Conceptual Information about Base SAS Software
SAS System Concepts
SAS system-wide concepts include the building blocks of SAS language: rules for words
and names, variables, missing values, expressions, dates, times, and intervals, and each
of the six SAS language elements — data set options, formats, functions, informats,
statements, and system options.
SAS system-wide concepts also include introductory information that helps you begin to
use SAS, including information about the SAS log, SAS output, error processing,
WHERE processing, and debugging. Information about SAS processing prepares you to
write SAS programs. Information about how to optimize system performance as well as
how to monitor performance.
DATA Step Concepts
Understanding essential DATA step concepts can help you construct DATA step
programs effectively. These concepts include how SAS processes the DATA step, how to
read raw data to create a SAS data set, and how to write a report with a DATA step.
More advanced concepts include how to combine and modify information once you have
created a SAS data set, how to perform BY-group processing of your data, how to use
array processing for more efficient programming, and how to create stored compiled
DATA step programs.
SAS Files Concepts
SAS file concepts include advanced topics that are helpful for advanced applications,
though not strictly necessary for writing simple SAS programs. These topics include the
elements that comprise the physical file structure that SAS uses, including data libraries,
data files, SAS views, catalogs, file protection, engines, and external files.
Advanced topics for data files include the audit trail, generation data sets, integrity
constraints, indexes, and file compression. In addition, these topics include compatibility
issues with earlier releases and how to process files across operating environments.
Conceptual Information about Base SAS Software 11
12 Chapter 1 • Essential Concepts of Base SAS Software
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