Glossary: Glossary :: Step-by-Step Programming with Base SAS(R) Software

Glossary

across variable

in the REPORT procedure, a variable used so that each formatted value of the variable forms a column in the report. If the variable does not have a format, each value forms a column.

active data set

the SAS data set specified in the current analysis.

active window

a window that is open, displayed, and to which keyboard input is directed. Only one window can be active at a time.

alphanumeric characters

a string of characters that can include alphabetic letters, numerals, and special characters or blanks. Most computer systems store strictly numeric data differently from alphanumeric or textual data.

analysis variable

(1) a numeric variable used to calculate statistics. Usually an analysis variable contains quantitative or continuous values, but this is not required.
in the REPORT procedure, you must associate a statistic with an analysis variable. By default, the REPORT procedure treats a numeric variable as an analysis variable that is used to calculate the SUM statistic.

argument

in a SAS function or CALL routine, the values or expressions a user supplies within parentheses on which the function or CALL routine performs the indicated operation.
in syntax descriptions, any word that follows the keyword in a SAS statement.

arithmetic expression

see SAS expression.

arithmetic operators

the symbols (+, -, /, *, and **) used to perform addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, and exponentiation in SAS expressions.

array

a group of variables of the same type available for processing under a single name.

array name

a name selected to identify a group of variables or temporary data objects. It must be a valid SAS name that is not the name of a variable in the same DATA step. See also array.

array reference

a reference to the object to be processed in an array. See also array.

ASCII

an acronym for the American Standard Code for Information Interchange. ASCII is a 7-bit character coding scheme (8 bits when a parity check bit is included) including graphic (printable) and control (nonprintable) codes.

ASCII collating sequence

an ordering of characters that follows the order of the characters in the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) character coding scheme. SAS uses the same collating sequence as its host operating environment. See also EBCDIC collating sequence.

assignment statement

a DATA step statement that evaluates an expression and stores the result in a variable. An assignment statement has the following form: variable=expression;

attributes

See variable attributes.

autocall facility

a feature of SAS that enables you to store the source statements that define a macro and invoke the macro as needed, without having to include the definition in your program.

autoexec file

a file containing SAS statements that are executed automatically when SAS is invoked. The autoexec file can be used to specify some SAS system options, as well as librefs and filerefs that are commonly used.

automatic macro variable

a macro variable defined by SAS rather than by the user.

automatic variable

a variable that is created automatically by the DATA step, some DATA step statements, some SAS procedures, and the SAS macro facility.

background processing

processing in which you cannot interact with the computer. Background sessions may run somewhat slower than foreground sessions because this type of session executes as processor time becomes available. See also foreground processing.

Base SAS

software that includes a programming language that manages your data, procedures for data analysis and reporting, procedures for managing SAS files, a macro facility, help menus, and a windowing environment for text editing and file management.

batch job

a job submitted to the operating environment for batch processing.

batch mode

a method of executing SAS programs in which you prepare a file containing SAS statements and any necessary operating environment commands and submit the program to the computer's batch queue. While the program executes, control returns to your terminal or workstation environment where you can perform other tasks. Batch mode is sometimes referred to as running in the background. The job output can be written to files or printed on an output device.

Boolean operator

See logical operator.

break

in the REPORT procedure, a section of the report that does one or more of the following: visually separates parts of the report; summarizes statistics and computed variables; displays text, values calculated for a set of rows of the report, or both; executes DATA step statements. You can create breaks when the value of a selected variable changes or at the beginning or end of a report. See also break variable.

break line

in the REPORT procedure, a line of a report that contains one of the following: characters that visually separate parts of the report; summaries of statistics and computed variables (called a summary line); text, values calculated for a set of rows of the report, or both.

break variable

in the REPORT procedure, a group or order variable you select to determine the location of break lines. The REPORT procedure performs the actions you specify for the break each time the value of this variable changes.

BY group

all observations with the same values for all BY variables.

BY value

the value of a BY variable.

BY variable

a variable named in a BY statement whose values define groups of observations to process.

BY-group processing

the process of using the BY statement to process observations that are ordered, grouped, or indexed according to the values of one or more variables. Many SAS procedures and the DATA step support BY-group processing. For example, you can use BY-group processing with the PRINT procedure to print separate reports for different groups of observations in a single SAS data set.

