Programming I: SAS® Essentials

Duration: 3.0 days CEUs: 1.8

AUDIENCE
This course is designed for those who want to write SAS programs to accomplish typical data-processing tasks. This course will show attendees how to read data into SAS, perform simple manipulation, and write basic reports.

BENEFITS
This course concentrates on how to:
• Read and write raw data files and SAS data sets
• Explore and summarize data by generating frequency tables and descriptive statistics
• Create SAS data variables, recode and compute data values
• Subset and combine multiple SAS files
• Produce publishable listing and summary reports in standard text, HTML, XML and RTF form
• Create publishable graphs in Active X form

PREREQUISITES
You should have a basic understanding of computers and computer systems. You can acquire this skill by completing the Introduction to Programming Using SAS Software course.

COURSE TOPICS
SAS System Basics
• Accessing the SAS System
• Navigating through the SAS windows including the editor, log, and output windows
• Creating and executing SAS programs in batch and interactive mode
• Understanding errors in the SAS log
• Exploring program output
• Understanding SAS data set and library structure
• Creating DATA and PROC steps
• Understanding SAS syntax and SAS naming conventions
• Working with temporary and permanent SAS data sets
Creating Reports
• Using the REPORT Procedure
• Creating reports in a WYSIWYG interactive environment without code
• Creating reports in a batch environment with code and NOWD
• Using COLUMN, DEFINE, and COMPUTE statements for structure
• Using ODS to generate HTML, RTF and XML reports.
• Using Report options such as WIDTH=, FORMAT=, DISPLAY, GROUP, HEADLINE and HEADSKIP
• Summarizing and sorting reports
• Adding titles, footnotes and labels to reports
• Using the PRINT procedure
• Selecting report columns with the VAR statement
• Grouping reports with the BY statement
• Summing report columns with the SUM statement
• Producing frequency tables using the FREQ procedure

Creating Graphs
• Producing vertical and horizontal bar charts with the GCHART procedure, VBAR and HBAR statements
• Understanding chart variables
• Using RUN-group processing for multiple graphs in the same session
• Understanding options to tailor graphs, such as DISCRETE, SUMVAR=, and TYPE=

Reading SAS Data Sets
• Reading data sets with the SET statement
• Restricting data set size by selecting variables with DROP= and KEEP= options
• Using IF-THEN/ELSE logic processing
• Understanding the difference between subsetting IF and WHERE clause processing to restrict observations

Creating SAS Data Sets
• Reading raw data using list, column and pointer input
• Naming variables
• Understanding how to read any type of data using SAS informats
• Using INFILE and INPUT statements to read raw data
• Examining the structure of a SAS data set and its variables’ attributes using the CONTENTS procedure
• Creating new variables using SAS functions and assignment statements

Recoding and Reorganizing Data
• Using SAS formats to recode data values for better presentation in reports and analyses
• Using the FORMAT procedure to create user defined value labels
• Reordering rows of data with the SORT procedure

Summarizing Your Data
• Calculating descriptive statistics with the MEANS and SUMMARY procedures
• Grouping data using the CLASS statement
• Analyzing data values using the VAR statement and appropriate functions such as SUM, MEAN, MEDIAN and more
• Generating one-way and multi-way frequency tables using the FREQ procedure
• Using the TABLES statement in the FREQ procedure to specify analysis structure

Combining SAS Data Sets
• Concatenating SAS data sets using the SET statement
• Merging multiple SAS data sets on common key variables
• Using the SQL procedure
• Comparing methods of merging (joining) data sets

Software Used: Base SAS Software, SAS/GRAPH® Software.