The MODEL statement defines the prediction equation by declaring the dependent variable and defining an expression that evaluates predicted values. The expression can be any valid SAS expression that yields a numeric result. The expression can include parameter names, variables in the data set, and variables created by programming statements in the NLIN procedure. Any operators or functions that can be used in a DATA step can also be used in the MODEL statement.

A statement such as

model y=expression;

is translated into the form

model.y=expression;

using the compound variable name model.y to hold the predicted value. You can use this assignment directly as an alternative to the MODEL statement. Either a MODEL statement or an assignment to a compound variable such as model.y must appear.