CALL routine

a program that can be called in a DATA step by issuing a CALL statement. A CALL routine may change the value of some of the arguments passed to it, but it does not return a value as a function does.

calling a macro

See macro invocation.

carriage-control character

a specific symbol that tells the printer how many lines to advance the paper, when to begin a new page, when to skip a line, and when to hold the current line for overprint.

catalog

See SAS catalog.

catalog directory

in SAS, a part of a SAS catalog that stores and maintains information about the name, type, description, and update status of each member of the catalog.

catalog entry

See entry type and SAS catalog entry.

category

in the TABULATE procedure, the combination of unique values of class variables. The TABULATE procedure creates a separate category for each unique combination of values that exists in the observations of the data set. Each category created by PROC TABULATE is represented by one or more cells in the table where the pages, rows, and columns that describe the category intersect.

cell

a single unit of a table produced by a SAS procedure, such as the TABULATE or FREQ procedure. The value contained in the cell is a summary statistic for the input data set. The contents of the cell are described by the page, row, and column that contain the cell.

character constant

one or more characters enclosed in quotes in a SAS statement (sometimes called a character literal). The maximum number of characters allowed is 200. See also character string.

character format

instructions to SAS to write character data values using a specific pattern.

character function

a function that enables you to perform character string manipulations, comparisons, evaluations, or analyses.

character informat

instructions to SAS to read character data values into character variables using a specific pattern.

character literal

See character constant.

character string

one or more alphanumeric or other keyboard characters or both. See also character constant.

character value

a value that can contain alphabetic characters, numeric characters 0 through 9, and other special characters. See also character variable.

character variable

a variable whose values can consist of alphabetic and special characters as well as numeric characters.

chart

a graph in which graphics objects (bars, pie slices, and so on) show the magnitude of a statistic. The graphics objects can represent one data value or a range of data values.

chart statistic

the statistical value calculated for the chart variable: frequency, cumulative frequency, percentage, cumulative percentage, sum, or mean.

chart variable

a variable in the input data set whose values are categories of data represented by bars, blocks, slices, or spines.

check box

an item in a window that you can select without affecting any other items. You can deactivate a check box by selecting it again.

class variable

in some SAS procedures, a variable used to group, or classify, data. Class variables can be character or numeric. Class variables can have continuous values, but they typically have a few discrete values that define the classifications of the variable.

collating sequence

See ASCII collating sequence and EBCDIC collating sequence.

column concatenation

in TABULATE procedure output, two or more tables produced by one TABLE statement and placed side by side.

column input

in the DATA step, a style of input that gives column specifications in the INPUT statement for reading data in fixed columns.

command

a keyword that gives directions to the host operating environment or to the SAS windowing environment.

command bar

a row of push buttons at the bottom of a window. The push buttons represent actions or classes of actions that can be executed in that window.

comment

text that provides additional information in a SAS program. SAS ignores comments during processing but writes them to the SAS log. Comments have two forms. A comment can appear as a statement that begins with an asterisk and ends with a semicolon:* message; A comment can also appear as text that begins with a forward slash and an asterisk and ends with an asterisk and a forward slash:/* message */

comment statement

See comment.

comparison operator

a symbolic or mnemonic instruction that tests for a particular relationship between two values. If the comparison is true, the result of executing the instruction is the value 1; if the comparison is false, the result is the value 0.

compilation

the process of checking syntax and translating a portion of a program into a form that the computer can execute.

composite index

an index that locates observations in a SAS data set by the values of two or more key variables. See also index and simple index.

compound expression

an expression containing more than one operator.

computed variable

in the REPORT procedure, a variable whose value is calculated by statements entered in the COMPUTE window.

concatenating

for character values, a process in which SAS combines two or more character values, one after the other, into a single character value.
for SAS data sets, a process in which SAS combines two or more SAS data sets, one after the other, into a single data set.
for external files, the process that enables SAS to access two or more files as if they were one by specifying the filenames one after another in the same SAS statement.
in the TABULATE procedure, the operation that instructs the procedure to join information for two or more table objects by placing the output for the second object immediately after the output for the first object. Concatenated objects produce tables consisting of two or more subtables. See also column concatenation.

condition

in a SAS program, one or more numeric or character expressions that result in a value upon which some decision depends.

configuration file

an external file containing SAS system options that are put into effect when SAS is invoked.

configuration option

a SAS option that can be specified in the SAS command or in a configuration file. Configuration options affect how SAS interfaces with the computer hardware and operating environment.

constant

a number or a character string that indicates a fixed value. Character constants must be enclosed in quotation marks.

constant text

in the SAS macro facility, the strings stored as part of a macro or as a macro variable's value in open code, from which the macro processor generates text to be used as SAS statements, display manager commands, or other macro program statements. Constant text is also called model text.

crossing

in the TABULATE procedure, the process that combines the effects of two or more objects.

data error

a type of execution error that occurs when a SAS program analyzes data containing invalid values. For example, a data error occurs if you specify numeric variables in the INPUT statement for character data. By default, data errors do not cause a program to stop but, instead, to generate notes in the SAS log. See also programming error and syntax error.

data file

See SAS data file.

data lines

lines of unprocessed (raw) data. In a SAS program, data lines follow a CARDS or DATALINES statement.

data set label

in a SAS data set, a user-defined attribute of up to 40 characters used for documenting the SAS data set.

data set option

See SAS data set option.

data set reference

a SAS argument that specifies a SAS data set similar to DATA= libref.member or OUT=libref.member.

