Required Argument

variable

specifies a numeric variable whose values weight the values of the analysis variables. The values of the variable do not have to be integers. The table below shows what the action will be based on the weight value.

Weight Value	PROC STANDARD Action
0	Counts the observation in the total number of observations
Less than 0	Converts the weight value to zero and counts the observation in the total number of observations
Missing	Excludes the observation from the calculation of mean and standard deviation

To exclude observations that contain negative and zero weights from the calculation of mean and standard deviation, use EXCLNPWGT. Note that most SAS/STAT procedures, such as PROC GLM, exclude negative and zero weights by default.

Tip:When you use the WEIGHT statement, consider which value of the VARDEF= option is appropriate. See VARDEF=divisor and the calculation of weighted statistics in Keywords and Formulas for more information.