SAS Certification Prep Guide, 4th Edition

Limiting Decimal Places

By default, PROC MEANS uses the BESTw. format to display numeric values in the report.

When there is no format specification, SAS chooses the format that provides the most information about the value according to the available field width. At times, this can result in unnecessary decimal places, making your output hard to read.

proc means data=clinic.diabetes min max; 
run;

Figure 9.3 Variables Formatted with BESTw. Format

To limit decimal places, use the MAXDEC= option in the PROC MEANS statement, and set it equal to the length that you prefer.

Syntax, PROC MEANS statement with MAXDEC= option: PROC MEANS