Syntax: XSCHART Statement

The basic syntax for the XSCHART statement is as follows:

XSCHART process * subgroup-variable ;

The general form of this syntax is as follows:

XSCHART processes * subgroup-variable <(block-variables)> <symbol-variable | 'character'> / <options> ;

You can use any number of XSCHART statements in the SHEWHART procedure. The components of the XSCHART statement are described as follows.

process
processes

identify one or more processes to be analyzed. The specification of process depends on the input data set specified in the PROC SHEWHART statement.

A process is required. If more than one process is specified, enclose the list in parentheses. For example, the following statements request distinct and charts for Weight, Length, and Width:

proc shewhart data=Measures;
   xschart (Weight Length Width)*Day;
run;
subgroup-variable

is the variable that identifies subgroups in the data. The subgroup-variable is required. In the preceding XSCHART statement, Day is the subgroup variable. For details, see Subgroup Variables.

block-variables

are optional variables that group the data into blocks of consecutive subgroups. The blocks are labeled in a legend, and each block-variable provides one level of labels in the legend. See Displaying Stratification in Blocks of Observations for an example.

symbol-variable

is an optional variable whose levels (unique values) determine the symbol marker or character used to plot the means and standard deviations.

  • If you produce a line printer chart, an 'A' is displayed for the points corresponding to the first level of the symbol-variable, a 'B' is displayed for the points corresponding to the second level, and so on.

  • If you produce traditional graphics, distinct symbol markers are displayed for points corresponding to the various levels of the symbol-variable. You can specify the symbol markers with SYMBOL statements. See Displaying Stratification in Levels of a Classification Variable for an example.

character

specifies a plotting character for line printer charts. For example, the following statements create and charts using an asterisk (*) to plot the points:

proc shewhart data=Values lineprinter;
   xschart Weight*Day='*';
run;
options

enhance the appearance of the charts, request additional analyses, save results in data sets, and so on. The Summary of Options section, which follows, lists all options by function. Dictionary of Options: SHEWHART Procedure describes each option in detail.