Introduction to SAS/IML Studio

What Is SAS/IML Studio?

SAS/IML Studio is a tool for data exploration and analysis. Figure 1.1 shows a typical SAS/IML Studio analysis. You can use SAS/IML Studio to do the following:

  • explore data through graphs linked across multiple windows

  • subset data

  • analyze univariate distributions

  • fit explanatory models

  • investigate multivariate relationships

In addition, SAS/IML Studio provides an integrated development environment that enables you to write, debug, and execute programs that combine the following:

  • the flexibility of the SAS/IML® matrix language

  • the analytical power of SAS/STAT® procedures

  • the data manipulation capabilities of Base SAS® software

  • the dynamically linked graphics of SAS/IML Studio

  • the functions and user-contributed packages of the open-source R language

The programming language in SAS/IML Studio, which is called IMLPlus, is an enhanced version of the SAS/IML programming language. The "Plus" part of the name refers to new features that extend the SAS/IML language, including the ability to create and manipulate statistical graphs, to call SAS procedures, and to call functions in the R programming language.

SAS/IML Studio requires that you have a license for Base SAS, SAS/STAT, and SAS/IML software. SAS/IML Studio runs on a PC in the Microsoft Windows operating environment.

Figure 1.1: The SAS/IML Studio Interface

The SAS/IML Studio Interface