DATA step

a group of statements in a SAS program that begins with a DATA statement and ends with either a RUN statement, another DATA statement, a PROC statement, the end of the job, or the semicolon that immediately follows instream data lines. The DATA step enables you to read raw data or other SAS data sets and use programming logic to create a SAS data set, write a report, or write to an external file.

data value

in SAS, a unit of character or numeric information in a SAS data set. A data value represents one variable in an observation.
in the rectangular structure of a SAS data set, intersection of a row and a column.

date and time format

the instructions that tell SAS how to write numeric values as dates, times, and datetimes.

date and time informat

the instructions that tell SAS how to read numeric values represented as dates, times, and datetimes.

date value

See SAS date value.

declarative statement

a statement that supplies information to SAS and that takes effect when SAS compiles program statements, rather than when it executes them. See also executable statement.

default directory

the directory you are working in at any given time. When you log in, your default directory is usually your home directory.

delimiter

a character that serves as a boundary separating the objects of a character string, programming statement, data line, or list of arguments.

descriptor information

the information SAS creates and maintains identifying the attributes of a SAS data set and its contents.

destination

a specific type of output from the Output Delivery System. Types of output include HTML, Listing, PostScript, RTF, and SAS data sets.

detail row

in the REPORT procedure, a row of a report that either contains information from a single observation in the data set or consolidates the information for a group of observations that have a unique combination of values for all group variables.

dialog box

a type of window that opens to prompt you for additional information, provide additional information, or ask you to confirm a request.

dialog window

a window that prompts a user for additional information in order to perform a specified action.

dimension

in the TABULATE procedure, the page, row, or column portion of a table. PROC TABULATE can produce tables that have one, two, or three dimensions.

dimension expression

in the TABULATE procedure, the portion of the TABLE statement that defines what variables and statistics make up a single dimension of the table. The format of a dimension expression is the same for any of the three dimensions page, row, and column.

DO group

a sequence of statements headed by a simple DO statement and ended by a corresponding END statement. See also DO loop.

DO loop

a sequence of statements headed by an iterative DO, DO WHILE, or DO UNTIL statement; ended by a corresponding END statement; and executed (usually repeatedly) according to directions in the DO statement. See also DO group.

double trailing at sign (@@)

a special symbol used to hold a line in the input buffer across iterations of the DATA step. See also trailing at sign (@).

EBCDIC

an acronym for Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code. EBCDIC is an 8-bit character coding scheme including graphic (printable) and control (nonprintable) codes.

EBCDIC collating sequence

an ordering of characters that follows the order in the Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC) character coding scheme. SAS uses the same collating sequence as its host operating environment. See also ASCII collating sequence.

entry

a unit of information stored in a SAS catalog. Catalog entries differ widely in content and purpose. See also entry type.

entry type

a characteristic of a SAS catalog entry that identifies its structure and attributes to SAS. When you create an entry, SAS automatically assigns the entry type as part of the name.

error message

a message in the SAS log or Message window that indicates that SAS was not able to continue processing the program

executable statement

in the DATA step, a SAS statement that causes some action to occur while the DATA step executes rather than when SAS compiles the DATA step. See also declarative statement.

execution

in the DATA step, the process in which SAS carries out statements for each observation or record in the file. See also compilation.
in contexts other than the DATA step, such as SAS macros, procedures, and global statements, the process in which SAS performs the actions indicated.

explicit array

an array that consists of a valid SAS name, reference to the number of variables or temporary data elements, and an optional list of the array elements. In an explicit array, you must explicitly specify the subscript in the reference when referring to an element. See also explicit array reference.

explicit array reference

a description of the element to be processed in an explicit array. See also explicit array.

exponent

in a mathematical expression, the number or expression that indicates the power to which you raise a base number or expression.

expression

See SAS expression.

external file

a file maintained by the host operating environment that SAS can read data from and route output to. External files can contain raw data, SAS programming statements, procedure output, or output created by the PUT statement. An external file is not a SAS data set. See also fileref.
in a DATA step, a file that SAS can use the INFILE and INPUT statements to read or a file that SAS can use the FILE and PUT statements to write.

field

in a hierarchical database, the smallest unit of data storage.
in an external file, the smallest logical unit of data. See also file and record.
in windowing environments, a window area that is defined to contain a value that users usually can view, enter, or modify.

