SAS CERTIFICATION FOR BASE PROGRAMMING
xProgramming I : SAS Essentials
1.1 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
1.2 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
1.3 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=
1.4 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
1.5 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
1.6 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
1.7 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
1.8 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
Programming II: Data Manipulation Using The Data Step
2.1 Understanding The Data Step
• Understanding the difference between compile and execute phases of the Data
Step
• Learning about Data Step storage areas
• Reading and creating multiple SAS data sets
2.2 How to Debug Your Program
• Learning to Dump the Input Buffer and Program Data Vector with the PUT
statement
• Using the interactive debugger to understand program logic problems
2.3 Reading External Data Types and Creating Flat File Basics
• Reading flat files using delimiters
• Reading data from a relational database
• Creating user defined informats for special data
• Creating flat files in SAS
2.4 Creating New Variables and Adding Value to Your Data
• Cleaning existing data
• Assigning new character, numeric and date variables
• Using Picture Statements to create user defined formats
2.5 Combining Data Files Using a Match Merging and Interleaving
• Match Merging multiple SAS data sets together
• Interleaving SAS data sets with the SET statement
• Changing variable types using the PUT and INPUT functions Summarizing Data
Files
• Summarizing data in the data step using Sum and Retain statements
• Creating group totals with First and Last processing
• Creating summary data sets with Proc Summary
• Selecting specification summarization hierarchies using the _TYPE_ variable
2.6 Perform Iterative Processing on Data
• Using DO loops for repetitive calculations and processing
• Using Arrays to process across an observation
• Using DO WHILE and DO UNTIL statements for conditional looping
• Creating a simple random sample
2.7 Producing Exception Reports
• Using a WHERE statement to subset data
• Using a contribution option to perform table lookups when merging files
• Identifying duplicate rows of data in a file
