SAS Certification Prep Guide, 4th Edition

Comparing DATA Step Match-Merges and PROC SQL Joins

Overview

You have seen that it is possible to create identical results with a DATA step match-merge and a PROC SQL inner join. Although the results might be identical, these two processes are very different, and trade-offs are associated with choosing one method over the other. The following tables summarize some of the advantages and disadvantages of each of these two methods.

Table 15.1 DATA Step Match-Merge

Advantages	Disadvantages
There is no limit to the number of input data sets. Allows for complex business logic to be incorporated into the new data set by using DATA step processing, including arrays and DO loops, in addition to MERGE features. Multiple BY variables ...