file

a collection of related records treated as a unit. SAS files are processed and controlled through the SAS System and are stored in a SAS data library.
A Prime INFORMATION file is made up of two parts, a data part and a dictionary part.
An ADABAS file can contain from 0 to 16,777,215 records. The records are physically stored in compressed form in Data Storage. File control information, field definitions, and inverted list entries are contained in the Associator.
In CA-DATACOM/DB, each database contains one or more FILE entity- occurrences that comprise specific records, fields, and elements. Each FILE entity-occurrence requires a unique name and specific attributes in the CA-DATADICTIONARY database.
In SYSTEM 2000 software, each database contains six database files, which together hold the definition, the indexes, the values, and the hierarchical structure of the database. Database files 7 and 8 are optional files for the Update Log and Rollback Log.

file pathname

a pathname that identifies a specific file. A file pathname includes a filename, filename extension, and whatever partition and directory specification is necessary.

file reference

See fileref.

file specification

the name of an external file. This name is the name by which the host operating environment recognizes the file. On directory-based systems, the file specification can be either the complete pathname or the relative pathname from the current working directory.
the pathname or fileref required to identify a file in a SAS command or statement. See also file pathname and fileref.

fileref

a name temporarily assigned to an external file or to an aggregate storage location that identifies it to SAS. You assign a fileref with a FILENAME statement or with an operating environment command. Do not confuse filerefs with librefs. Filerefs are used for external files; librefs are used for SAS data libraries. See also libref.

first-level name

See libref.

FIRST.variable

a temporary variable that SAS creates to identify the first observation of each BY group. The variable is not added to the SAS data set. See also LAST.variable.

foreground processing

a type of processing in which you interact with the computer while the process is executing. See also background processing.

format

an instruction SAS uses to display or write each value of a variable. Some formats are supplied by SAS software. Other formats can be written by the user with the FORMAT procedure in Base SAS. See also user-written format.

format modifier

a special symbol used in the INPUT and PUT statements that enables you to control the way SAS reads input data and writes output data.
in the TABULATE procedure, an element of the form F=format that can be crossed in a dimension expression to indicate how the values in cells should be formatted.

format, variable

See format.

formatted input

a style of input that uses special instructions called informats in the INPUT statement to determine how values entered in data fields should be interpreted. See also informat.

formatted output

a style of output that uses special instructions called formats in the PUT statement to determine how to write variable values. See also format.

function

in Base SAS, a routine that can accept arguments, perform an operation, and return a value. For example, the ABS function returns the absolute value of a numeric argument. Functions can return either numeric or character results. Some functions are included with SAS.

global command

a command valid in all windows for a given SAS software product.

global macro variable

a macro variable that, once created, can be referenced in any referencing environment in a SAS program, except where blocked by a local macro variable of the same name. A global macro variable exists until the end of the session or program. See also macro variable.

global option

See system option.

group

in Program Manager, a collection of applications, such as Main or Accessories. You can run SAS by adding it to a group.

group variable

in the REPORT procedure, a variable that orders the detail rows in a report according to their formatted values and consolidates multiple observations that have a unique combination of values for all group variables into one row.
a variable in the input data set that is used to categorize chart variable values into groups.

header

in the REPORT procedure, a string of characters that spans the top of one or more columns in the report. A header can occupy multiple lines. See also heading and split character.

header routine

a group of DATA step statements that produces page headers in print files. You identify with the HEADER= option in the FILE statement. A header routine begins with a statement label and ends with a RETURN statement.

heading

in reporting procedures, a label that describes the contents of some portion of the table. This includes page, row, and column headings in the TABULATE procedure and column headings in many other procedures. See also header.
in SAS output, the text located near the beginning of each page of output. This includes text produced by a HEADER= option in a FILE statement, titles written with a TITLE statement, and default information such as date and page numbers.

host

the operating environment that provides facilities, computer services, and the environment for software applications.

identification variable

in Proc GMAP, a variable common to both the map data set and the response data set that the procedure uses to associate each pair of map coordinates and each response value with a unique map area.

index

a component of a SAS data set that enables SAS to access observations in the SAS data set quickly and efficiently. The purpose of SAS indexes is to optimize WHERE-clause processing and facilitate BY-group processing.
a component of a SAS data set that contains the data values of a key variable or variables paired with a location identifier for the observation containing the value. The value/identifier pairs are ordered in a structure that enables SAS to search by a value of a variable. See also composite index and simple index.

informat

an instruction that SAS uses to read raw data values to create variable values. Some informats are supplied by SAS software. Other informats can be written by the user with the FORMAT procedure in Base SAS. See also user-written informat.

informat, variable

See informat.

input buffer

the temporary area of memory into which each record of data is read when the INPUT statement executes. Note that the input buffer is a logical concept independent of physical implementation.

