Basic Usage :: Getting Started with the SAS(R) 9.4 Output Delivery System

Overview

ODS is used by all SAS software. However, you can explicitly use ODS with the following:

Base SAS Reporting Procedures
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
DOCUMENT Procedure
ODS Global Statements
ODSLIST Procedure
ODSTABLE Procedure
ODSTEXT Procedure
TEMPLATE Procedure

Base SAS Reporting Procedures

The Base SAS reporting procedures, PROC PRINT, PROC REPORT, and PROC TABULATE, enable you to quickly analyze your data and organize it into easy-to-read tables. You can use ODS options with the reporting procedures to give your report another dimension of expression and usability. For example, you can use the STYLE option with a PROC PRINT, PROC REPORT, or PROC TABULATE statement to change the appearance of your report. The following program uses the ODS STYLE option to create the colors in the output below:

Title "Height and Weight by Gender and Age";
proc report nowd data=sashelp.class
   style(header)=[background=white];
   col age (('gender' sex),(weight height));
   define age / style(header)=[background=lightgreen];
   define sex / across style(header)=[background=yellow] ' ';
   define weight / style(header)=[background=orange];
   define height / style(header)=[background=tan];
run;

PROC REPORT Output with Styles Applied

For complete documentation on the styles and style attributes that you can use with PROC PRINT, PROC TABULATE, and PROC REPORT, see Base SAS Procedures Guide.

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

Cascading style sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language that you can use with ODS to control the look and formatting of ODS output. A cascading style sheet is an external file that contains label-value pairs that describe the visual aspects of output, such as fonts, colors, borders, and so on. You can then apply the CSS to your ODS output. The CSS language that you can use with ODS is based on the standard CSS syntax found on the Internet at http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/. However, with ODS, you can apply CSS to many different types of output, such as PDF, RTF, and EXCEL. Using CSS and ODS is an advanced technique. For more information about advanced ODS techniques, see Next Steps: A Quick Look at Advanced Features . For complete documentation about using CSS with ODS, see the chapter about CSS in the SAS Output Delivery System: Advanced Topics.

The DOCUMENT Procedure

The combination of the ODS DOCUMENT statement and the DOCUMENT procedure enables you to store a report’s individual components, and then modify and replay the report. The ODS DOCUMENT statement stores the actual ODS objects that are created when you run a report. You can then use PROC DOCUMENT to rearrange, duplicate, or remove output from the results of a procedure or a data query without invoking the procedures from the original report. You can also use PROC DOCUMENT to do the following:

transform a report without rerunning an analysis or repeating a data query
modify the structure of output
display output to any ODS output format without executing the original procedure or DATA step
navigate the current directory and list entries
open and list ODS documents
manage output
store the ODS output objects in raw form

Note: The output is kept in the original internal representation as a data component plus a table template.

The DOCUMENT destination has a graphical user interface (GUI), called the Documents window, for performing tasks. However, you can perform the same tasks with batch statement syntax using the DOCUMENT procedure.

For complete documentation about the DOCUMENT procedure, see The DOCUMENT Procedure in SAS Output Delivery System: Procedures Guide.

ODS Global Statements

Overview

ODS global statements provide greater flexibility to generate, customize, and reproduce SAS procedure and DATA step output. You can use ODS global statements to control different features of ODS. ODS statements can be used anywhere in your SAS program. Some ODS statements remain in effect until you explicitly change them. Other ODS statements are automatically cleared. ODS global statements are organized into two types, output control statements and ODS destination (report) statements. For complete documentation on ODS global statements, see Dictionary of ODS Language Statements in SAS Output Delivery System: User’s Guide..

