SAS Institute A00-215 - SAS Certified Associate: Programming Fundamentals Using SAS 9.4

The resulting WORK.REVENUE data set contains 3 variables. In the provided SAS program, the set statement uses a (keep=) option to keep only 3 variables from WORK.PRODUCTS, which are ProdId, Price, and Sales. The drop= data set option in the data statement specifies to drop the Sales and Returns variables from the output data set. However, Returns was not included in the keep= option, so it won't be part of WORK.REVENUE to begin with. Finally, a new variable Revenue is calculated and included in the data set. Therefore, the final data set contains the variables ProdId, Price, and Revenue.

References:

SAS documentation on keep= and drop= data set options.

The program fails because option C is correct: you must include the dataset height2 in the DATA statement. The DATA step is trying to write to a dataset named height2, which has not been defined in the DATA statement. The correct syntax to create two datasets in one DATA step is to list them both in the DATA statement like so:

data height1 height2;

The use of numbers in dataset names is not a problem in SAS, nor is outputting to different data sets within a single DATA step. Additionally, using two different DATA statements for HEIGHT1 and HEIGHT2 is not required and is not the cause of the failure.

References:

SAS documentation on the DATA statement and creating multiple data sets.

In SAS, character variables are indeed capable of holding alphabetic characters, numeric digits, and other special characters, which makes Option A the correct answer. This flexibility allows for storing a wide range of data as text, including combinations that may include symbols and numbers typically found in addresses, identification codes, or textual data that includes special characters. Unlike numeric variables, character variables do not interpret the data as numbers but as literal strings of characters. Options B, C, and D contain inaccuracies regarding how data types and values are treated in SAS. Specifically, numeric values in SAS are never enclosed in quotes (which contradicts B), character variables can exceed 200 bytes depending on the specific declaration (contradicting C), and while numeric variables can indeed include numbers, decimal points, minus signs, and scientific notation, they do not typically include currency symbols as part of the variable's numeric value (contradicting D).

References:SAS documentation on data types, SAS Institute.

The FORMAT statement in the DATA step assigns formats to variables for the SAS dataset being created. In the code provided, MSRP is given the dollar12. format and Invoice is given the dollar10. format. However, during the PROC PRINT step, MSRP is reassigned to the comma12.2 format. The format specified in the most recent PROC step or DATA step that executes is the one that is used in the output.

Therefore, the format for MSRP in the PROC PRINT output will be comma12.2, making the answer: B. Comma12.2

References:

SAS documentation on PROC PRINT and FORMAT statement, SAS Institute.

In SAS, the PROC SORT procedure is used to sort data. To save the sorted data into a new dataset, the OUT= option is used in the PROC SORT statement. This option allows you to specify the name of the output dataset that will contain the sorted data.

Here is how it's used:

proc sort data=original out=sorted; by variable; run; will sort the dataset original by variable and create a new dataset named sorted containing the sorted data.

Option A, Data=, is not valid for the PROC SORT procedure. Option B, SORTOUT=, is a common misconception but is not correct; OUT= is the right option. Option C, OUTPUT=, is not used within PROC SORT; it is used in other procedures such as PROC TABULATE and PROC SUMMARY for output datasets.

References:

SAS 9.4 documentation for the PROC SORT statement: SAS Help Center: PROC SORT

In SAS, iterative DO statements are used to repeat a block of statements a specified number of times. These DO statements have a specific syntax that includes initializing a variable, setting an ending value, and specifying an increment (or decrement). The syntax generally follows the pattern: DO variable = start TO end BY increment;

Let’s evaluate each option provided:

A) Do 100 to 1200 by 100;This statement is syntactically incorrect because it lacks a variable to iterate over. An iterative DO loop must specify a variable that will take on each value in the specified range. The correct form should be something like do i = 100 to 1200 by 100;.

B) Do num = 1.1 to 1.9 by 0.1;This statement is valid. It initializes the variable num at 1.1 and increments by 0.1 until it reaches 1.9. This is a typical use of the iterative DO loop for non-integer increments.

C) Do year = 2000 to 2016 by 2;This statement is also valid. It initializes year at 2000 and increments by 2, going through values like 2002, 2004, etc., up to and including 2016. This is a standard use for iterating over years or other sequentially numbered items.

D) Do reverse = 10 to 1 by -1;This statement is valid. It initializes reverse at 10 and decrements by 1 until it reaches 1. Using negative increments is a legitimate approach for counting downwards.

References

SAS 9.4 Statements: Reference, "DO Statement."

SAS Support: DO Loop Documentation

Understanding how to properly format DO loops in SAS is fundamental for effectively managing repetitive tasks in your data analysis. Mistakes like those seen in option A can lead to syntax errors, preventing your code from executing. Always ensure that your loops are correctly structured and that each component of the loop is clearly defined.

In PROC PRINT, the VAR statement is used to control the order of the variables displayed in the report. You can list the variables in the order you want them to appear. The KEEP statement can control which variables appear, but not their order. DROP and SELECT are not valid statements within PROC PRINT for controlling the order of variables.

References

SAS documentation for PROC PRINT.

Data set options in SAS, such as KEEP= (to specify variables to keep in a dataset) and RENAME= (to change the names of variables in a dataset), have specific rules for their usage:

A. The options must be placed in parentheses - This is correct. When specifying dataset options in SAS, they must be enclosed in parentheses immediately following the dataset name, without any spaces in between.

D. The options are placed after the data set name - This is also correct. Dataset options follow the dataset name and are enclosed in parentheses to modify how SAS reads or writes the dataset in that step.

Option B is incorrect because data set options are allowed in both DATA and PROC steps, provided they are relevant to the procedure being used. Option C is incorrect because data set options can be applied to both input and output datasets, depending on the context and specific operation being performed.

References: SAS 9.4 Language Reference: Concepts.

The correct answer is option D, which uses the LIBNAME statement correctly to assign a library reference to an Excel workbook and specifies the correct syntax for accessing a worksheet within that workbook. The syntax for this option is:

libname exlib xlsx "c:\class.xlsx";

proc print data=exlib.class_test;

run;

This code snippet assigns the library reference exlib to the Excel workbook located at c:\class.xlsx using the XLSX engine. The PROC PRINT step is then used to display the contents of the worksheet named CLASS_TEST within that workbook. The library reference exlib combined with the dataset name class_test (following the .) correctly specifies the worksheet to be printed. The other options (A, B, C) are incorrect due to various reasons: incorrect syntax for the LIBNAME statement, incorrect specification of the dataset to be printed, and incorrect path specifications.References: SAS 9.4 Guide to Software Updates.