interactive line mode

a method of running SAS programs in which you enter one line of a SAS program at a time at the SAS session prompt. SAS processes each line immediately after you press the ENTER or RETURN key. Procedure output and informative messages are returned directly to the display monitor.

interleaving

a process in which SAS combines two or more sorted SAS data sets into one sorted SAS data set based on the values of the BY variables. See also merging and concatenating.

item

in the REPORT procedure, a data set variable, a statistic, or a computed variable. An item can occupy one or more columns in a report. Under some circumstances, multiple items can share a column.

label

in Base SAS, data set label, statement label, label, and variable.

label assignment

in the TABULATE procedure, a method of changing the default heading for a page, row, or column by assigning the new heading in the TABLE statement. A label assignment can change the name of a class or analysis variable or the name of a statistic, but it cannot change the values of a class variable. You use the LABEL statement to assign labels.

label, variable

a descriptive label of up to 40 characters that can be printed in the output by certain procedures instead of, or in addition to, the variable name.

LAST. variable

a temporary variable that SAS creates to identify the last observation of each BY group. This variable is not added to the SAS data set. See also FIRST.variable.

length, variable

the number of bytes used to store each of a variable's values in a SAS data set.

library reference

See libref.

libref

the name temporarily associated with a SAS data library. For example, in the name SASUSERS.ACCOUNTS, the name SASUSER is the libref. You assign a libref with a LIBNAME statement or with operating environment control language. See also first-level name.

line mode

See interactive line mode.

line-hold specifier

a special symbol used in INPUT and PUT statements that enables you to hold a record in the input or output buffer for further processing. Line-hold specifiers include the trailing at sign (@) and the double trailing at sign (@@).

list input

a style that supplies variable names, not column locations, in the INPUT statement to scan input records for data values separated by at least one blank or other delimiter.

list input, modified

a style that uses special instructions called informats and format modifiers in the INPUT statement to scan input records for data values that are separated by at least one blank or other delimiter, and in some cases, by two blanks.

list input, simple

a style that gives only variable names and dollar signs ($) in the INPUT statement to scan input records for data values that are separated by at least one blank or other delimiter.

list output

a style in which a character string or variable is specified in a PUT statement without explicit directions that specify where SAS should place the string or value.

literal

any character or numeric value in a SAS program that is not the value of a variable, but the literal value of numbers or characters representing it. Character literals are usually enclosed in quotes. See also numeric constant.

logical operator

an operator used in expressions to link sequences of comparisons. The logical operators are AND, OR, and NOT.

macro facility

a portion of Base SAS that you can use for extending and customizing your SAS programs and for reducing the amount of text that must be entered to do common tasks. It consists of the macro processor and the macro language.

macro invocation

an instruction to the macro processor to execute a macro; it is also known as a macro call. A macro invocation can be either name-style (%name) or statement-style (name;) depending on how the macro was defined.

macro language

the programming language used to communicate with the macro processor.

macro variable

a variable belonging to the macro language whose value is a string that remains constant until you change it. A macro variable is also called a symbolic variable.

macro variable reference

the name of a macro variable preceded by an ampersand (&) that the macro processor replaces with the value of the macro variable named.

master data set

in an update operation, the data set containing the information you want to update. See also transaction data set.

match-merging

a process in which SAS joins observations from two or more SAS data sets according to the values of the BY variables. See also one-to-one merging.

member

a SAS file in a SAS library.

member type

a name assigned by SAS that identifies the type of information stored in a SAS file. Member types include ACCESS, DATA, CATALOG, PROGRAM, and VIEW.

merging

the process of combining observations from two or more SAS data sets into a single observation in a new SAS data set. See also match-merging and one-to-one merging.

methods of running the SAS System

standard methods of operation used to run SAS System programs. These methods are the SAS windowing environment, SAS/ASSIST software, interactive line mode, noninteractive mode, and batch mode.

missing value

a value that indicates that no data are stored for the variable in the current observation. By default, SAS prints a missing numeric value as a single period (.) and a missing character value as a blank space.

mnemonic operator

an arithmetic or logical (Boolean) operator composed of letters rather than symbols (for example, EQ rather than =).

multi-panel report

output that uses sets of columns on a page to display the values of variables. For example, telephone books are usually arranged in multi-panels of names, addresses, and phone numbers on a single page.

name, variable

the identifying attribute of a variable. A variable name must conform to SAS naming rules.

named input

a style in which equal signs appear in the INPUT statement to read data values in the for variable=data-value.

named output

a style in which equal signs appear in the PUT statement to write variable values in the form variable=data-value.

noninteractive mode

a method of running SAS programs in which you prepare a file of SAS statements and submit the program to the operating environment. The program runs immediately and occupies your current session.