Output Control Statements

Output Control Statements are statements that provide descriptive information about the specified output objects, and they indicate whether the style template or table template is provided by SAS. The ODS EXCLUDE, ODS SELECT, and ODS TRACE statements are examples of output control statements. Output control statements can do the following:

select specific output objects for specific destinations
exclude specific output objects from specific destinations
specify the location where you want to search for or store style templates or table templates
verify whether you are using a style template or a table template that is provided by SAS
provide descriptive information about each specified output object, such as its name, label, template, path, and label path

ODS Destination (Report) Statements

ODS destination (report) statements are statements that enable you to create output that is formatted for third-party software, such as HTML, RTF, and PDF. Or, they enable you to create output that is specific to SAS, such as an ODS document, LISTING output, or a SAS data set. You can use ODS destination statements to generate and modify reports in formats such as HTML, XML, PDF, PostScript, RTF, and Excel. The form for an ODS destination statement is the ODS statement block, which consists of ODS statements that open and close one or more ODS destinations sandwiched around your program. Your results are sent to one or more output destinations.

You can use one or more ODS destination statements, one or more PROC or DATA steps, and an ODS CLOSE statement to form an ODS statement block. An ODS block has the following form:

ODS output-destination 1 <options(s)>;

...

ODS output-destination (n) <options(s)>

ODS destination close statement 1;

...

ODS destination close statement (n)

In the ODS block, output-destination is the name of a valid ODS destination and option(s) are options that are valid for that destination. Your SAS program is inserted between the beginning ODS destination statement and the ODS CLOSE statement.

In the following example, the output from PROC PRINT and PROC CONTENTS is sent to the PDF and RTF destinations. The STYLE= option specifies what table template to apply to the output. By default, the PDF opens in Adobe Acrobat and the RTF opens in Microsoft Word.

options obs=10 nodate;
ods pdf file="myPdf.pdf" style=Banker;
ods rtf file="myRTF.rtf" style=BarrettsBlue text="RTF Output";
proc print data=sashelp.class;
run;

proc contents data=sashelp.class;
run;

ods pdf close;
ods rtf close;

Default PDF Output

PDF Output with Banker Style Applied

Default RTF Output

RTF Output with BarrettsBlue Style Applied

ODS destinations are organized into two categories.

SAS Formatted Destinations

These destinations produce output that is controlled and interpreted by SAS, such as a SAS data set, LISTING output, or an ODS document.

Destinations Formatted For a Third Party

These destinations produce output that is formatted for third-party applications such as e-book readers, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word. These statements enable you to apply styles or markup languages. You can print to physical printers using page description languages. For example, you can produce output in PostScript, HTML, XML, or in a markup language that you created.

The following table lists the ODS destination categories, the destinations that each category includes, and the formatted output that results from each destination.

Destination Category Table
Category	Destinations	Results
Formatted by SAS	DOCUMENT	ODS document
	LISTING	SAS LISTING output
	OUTPUT	SAS data set
Formatted by a Third Party	EPUB	Output formatted for e-book readers
	EPUB3	Output formatted for e-book readers
	HTML	HTML file for online viewing
	MARKUP	Markup language tagsets
	POWERPOINT	PowerPoint slides
	PRINTER	Printable output in one of three different formats: PCL, PDF, or PS (PostScript)
	RTF	Output written in Rich Text Format for use with Microsoft Word 2000

As destinations are added to ODS, they will automatically become available to the DATA step and all procedures that support ODS.

The Report Writing Interface

The ODS Report Writing Interface (RWI) enables you to create highly customized reports from within the DATA step. Because it is fully integrated with ODS, the RWI enables you to combine the powerful programming features from the DATA step with ODS features. This combination gives you flexibility and control over every piece of output in your report. Using the RWI is an advanced technique. For more information about advanced ODS techniques, see Next Steps: A Quick Look at Advanced Features . For complete documentation about the RWI, see Introduction to the Report Writing Interface in SAS Output Delivery System: Advanced Topics.

ODS LAYOUT Statements

ODS LAYOUT statements enable you to create custom reports that easily mix SAS graphics, images, text, and tables, and then arrange them on a page where you like.

