ODS Graphics software
provides the following benefits:
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You can generate graphical output
for your analytical procedures with virtually no effort on your part.
Many SAS procedures use ODS Graphics functionality to produce graphs
as automatically as they produce tables.
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ODS Graphics software facilitates
the production of commonly used statistical graphs independent of
SAS analytical procedures. These graphs can be used for preliminary
exploration of data and the construction of specialized displays for
analyses. These situations require general-purpose graphical tools
for the creation of stand-alone plots.
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Regardless of your level of proficiency
with SAS, you can use ODS Graphics software to develop a wide variety
of graphs ranging from simple plots to complex multi-cell layouts.
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Although ODS Graphics software
was initially designed to facilitate the production of statistical
graphs, its capabilities are also well suited for the production of
non-statistical, business graphs.
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The software components complement
each other and can be used together. For example, the SGRENDER procedure
produces output from templates that are created with the Graph Template
Language. The procedure can also produce output from ODS Graphics
Editor files.
For more information, seeUnderstanding ODS Graphics Software Interactions .
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Because ODS Graphics is an extension
of the Output Delivery System (ODS), many familiar features of ODS
for tabular output apply equally to graphs. In addition, graphical
output has a consistent appearance. For example, the automatic output
from statistical procedures can be combined with custom graphs from
the ODS Graphics procedures to create a cohesive-looking report.
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ODS Graphics software was designed
with the principles of effective graphics in mind, including these
features:
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a variety of plot and chart types
to handle many data situations
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multi-cell graph layout capabilities
that help eliminate the clutter that is often found in single-celled
displays
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attractive styles that emphasize
the data and minimize the supporting items in the graph