nonstandard data

data that SAS can read or write only with the aid of informats or formats. Examples of nonstandard data are hexadecimal or binary values.

null statement

a statement consisting of a single semicolon or four semicolons, most commonly used to designate the end of instream data in a DATA step.

null value

a special value that means absence of information. It is analogous to a SAS missing value.
in the SAS macro language, a value consisting of zero characters.

numeric constant

a number that appears in a SAS expression. See also literal.

numeric format

an instruction to SAS to write numeric variable values using a specific pattern.

numeric informat

an instruction to SAS to read numeric data values using a specific pattern.

numeric value

a value that usually contains only numbers, including numbers in E-notation and hexadecimal notation. A numeric value can sometimes contain a decimal point, plus sign, or minus sign. Numeric values are stored in numeric variables.

numeric variable

a variable that can contain only numeric values. By default, SAS stores all numeric variables in floating-point representation.

observation

a row in a SAS data set. An observation is a collection of data values associated with a single entity, such as a customer or state. Each observation contains one data value for each variable.
the horizontal component of a SAS data file. An observation is a collection of data values associated with a single entity, such as a customer or state. Each observation contains one data value for each variable in the data file.

observation number

a number indicating the relative position of an observation in a SAS data set when you read the entire data set sequentially. This number is not stored internally. See also record ID.

ODS

See Output Delivery System.

one-to-one matching

the process of combining observations from two or more data sets into one observation using two or more SET statements to read observations independently from each data set. See also match-merging.

one-to-one merging

the process of using the MERGE statement (without a BY statement) to combine observations from two or more data sets based on the observations' positions in the data sets. See also match-merging.

output buffer

in the DATA step, the area of memory to which a PUT statement writes before writing to a designated file or output device.

Output Delivery System (ODS)

a system that can produce output in a variety of formats such as HTML, PDF, Listing, PostScript, and a SAS data set.

output object

a combination of procedure or DATA step output and a table definition. An output object tells the Output Delivery System how to format the output.

padding a value with blanks

in SAS, a process in which the software adds blanks to the end of a character value that is shorter than the length of the variable.

period

the default character that SAS uses to print or display a missing value for a numeric variable.

permanent SAS data library

a library that is not deleted when the SAS session terminates; it is available for subsequent SAS sessions. Unless the USER libref is defined, you use a two-level name to access a file in a permanent library. The first-level name is the libref, and the second-level name is the member name.

permanent SAS data set

a data set that remains after the current program or interactive SAS session terminates. Permanent SAS data sets are available for future SAS sessions.

permanent SAS file

a file in a SAS data library that is not deleted when the SAS session or job terminates.

physical filename

the name that the operating environment uses to identify a file.

pointer

in the DATA step, a programming tool that SAS uses to keep track of its position in the input or output buffer.

pointer control

the process of instructing SAS to move the pointer before reading or writing data.

print file

an external file containing carriage-control (printer-control) information. See also carriage-control character and external file.

PROC step

a group of SAS statements that call and execute a procedure, usually with a SAS data set as input.

procedure

See SAS procedure.

PROFILE catalog

a SAS catalog in a special SAS data library that contains information used by the SAS System to control various aspects of your display manager session. See also SASUSER library.

program data vector

the temporary area of memory, or storage area, where SAS builds a SAS data set, one observation at a time. Note that the program data vector is a logical concept that is independent of physical implementation.

programming error

a flaw in the logic of a SAS program that can cause it to fail or to perform differently than the programmer intended. See also syntax error.

propagation of missing values

a consequence of using missing values in which a missing value in an arithmetic expression causes SAS to set the result of the expression to missing. Using that result in another expression causes the next result to be missing, and so on.

raw data

data that has not been read into a SAS data set. See also data lines and raw data file.

raw data file

an external file whose records contain data values in fields. A DATA step can read a raw data file by using the INFILE and INPUT statements.

record

a logical unit of information consisting of fields of related data. A collection of records makes up a file. A record is analogous to a SAS observation or a row in a SAS data set.

SAS catalog

a SAS file that stores many different kinds of information in smaller units called catalog entries. A single SAS catalog can contain several different types of catalog entries.

SAS catalog entry

a separate storage unit within a SAS catalog. Each entry has an entry type that identifies its purpose to SAS. Some catalog entries contain system information such as key definitions. Other catalog entries contain application information such as window definitions, help windows, formats, informats, macros, or graphics output.See also entry type.

SAS command

a command that invokes SAS software. This command may vary depending on operating environment and site. See also SAS invocation.

SAS compilation

the process of converting statements in the SAS language from the form in which you enter them into a form ready for SAS software to use.

SAS data file

a SAS data set that contains both data values and descriptor information associated with the data, such as the variable attributes. SAS data files have the type DATA. See also SAS data set and SAS data view.