The ODS LAYOUT GRIDDED statement enables you to format in a gridded layout. The ODS LAYOUT GRIDDED statement follows the traditional ODS statement usage in which you wrap (sandwich) your procedure code with a definitive starting and ending location. ODS layout is designed to allow nested layouts (containers) to provide endless customization.
The ODS LAYOUT ABSOLUTE statement enables you to specify the exact location on the page to place a layout and region container. Each container needs to be explicitly placed to ensure that there is no unintended overlap. The ODS LAYOUT ABSOLUTE statement follows the traditional ODS statement usage in which you wrap (sandwich) your procedure code with a definitive starting and ending location. ODS layout is designed to allow nested layouts (containers) to provide endless customization.

Using the ODS LAYOUT statements is an advanced technique. For more information about advanced ODS techniques, see Next Steps: A Quick Look at Advanced Features . For complete documentation about ODS LAYOUT statements, see Arranging Output with ODS LAYOUT in SAS Output Delivery System: User’s Guide.

ODSLIST Procedure

The ODSLIST procedure is used to create bulleted list templates. With PROC ODSLIST, you can do the following:

create text templates for lists that can be customized and nested an infinite number of times
use style attributes and formats to customize your content
use WHERE expressions to specify list item content

With PROC ODSLIST, you can use the DATA= option to bind your data to the template without using a DATA step. PROC ODSLIST can be used with any output destination. However, PROC ODSLIST is essential for creating content for the ODS destination for PowerPoint and e-books. Using the ODSLIST procedure is an advanced technique. For more information about advanced ODS techniques, see Next Steps: A Quick Look at Advanced Features . For complete documentation about the ODSLIST procedure, see The ODSLIST Procedure in SAS Output Delivery System: Procedures Guide.

ODSTABLE Procedure

By default, ODS output is formatted based on the various definitions or templates that the procedure or DATA step specify. However, you can create your own new tabular output templates using the ODSTABLE procedure. ODS uses these templates to produce customized tabular output. With the ODSTABLE procedure, you can create table templates and bind them with the input data set in one statement. You can name your templates and store them in a template store. Using the ODSTABLE procedure is an advanced technique. For more information about advanced ODS techniques, see Next Steps: A Quick Look at Advanced Features . For complete documentation about the ODSTABLE procedure, see The ODSTABLE Procedure in SAS Output Delivery System: Procedures Guide.

ODSTEXT Procedure

The ODSTEXT procedure is used to create text block templates. These text block templates create lists and paragraphs for your output. You can use style attributes and formats to customize your content and WHERE expressions to select your content. With PROC ODSTEXT, you can use the DATA= option to bind your data to the template without using a DATA step. PROC ODSTEXT can be used with any output destination. However, PROC ODSTEXT is essential for creating content for the ODS destination for PowerPoint and e-books. Using the ODSTEXT procedure is an advanced technique. For more information about advanced ODS techniques, see Next Steps: A Quick Look at Advanced Features . For complete documentation about the ODSTEXT procedure, see The ODSTEXT Procedure in SAS Output Delivery System: Procedures Guide.

TEMPLATE Procedure

All SAS procedures produce output objects that ODS delivers to various ODS destinations based on the default specifications for the procedure or based on your own specifications. Output objects are commonly displayed as tables, data sets, or graphs. Each output object has an associated template that is provided by SAS that defines its presentation format. You can use the TEMPLATE procedure to view or alter a template or to create a new template by changing the headers, formats, column order, and so on.

The TEMPLATE procedure enables you to create or modify a template that you can apply to your output. You can also use the TEMPLATE procedure to navigate and manage the templates stored in template stores. ODS then uses these templates to produce formatted output. Using the TEMPLATE procedure is an advanced technique. For more information about advanced ODS techniques, see Next Steps: A Quick Look at Advanced Features .

For complete documentation on the TEMPLATE procedure, see the TEMPLATE procedure in SAS Output Delivery System: Procedures Guide.