SAS Programming I:  Essentials (PROG1)

Duration

3 days

Description

This foundation course focuses on the following key areas: reading raw data files and SAS data sets; investigating and summarizing data by generating frequency tables and descriptive statistics; creating SAS variables and recoding data values; subsetting data; combining multiple SAS files; creating listing, summary, HTML, and graph reports. If you do not plan to write SAS programs and prefer a menu-driven, point-and-click approach, you should consider taking the Querying and Reporting Using SAS Enterprise Guide course.

Prerequisite Skills

Before attending this course, you should have experience using computer software. Specifically, you should be able to:

• understand concepts such as file and variable
• access data files on your operating system
• understand programming logic concepts such as IF/THEN

No prior SAS experience is needed.

Course Topics

Getting Started with SAS

• overview of the SAS System
• introduction to SAS programs
• running SAS programs
• mastering fundamental concepts
• diagnosing and correcting syntax errors
• exploring the SAS environment (self-study)

Getting Familiar with SAS Data Sets

• explaining the concept of a SAS data library

Producing List Reports

• getting started with the PRINT procedure
• sequencing and grouping observations
• identifying observations (self-study)
• using special WHERE statement operators (self-study)

Enhancing Output

• customizing report appearance
• formatting data values
• creating HTML reports

Creating SAS Data Sets

• reading raw data files using column input and formatted input
• examining data errors
• assigning variable attributes
• changing variable attributes (self-study)
• reading Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (self-study)

Programming with the DATA Step

• reading SAS data sets and creating variables
• executing statements conditionally
• dropping and keeping variables (self-study)
• reading date fields from Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (self-study)

Combining SAS Data Sets

• concatenating SAS data sets
• merging SAS data sets
• combining SAS data sets using additional features (self-study)

Producing Summary Reports

• introduction to summary reports
• generating basic summary reports
• using the REPORT procedure
• creating reports using the TABULATE procedure (self-study)

Introduction to Graphics using SAS/GRAPH Software (Self-Study)

• producing bar and pie charts
• enhancing output
• producing plots

Additional Resources

Using SAS Enterprise Guide

• creating the files needed for the course
• understanding functional areas in SAS Enterprise Guide
• naming a project
• working with existing code
• resizing windows in SAS Enterprise Guide
• modifying code
• executing SAS code
• viewing SAS Enterprise Guide output
• diagnosing and correcting syntax errors
• creating SAS programs
• accessing data sources with the LIBNAME statement
• renaming a code node in the Process Flow window
• submitting programs
• saving projects
• the Output Delivery System (ODS) and SAS Enterprise Guide
• copying SAS programs within a project

Introduction to Graphics Using SAS Enterprise Guide

• producing and modifying a vertical bar chart
• producing and modifying a pie chart
• producing a horizontal bar chart
• producing a two-dimensional plot

Booking

Please contact the Education Team at SAS for the latest information on all SAS courses or to put your name on our specialised course waiting list.