Complete Base SAS programming from Scratch - © 2022

Define SAS as a plot-generation programming language designed to reduce development effort and time, enabling data entry, retrieval, management, reporting, analysis, forecasting, and business decision making.

Navigate the SAS windows environment to write, edit, and submit programs, view outputs in the output, results, or graph windows, and check the log window for errors.

Learn how to read instream data lines in SAS using column input, specifying start and end columns, and handling numeric and character values in a data step.

Learn how to manage SAS data libraries, distinguish temporary work libraries from permanent libraries, use libname statements to assign libraries, and reference datasets by two-level names.

Create a subdirectory, assign a libname to it, and read data into a permanent SAS dataset.

Explore reading data in the SAS windows environment using column input, list input, and formatted input, with fixed columns, character formats, and printing results.

Learn to read a column input in SAS by creating a data set, using column ranges in input, printing with proc print; cover subject, first name, last name, height.

Learn to read data from an external data set in Base SAS by using libname, a data step, and set statements to create a temporary or new data set.

Identify three core requirements for reading data in SAS, decide between temporary and permanent statuses, and apply the data statement with infile, set, or proper column definitions to create access.

Use the contents procedure to inspect SAS libraries and datasets, view library contents and dataset details, and use the varnum option to display variables in their original order.

The lecture demonstrates list input in SAS, using the dollar sign for character fields, handling missing values with placeholders, and specifying delimiters like comma to ensure correct data read.

Explore formatted input in SAS, including absolute and relative pointers, width and decimal specifications, and how informats read character, numeric, and date values.

Explore numeric functions syntax, including function names with arguments in parentheses, where arguments range from zero to many, with examples of two to 200 arguments and upcoming practicals.

Learn the SAS if-then syntax: evaluate a condition, execute the then action when true, skip it when false, and understand how missing values affect the statement in examples.

Learn how to write efficient SAS code by using if-then-else with logical operators and multiple comparisons to create mutually exclusive conditions and clear performance classifications.

Learn how SAS compares character values and handles case sensitivity when quotations differ. Convert to uppercase with the uppercase function to normalize and compare results reliably across mixed-case data.

Learn to perform multiple actions in SAS using the do and if statements, handling missing exams by assigning zero to the average total marks and notifying students.

Learn to sort SAS data sets with proc sort by one or more variables, using by statements with ascending or descending order, and optionally create a temporary output data set.

Become a creative SAS programmer by using the uniform option to manage many variables, suppress the observation number, and print the ID at the start of each by group.

Explore the Dm statement and the double option in SAS to format output with double spacing, manage log and output windows, and display current program results clearly.

Learn how SAS processes a program step by step, from data step to sort by name to print step, yielding a single output.

Explore the SAS execution phase, where the data step reads records into the input buffer via infile, updates the program data vector, and builds the output dataset.

Explore how SAS can auto-correct misspelled keywords in a data step, generate warning messages, and highlight issues such as dateline versus data line.

Explore note messages (blue) in base SAS, learn to interpret log entries about processing time and end-of-line issues, and fix outputs by using missing values or the MISSOVER option.

Learn how to use the drop and keep options in SAS to control variables and output, with examples showing drop in a statement and common misspellings causing errors.

Demonstrates converting a valid SAS statement into an invalid one to illustrate syntax errors, identifies invalid or out-of-order statements, and then corrects and runs the program.

Explore the generation of missing values and learn to handle them in base SAS using if statements and numeric functions instead of simple arithmetic.

Learn to detect common SAS programming mistakes with simple tips and tricks, including handling missing semicolons, invalid statements, missing quotation marks, and missing values that can affect output.