Glossary: Glossary

Glossary

attributes: the characteristics that describe and control the appearance and function of windows and window elements. See also field attributes, general attributes.
banner: the command prompt in the upper-left corner of a window.
computed variable: a variable in an FSVIEW window whose value is calculated by a formula.
control level: (1) the degree to which a procedure can control access to observations in a SAS data set. (2) one of the determinants in the kind of lock that a task obtains on a SAS data set or on an observation in the data set. The control level specifies how other SAS tasks can access the SAS data set concurrently. Every SAS task has an open mode and a default control level for each SAS data set that it accesses, based on how the task operates on that data set.
dialog box: a type of window that opens to prompt you for additional information or to ask you to confirm a request.
engine: a component of SAS software that reads from or writes to a file. Each engine enables SAS to access files that are in a particular format.
execution environment: the operating environment in which a user executes applications, as opposed to the development environment in which a developer builds applications. See also operating environment.
execution phase: the stage at which an SCL program is executed, from initialization through termination. During this phase, the program typically validates field values, calculates values for computed variables based on user input, invokes secondary windows, issues queries, executes user-issued commands, and retrieves values from SAS data sets or from external files.
execution stack: a last-in, first-out stack that lists the current and inactive entries that were called during the execution of a SAS/AF, FSEDIT, or FSVIEW application.
field: a window area in which users can view, enter, or modify a value.
field attributes: a set of characteristics that describe and control how the contents of a field are treated when values are entered or displayed in the field.
field validation: the process of checking user-entered values either against attributes that have been specified for a field or against conditions that have been specified in a SAS Component Language program.
fileref (file reference): a name that is temporarily assigned to an external file or to an aggregate storage location such as a directory or folder. The fileref identifies the file or the storage location to SAS. See also libref.
form: a SAS catalog entry of type FORM. Forms contain information that is used for formatting printed output.
format: a pattern or set of instructions that SAS uses to determine how the values of a variable (or column) should be written or displayed. SAS provides a set of standard formats and also enables you to define your own formats.
formula: an expression that calculates the value for a computed variable or that manipulates the value of a data set variable in the FSVIEW window. Formulas can consist of more than one statement, and they can also include any of the elements of SAS Component Language that are valid in SAS/FSP software.
formula entry: a SAS catalog entry of type FORMULA that contains formulas for calculating computed variables, as well as other general parameters of an FSVIEW session. Only one formula entry at a time can be associated with a data set, but the associated formula entry can be changed or replaced during an FSVIEW session.
frame: a unit into which information that will be displayed in a window can be divided. Each frame consists of a block of text and fields that completely fill the window. For example, the FSEDIT Attribute window is divided into a series of fourteen frames-—one for each field attribute.
FSBROWSE application: an FSBROWSE session that has an associated SCREEN entry and which uses one or more of the following: a custom display layout, special field attributes, a SAS Component Language program, or custom window parameters.
FSEDIT application: an FSEDIT session that has an associated SCREEN entry and which uses one or more of the following: a custom display layout, special field attributes, a SAS Component Language program, or custom window parameters.
FSVIEW application: an FSVIEW session that has an associated FORMULA entry and which uses one or more of the following: a custom display layout, computed variables, special field attributes, or custom window parameters.
general attributes: the set of characteristics that are assigned to a SAS catalog entry (such as a PROGRAM entry or a FRAME entry) that displays a window.
global command: a command that is valid in all windows for a particular SAS software product.
initialization phase: in SAS Component Language, the stage at which initialization steps are performed before a window is displayed in SAS/AF software or before an observation is displayed in SAS/FSP software.
LETTER entry: a SAS catalog entry of type LETTER. A LETTER entry contains the text of a document that was prepared with the FSLETTER procedure. The LETTER entry also stores the attributes of any fields in the document, as well as the name of the associated form for printing the document and the general text editor parameters that were in effect when the document was last edited.
libref (library reference): a name that is temporarily associated with a SAS data library. The complete name of a SAS file consists of two words, separated by a period. The libref, which is the first word, indicates the library. The second word is the name of the specific SAS file. For example, in VLIB.NEWBDAY, the libref VLIB tells SAS which library contains the file NEWBDAY. You assign a libref with a LIBNAME statement or with an operating system command.
