If one variable in the input data set represents the frequency of occurrence for other values in the observation, specify the variable’s name in a FREQ statement. PROC CLUSTER then treats the data set as if each observation appeared times, where is the value of the FREQ variable for the observation. Noninteger values of the FREQ variable are truncated to the largest integer less than the FREQ value.

If you omit the FREQ statement but the DATA= data set contains a variable called _FREQ_, then frequencies are obtained from the _FREQ_ variable. If neither a FREQ statement nor an _FREQ_ variable is present, each observation is assumed to have a frequency of one.

If each observation in the DATA= data set represents a cluster (for example, clusters formed by PROC FASTCLUS), the variable specified in the FREQ statement should give the number of original observations in each cluster.

If you specify the RMSSTD statement, a FREQ statement is required. A FREQ statement or _FREQ_ variable is required when you specify the HYBRID option.

With most clustering methods, the same clusters are obtained from a data set with a FREQ variable as from a similar data set without a FREQ variable, if each observation is repeated as many times as the value of the FREQ variable in the first data set. The FLEXIBLE method can yield different results due to the nature of the combinatorial formula. The DENSITY and TWOSTAGE methods are also exceptions because two identical observations can be absorbed one at a time by a cluster with a higher density. If you are using a FREQ statement with either the DENSITY or TWOSTAGE method, see the MODE=option for details.