

What is the server list?

Answer 5

A list of the physical folders and files on the system/server.

Question 6

What are libraries in the SAS context?

Answer 6

Collections of SAS datasets.

Question 7

What are the two types of SAS libraries?

Answer 7

Permanent libraries and temporary libraries.

Question 8

What is a permanent library?

Answer 8

Datasets in a permanent library are available for use across sessions and are saved permanently.

Question 9

What is a temporary library?

Answer 9

Datasets in a temporary library are deleted on closing a SAS session.

Question 10

What is the name of the only temporary library?

Answer 10

WORK

Question 11

How do you create a user-defined permanent library?

Answer 11

Using a LIBNAME statement.

Question 12

What are rows called in a SAS data file?

Answer 12

Observations

Question 13

What are columns called in a SAS data file?

Answer 13

Variables

Question 14

What is a data step used for?

Answer 14

Creating and manipulating datasets.

Question 15

What is a proc step used for?

Answer 15

Generating reports.

Question 16

What does every code block begin with?

Answer 16

DATA or PROC

Question 17

What does every line of SAS code begin with?

Answer 17

A SAS keyword

Question 18

What does every line of SAS code end with?

Answer 18

A semicolon

Question 19

What does a code block end with?

Answer 19

A RUN or QUIT statement

Question 20

Is SAS code case sensitive?

Answer 20

No.

Question 21

Can SAS code be written across different lines or multiple statements in a single line?

Answer 21

Yes.

Question 22

Data Step example

Answer 22

Data student_details;
input student_id student_name$ course$;
datalines;
101 Arpita SAS
102 Shashi SAS
103 Raj Excel
104 Sagar SQL
105 Preeti Excel
;
RUN

Question 23

What are the two basic data types in SAS?

Answer 23

Character and Numeric.

Question 24

How do you specify a character value?

Answer 24

Add a dollar sign at the end of a variable names.

Question 25

What does the datalines keyword specify?

Answer 25

The values entered after it are the data values that are going to be entered into the SAS dataset.

Question 26

What is the exception to the rule of adding a semicolon to every line ending?

Answer 26

When you are adding data values to a dataset.

Question 27

What is the line “Data student_details;” doing at the top of a code block?

Answer 27

Creating a new dataset called “student_details”

Question 28

what is “input student_id student_name$” doing?

Answer 28

Creating a new numerical variable “student_id” and a new character variable “student_name”

Question 29

What are the dataset/ variable name rules?

Answer 29

• Can be a combination of numeric and character values.
• Can’t have a special character, except an underscore
• Length of dataset/ variable name cannot be more than 32 characters.
• Name cannot begin with a numeric value.

Question 30

What is a new dataset stored in if you don’t specify a library name?

Answer 30

It is stored in the temporary WORK library. Otherwise need to specify:
example: Data libref.dataset_name;

Question 31

What does this do?
Proc print data=sas_lib.student_details;
run;

Answer 31

Gives a print view of the dataset student_details in the sas_lib library.

Question 32

What is SAS?

Answer 32

An integrated system of software solutions that enables you to perform the following tasks:

• Data entry, retrieval and management.
• Report writing and graphics design.
• Statistical and mathematical analyses.
• Business forecasting and decision support.
• Operations research and project management.
• Application development.

Question 33

Which software is at the core of the SAS system?

Answer 33

Base SAS software.

Question 34

What are the 3 components of Base SAS software?

Answer 34

1. A data management facility
2. A programming language
3. Data analysis and reporting utilities.

Question 35

What is each separate piece of information called in SAS?

Answer 35

A data value.

Question 36

What is an assignment statement?

Answer 36

It assigns data to a variable.

Question 37

What is a step boundary (such as a semicolon)?

Answer 37

It tells SAS that the preceding statements are ready for execution.

Question 38

What does an observation contain?

Answer 38

All the data values for an entity.

Question 39

What does a variable contain?

Answer 39

The same type of data values for all entities.

Question 40

What elements does the SAS language contain?

Answer 40

Statements, expressions, functions and CALL routines, options, formats and informats.

Question 41

Can you split a word between two lines?

Answer 41

No.

Question 42

When does SAS remember initial letter cases?

Answer 42

For presentation purposes (to represent the variable name when printing it.)

Question 43

What is SAS procedures?

Answer 43

A library of built-in programs. It uses data values from SAS data sets to produce preprogrammed reports.

Question 44

What does the TABULATE keyword do?

Answer 44

It computes values such as mean

Question 45

example tabulate proc set

Answer 45

proc tabulate data=weight_club;
class team;
var StartWeight EndWeight Loss;
table team, mean*(StartWeight EndWeight Loss);
title ‘Mean Starting Weight, Ending Weight,’;
title2 ‘and Weight Loss’;
run;

Question 46

What happens if you omit “data=” in a proc statement?

Answer 46

The procedure uses the SAS data set that was most recently created in the program.

Question 47

What does a RUN statement do?

Answer 47

It tells SAS that the preceding group of statements are ready for execution.