What is the basic syntax style of writing code in SAS?

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The basic syntax style of writing code in SAS is as follows:

  1. Write the DATA statement which will basically name the dataset.
  2. Write the INPUT statement to name the variables in the data set.
  3. All the statements should end with a semi-colon.
  4. There should be a proper space between word and a statement.

In SAS (Statistical Analysis System), the basic syntax style of writing code follows a structured format. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements:

  1. Statements: SAS code is composed of statements, which are instructions that tell SAS what to do. Statements typically end with a semicolon (;).
  2. Keywords: Keywords are reserved words in SAS that have specific meanings and functionalities. These include commands like PROC, DATA, RUN, VAR, IF, ELSE, etc.
  3. Options: Options modify the behavior of statements. They are specified within parentheses or after a slash (/). Options provide additional instructions to customize the execution of procedures or data steps.
  4. Data Step vs. Procedure Step: SAS code generally consists of two main types of steps: data steps and procedure steps.
    • Data Step: Used for data manipulation, such as reading, processing, and creating datasets.
    • Procedure Step: Used for data analysis and reporting, such as generating statistics, tables, and graphs.
  5. Variable Names: Variable names are used to refer to columns or fields in datasets. Variable names should adhere to SAS naming rules, which generally require alphanumeric characters (including underscores) and can start with a letter or underscore.
  6. Data Sets: In SAS, data is stored in datasets. Dataset names are typically specified in the DATA statement followed by the SET statement to specify the input dataset.
  7. Comments: Comments are explanatory notes within the code that are ignored by SAS during execution. They are preceded by an asterisk () or a forward slash and asterisk (/) and ended with an asterisk and forward slash (*/).

Here’s an example of SAS code demonstrating some of these elements:

sas
/* This is a comment */
DATA mydata; /* DATA step begins */
INPUT id age gender $ score;
DATALINES;
1 25 M 85
2 30 F 78
3 28 M 90
;
RUN; /* DATA step ends */

PROC PRINT data=mydata; /* PROC step begins */
VAR id age gender score;
RUN; /* PROC step ends */

In this example:

  • DATA is a keyword indicating the start of a data step.
  • PROC PRINT is a keyword indicating the start of a procedure step.
  • INPUT, DATALINES, RUN, VAR, and IF are keywords and statements within the code.
  • id, age, gender, and score are variable names.
  • mydata is the name of the dataset.
  • Comments are preceded by an asterisk (*) and explain certain parts of the code.