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

Chapter 6

Starting with SAS Data Sets

Introduction to Starting with SAS Data Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Understanding the Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Input SAS Data Set for Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Reading Selected Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Reading Selected Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Overview of Reading Selected Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Keeping Selected Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Dropping Selected Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Choosing between Data Set Options and Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Choosing between the DROP= and KEEP= Data Set Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Creating More Than One Data Set in a Single DATA Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Using the DROP= and KEEP= Data Set Options for Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Data Set Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Learning More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Introduction to Starting with SAS Data Sets

Purpose

In this section, you will learn how to do the following:

• display information about a SAS data set

• create a new SAS data set from an existing SAS data set rather than creating it from

raw data records

Reading a SAS data set in a DATA step is simpler than reading raw data because the

work of describing the data to SAS has already been done.

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