menu bar: the primary list of items at the top of a window, which represent the actions or classes of actions that can be executed. Selecting an item executes an action, opens a pull-down menu, or opens a dialog box that requests additional information.
message area: the area immediately beneath a window's command line or menu bar which displays messages from SAS or from the SAS Component Language reserved variable _MSG_.
operating environment: a computer, or a logical partition of a computer, and the resources (such as an operating system and other software and hardware) that are available to the computer or partition.
parameter: (1) in SAS/AF and SAS/FSP applications, a window characteristic that can be controlled by the user. (2) in SAS Component Language (SCL), a value that is passed from one entry in an application to another. For example, in SAS/AF applications, parameters are passed between entries by using the CALL DISPLAY and ENTRY statements. (3) a unit of command syntax other than the keyword. For example, NAME=, TYPE=, and COLOR= are typical command parameters that can be either optional or required.
protected field: a field to which users cannot tab and in which they cannot alter values.
SAS catalog: a SAS file that stores many different kinds of information in smaller units called catalog entries. A single SAS catalog can contain several different types of catalog entries. See also SAS catalog entry.
SAS catalog entry: a separate storage unit within a SAS catalog. Each entry has an entry type that identifies its purpose to SAS. Some catalog entries contain system information such as key definitions. Other catalog entries contain application information such as window definitions, Help windows, formats, informats, macros, or graphics output.
SAS Component Language (SCL): See SCL (SAS Component Language).
SAS data file: a type of SAS data set that contains data values as well as descriptor information that is associated with the data. The descriptor information includes information such as the data types and lengths of the variables, as well as the name of the engine that was used to create the data. SAS data files are of member type DATA. See also SAS data set, SAS data view.
SAS data library: a collection of one or more SAS files that are recognized by SAS and which are referenced and stored as a unit. Each file is a member of the library.
SAS data set: a file whose contents are in one of the native SAS file formats. There are two types of SAS data sets: SAS data files and SAS data views. SAS data files contain data values in addition to descriptor information that is associated with the data. SAS data views contain only the descriptor information plus other information that is required for retrieving data values from other SAS data sets or from files whose contents are in other software vendors' file formats.
SAS data view: a type of SAS data set that retrieves data values from other files. A SAS data view contains only descriptor information such as the data types and lengths of the variables (columns), plus other information that is required for retrieving data values from other SAS data sets or from files that are stored in other software vendors' file formats. SAS data views are of member type VIEW.
SAS file: a specially structured file that is created, organized, and, optionally, maintained by SAS. A SAS file can be a SAS data set, a catalog, a stored program, or an access descriptor.
SAS text editor: a text-editing facility that is available in some windows of the SAS windowing environment, as well as in windows of SAS/AF, SAS/FSP, and SAS/GRAPH software.
SCL (SAS Component Language): a programming language that is provided with SAS/AF and SAS/FSP software. You can use SCL for developing interactive applications that manipulate SAS data sets and external files; for displaying tables, menus, and selection lists; for generating SAS source code and submitting it to SAS for execution; and for generating code for execution by the host command processor.
screen: a division of an FSBROWSE or FSEDIT window. When a data set contains more variables than can fit in an FSBROWSE or FSEDIT window, or when the defined size of a custom display is larger than the current window dimensions, the FSBROWSE or FSEDIT procedure divides the information to be displayed into window-sized units called screens.
SCREEN entry: a SAS catalog entry of type SCREEN that contains information about the custom features of an FSBROWSE or FSEDIT application. If the application includes a SAS Component Language (SCL) program, the program is also stored in the SCREEN entry.
stream: a series of information about the entries and windows that are created when a user invokes a SAS/AF, FSEDIT, or FSVIEW application. Within the stream, SAS creates stacks to keep track of which entries have been called and which windows are currently open. Stacks use a last-in, first-out hierarchy.
termination phase: in SAS Component Language, the stage at which a program processes any steps that are required before the current observation is written to the data set and another observation is read.
validate field values: See field validation.
WHERE clause: one or more WHERE expressions used in a WHERE statement, a WHERE function, or a WHERE= data set option.
WHERE expression: a type of SAS expression that specifies a condition for selecting observations for processing by a DATA step or a PROC step. WHERE expressions can contain special operators that are not available in other SAS expressions. WHERE expressions can appear in a WHERE statement, a WHERE= data set option, a WHERE clause, or a WHERE command.

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