LINDA ADAM'S SAS TIPS

Here's how to update a SAS data set to include cumulative totals for a numeric variable. In this example, he goal is to create a new var...

There is an undocumented function that enables you to generate observation numbers with a PROC SQL statement and retain them in an output da...

It's easy to export several data sets to one Excel spreadsheet with each data set in a separate worksheet.This example exports three SAS...

When is it most efficient to use a WHERE statement vs. a subsetting IF statement? The answer is (of course) it depends. When subsetting fr...

There’s often several ways to accomplish the same task with SAS. The question is, are there any guidelines to determine the most efficient m...

An index is an optional file you can create for a SAS data set to specify the location of observations based on values of one or more key va...

There are a couple of methods you can use to concatenate data sets. In these examples, work.step2 is appended to work.step1: With a SET sta...

Data sets and variables can be modified using data steps or PROC DATASETS. Here are a few examples using each method, with the time they too...

A SAS data view is a type of SAS data set that retrieves data values from other files. A SAS data view only contains descriptor information ...

Every need to email your SAS output? You can save the contents of the log or output window then use Outlook to email the file, or you can w...

If you are working on a lengthy program you can save some time debugging it by first submitting it with zero observations: OPTIO...

You can use the DESCRIBE TABLE statement in PROC SQL to display information about a SAS dataset. The information is displayed in the log. ...

When working on a lengthy SAS program, there are a couple of ways to block out parts of your code so they don’t execute. For example, you ca...

You can directly reference SAS data sets without defining a libname first. Just enclose the physical file name in quotes: proc contents d...

You can use proc download for files that are not SAS data sets by using infile and outfile statements. In this example, a file named myfile...

There is a currently undocumented (and unsupported) filename engine that can be used to read text from compressed ZIP files directly. You u...

The DATECOPY option in PROC DOWNLOAD can be used when migrating SAS datasets to preserve the original create date and time on the SAS datase...

You can write code generated by macros to an external file. Since you can see the code that is generated, this technique can be useful for ...

You can bookmark a line of code in your Program Editor to make it easier to find later. To bookmark a line, press Ctrl + F2 on the line you ...

You can use the SUM function to prevent missing values if one argument has a missing value. The syntax for using the SUM function to create ...

You can use the colon as a variable modifier (e.g. abc:), which acts as a wildcard. So rather than entering variables abc1, abc3 and abcde y...

You can keep all of the numeric or character columns when creating a new data set without listing each one in your KEEP statement: data test...

In the PC-SAS enhanced editor it's easy to enclose a block of code or text within a block comment. Just highlight the selected code and ...

In the PC-SAS enhanced editor it's easy to get help for a procedure. Just press the mouse button within the procedure name and press F...

When merging two SAS data sets, many of us use one of these two methods to keep only the observations where both input data sets contribute:...