A format is
a type of SAS language element that applies a pattern to or executes
instructions for a data value to be displayed or written as output.
Types of formats correspond to the type of data: numeric, character,
date, time, or timestamp. The ability to create user-defined formats
is also supported. Examples of SAS formats are BINARY, DATE, and WORDS.
For example, the WORDS22. format, which converts numeric values to
their equivalent in words, writes the numeric value 692 as six
hundred ninety-two.