Step-by-Step Programming with Base SAS 9.4, Second Edition, 2nd Edition

Prerequisites

To understand the discussions in this section, you should be familiar with the basics of

DATA step programming that are presented in “Overview of DATA Step Processing” on

page 107.

Operating Environment Differences

Even though SAS has a different appearance for each operating environment, most of the

actions that are available from the menus are the same.

One of the biggest differences between operating environments is the way that you select

menu items.

If your workstation is not equipped with a mouse, then here are the keyboard equivalents

to mouse actions:

Table 40.1 Mouse Actions and Keyboard Equivalents

Mouse Action Keyboard Equivalent

Double-click the item

Type an s or an x in the space next to the

item, and then press Enter

Right-click the item

Type ? in the space next to the item, and then

press Enter

Examples in this documentation show SAS windows as they appear in the Microsoft

Windows environment. Usually, corresponding windows in other operating

environments show similar results. If you do not see the drop-down menus in your

operating environment, then enter the global command PMENU at a command prompt.

Starting a SAS Session

To start a SAS session, you must invoke SAS. At the operating environment prompt,

execute the SAS command. In most cases, the SAS command is

sas

Note: The SAS command might vary from site to site. Consult your on-site SAS support

personnel for more information.

You can customize your SAS session when it starts by specifying SAS system options,

which then remain in effect throughout a session. For example, you can use the

LINESIZE= system option to specify a line size for the SAS log and print file. Some

system options can be specified only at initialization, and other system options can be

specified during a SAS session. For more information, see “Customizing SAS Sessions

and Programs at Start-up” on page 795.

742 Chapter 40 • Introducing the SAS Environment