SAS data library

a collection of one or more SAS files that are recognized by SAS software and that are referenced and stored as a unit. Each file is a member of the library.

SAS data set

descriptor information and its related data values organized as a table of observations and variables that can be processed by SAS. A SAS data set can be either a SAS data file or a SAS data view.

SAS data set option

an option that appears in parentheses after a SAS data set name. Data set options specify actions that apply only to the processing of that SAS data set. See also SAS system option.

SAS data view

a SAS data set in which the descriptor information and the observations are obtained from other files. A SAS data view contains only the descriptor and other information required to retrieve the data values from other SAS files. Both PROC SQL views and SAS/ACCESS views are considered SAS data views. SAS data views are of member type VIEW. See also SAS data set and SAS data file.

SAS date constant

a string in the form 'ddMMMyy'd or 'ddMMMyyyy'd representing a date in a SAS statement. The string should be enclosed in quotes and followed by the character d (for example '06JUL2001'd).

SAS date value

an integer representing a date in SAS software. The integer represents the number of days between January 1, 1960, and another specified date. (For example, the SAS date value 366 represents the calendar date January 1, 2001.)

SAS datetime constant

a string in the form 'ddMMMyy: hh:mm: ss'dt or or ' ddMMMyyyy : hh : mm : ss'dt representing a date and time in SAS. The string should be enclosed in quotes and followed by the characters dt (for example, '06JUL2001:09:53:22'dt).

SAS datetime value

an integer representing a date and time in SAS. The integer represents the number of seconds between midnight, January 1, 1960, and another specified date and time. (For example, the SAS datetime value for 9:30 a.m., June 5, 2000, is 928661400.)

SAS Display Manager System

an interactive, windowing interface to SAS System software. Display manager commands can be issued by typing them on the command line, pressing function keys, or selecting items from the PMENU facility. Within one session, many different tasks can be accomplished, including preparing and submitting programs, viewing and printing results, and debugging and resubmitting programs.

SAS Editor

a text-editing facility available in some windows of the SAS windowing environment, as well as in windows of SAS/AF, SAS/FSP, and SAS/GRAPH software.

SAS expression

a sequence of operands and operators forming a set of instructions that SAS performs to produce a result value. A single variable name, constant, or function is also a SAS expression.

SAS file

a specially structured file that is created, organized, and, optionally, maintained by SAS. A SAS file can be a SAS data set, a catalog, a stored program, or an access descriptor.

SAS initialization

the setting of global characteristics that must be in place at start-up for a SAS programming environment. SAS performs initialization by setting certain SAS system options called initialization options. Invoking SAS software initiates SAS initialization. See also SAS invocation.

SAS invocation

the process of calling or starting up SAS software by an individual user through execution of the SAS command. Invoking SAS initiates SAS initialization. See also SAS initialization.

SAS keyword

a literal that is a primary part of the SAS language. Keywords are statement names, function names, command names, macro statement names, and macro function names.

SAS language

a programming language used to manage data.
as a grouping in SAS documentation, all parts of Base SAS except procedures and the windowing environment.

SAS log

a file that contains the SAS statements you have submitted, messages about the execution of your program, and in some cases, output from the DATA step and from certain procedures.

SAS name

a name whose construction follows certain rules and that can appear in a SAS statement (for example, names of variables and SAS data sets).

SAS print file

an obsolete term that refers to an external file to which a DATA step or a SAS procedure writes output that contains, by default, carriage-control characters, titles, footnotes, and page numbers. Do not use this term. It blurs the distinction between SAS files and external files. Instead, use the term "procedure output file."

SAS procedure

a program accessed with a PROC statement that produces reports, manages files, or analyzes data. Many procedures are included in SAS software.

SAS procedure output file

an obsolete term that makes an external file sound like a SAS file. Use the term "procedure output file" when you need to refer to the destination instead of to the procedure output itself.

SAS program

a group of SAS statements that guide SAS through a process or series of processes.

SAS session

an environment created by invoking SAS in which you can give commands, submit SAS statements, receive responses to the commands, and receive results of the SAS statements until you exit the environment or until the environment is terminated.

SAS Software Consultant

an individual at your computing installation who is designated as a support person for SAS software users at the installation. The consultant can help you with questions about using SAS software.

SAS Software Representative

an individual at your computing installation who is designated as SAS Institute's contact for information on new and existing software. The representative receives any distribution package of software from SAS.

SAS statement

a string of SAS keywords, SAS names, and special characters and operators ending in a semicolon that instructs SAS to perform an operation or that gives information to SAS.

