Understanding and Customizing SAS Output: The Output Delivery System (ODS)

Storing Links to ODS Output

When you run a procedure that supports ODS, SAS automatically stores a link to each piece of ODS output in the Results folder in the Results window. It marks the link with an icon that identifies the output destination that created the output.

In the following example, SAS executes the UNIVARIATE procedure and generates Listing, HTML, Printer, and Rich Text Format (RTF) output as well as a SAS data set (Output). The output contains statistics for the average SAT scores of entering first-year college students. The output is grouped by the CLASS variable Gender.

ods listing close;
ods html file='store-links.htm'; 
ods printer file='store-links.ps';
ods rtf file='store-links.rtf';
ods output basicmeasures=measures;

proc univariate data=sat_scores;
   var SATscore;
   class Gender;
   title;
run;

ods _all_ close;
ods listing;

PROC UNIVARIATE generates a folder called Univariate in the Results folder. Within this folder is another folder (SAT score) for the variable in the VAR statement. This folder contains two folders (Gender=f and Gender=m), one for each variable in the CLASS statement. The Gender=f and Gender=m folders each contain a folder for each output object. Within the folder for each output object is a link to each piece of output. The icon next to the link indicates which ODS destination created the output. In this example, the Moments output was sent to the Listing, HTML, Printer, and RTF destinations. The Basic Measures of Location and Variability output was sent to the Listing, HTML, Printer, RTF, and Output destinations.

The Results folder in the display that follows shows the folders and output objects that the UNIVARIATE procedure creates.

View of the Results Folder

[View of the Results Folder]

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