SAS system option

an option that affects processing the entire SAS program or interactive SAS session from the time the option is specified until it is changed. Examples of items controlled by SAS system options include appearance of SAS output, handling of some files used by SAS, use of system variables, processing observations in SAS data sets, features of SAS System initialization, and the way SAS interacts with your computer hardware and with the host operating environment.

SAS time constant

a string in the form 'hh: mm : ss't representing a time in a SAS statement. The string should be enclosed in quotes and followed by the character t (for example, '09:53:22't).

SAS time value

an integer representing a time in SAS software. The integer represents the number of seconds between midnight of the current day and another specified time value. (For example, the SAS time value for 9:30 a.m. is 34200.)

SAS windowing environment

See SAS Display Manager System.

SASUSER library

a default permanent SAS data library that is created at the beginning of your first SAS session. It contains a PROFILE catalog that stores the tailoring features you specify for SAS. You can also store other SAS files in this library. See also PROFILE catalog and SAS data library.

selection field

the portion of a window (shown on the display as an underscore) where you can enter a short command to perform an action, such as B for browse.

selection-field command

a command that enables you to perform actions from a selection field in a SAS windowing environment. For example, entering D in the selection field beside the name of a SAS data set in the DIRECTORY window enables you to delete that SAS data set.

simple expression

a SAS expression that uses only one operator.

simple index

an index that locates observations by the values of one variable. See also composite index and index.

site number

the number used by SAS to identify the site to which SAS software is licensed. The site number appears near the top of the log in every SAS session.

split character

in some SAS procedures, a character that splits headers across multiple lines. If you use the split character in a column header, the procedure breaks the header when it reaches that character and continues the header on the next line. The split character itself is not part of the column header.

standard data

data that are stored with one digit or character per byte.

statement label

a SAS name followed by a colon that prefixes a statement in a DATA step so that other statements can direct execution to that statement as necessary, bypassing other statements in the step.

statement option

a word you specify in a given SAS statement that affects only the processing that statement performs.

step boundary

a point in a SAS program when SAS recognizes that a DATA step or PROC step is complete.

sum statement

a DATA step statement that adds the result of the expression on the right side of the plus sign to the accumulator variable on the left side of the plus sign. A sum statement has the following form: variable + expression;

summary table

output that provides a concise overview of the information in a data set.

syntax checking

the process by which SAS checks each SAS statement for proper usage, correct spelling, proper SAS naming conventions, and so on.

syntax error

an error in the spelling or grammar of a SAS statement. SAS finds syntax errors as it compiles each SAS step before execution.

system option

See SAS system option.

table definition

a set of instructions that describes how to format output in the Output Delivery System.

temporary SAS data library

a library that exists only for the current SAS session or job. The most common temporary library is the WORK library. See also WORK library.

temporary SAS data set

a data set that exists only for the duration of the current program or interactive SAS session. Temporary SAS data sets are not available for future SAS sessions.

temporary SAS file

a SAS file in a SAS data library (usually the WORK library) that is deleted at the end of the SAS session or job.

text-editing command

a command specific to the text editor.

title

in SAS, a heading printed at the top of each page of SAS output or of the SAS log.

toggle

an option, parameter, or other mechanism that enables you to turn on or turn off a processing feature.

trailing at sign (@)

a special symbol used to hold a line so that you can read from it or write to it with another INPUT or PUT statement.

transaction data set

in an update operation, the data set containing the information needed to update the master data set. See also master data set.

type, variable

See variable type.

updating

a process in which SAS replaces the values of variables in the master data set with values from observations in the transaction data set.

user-written format

a format you define with the FORMAT procedure. See also format.

user-written informat

an informat you define with the FORMAT procedure. See also informat.

variable

a column in a SAS data set. A variable is a set of data values that describe a given characteristic across all observations. See also macro variable.

variable attributes

the name, label, format, informat, type, and length associated with a particular variable.

variable list

a list of variables. You can use abbreviated variable lists in many SAS statements instead of listing all the variable names.

variable type

the classification of a variable as either numeric or character. Type is an attribute of SAS variables.

WHERE expression

a type of SAS expression used to specify a condition for selecting observations for processing by a DATA or PROC step. WHERE expressions can contain special operators not available in other SAS expressions. WHERE expressions can appear in a WHERE statement, a WHERE= data set option, a WHERE clause, or a WHERE command. See also SAS expression and WHERE processing.

WHERE processing

a method of conditionally selecting observations for processing in a DATA or PROC step. WHERE processing involves using a WHERE expression in a WHERE statement, a WHERE= data set option, a WHERE clause, or a WHERE command. See also WHERE expression.

WORK library

the SAS data library automatically defined by SAS at the beginning of each SAS session or SAS job. It contains SAS files that are temporary by default. When the libref USER is not defined, SAS uses WORK as the default library for SAS files created with one-level names.

WORK library

See WORK library.

Top of Page