Learning SAS® by Example: A Programmer's Guide Second Edition
Ron Cody’s updated edition of Learning SAS® by Example comprehensively introduces the SAS language to SAS neophytes and non-developers alike, consummately rewarding readers who might have little to no SAS (or even programming) experience. He explores central components of the SAS language, such as the SAS data set, DATA step, and program data vector (PDV), and incrementally introduces SAS syntax through hundreds of page-turning examples that often build upon each other to improve solutions. Stating that “compulsive programmers (who me?) are always looking for a more elegant solution,” Cody indisputably delivers this elegance in an opus that will forever endure as one of the must-have texts that should adorn every SAS practitioner’s mantel.
For the professor, teacher, or trainer who instructs the SAS language, Learning SAS® by Example is the perfect text for your classroom, as it expertly conveys the subject matter required for any student to excel on the Base SAS Programming certification. Cody not only introduces software syntax but moreover teaches the reader how to “play computer,” by deciphering and delivering logic that solves diverse challenges. Each chapter concludes with technical exercises that reinforce the subject matter, with solutions to odd-numbered questions provided in the text and even-numbered questions available to instructors.
This second edition is, in fact, so complete that it lacks only Cody’s indelible vacation photos—but for those, you’ll need to attend one of his talks or training sessions, which are always as entertaining as they are informative.
Troy Martin Hughes
SAS-Wiley Author
What better way to learn something than from a great teacher, and it doesn’t get better than Ron Cody. What makes a great teacher? Someone who understands not only what you need to learn, but also how best to present it. This is a fantastic book by a wonderful teacher and author.
Elizabeth Axelrod
Lead Programmer Analyst
Abt Associates
Chair, Boston Area SAS Users Group (BASUG)
Frank Morgan, in the play The Band Wagon says, if you are lost in the Arctic and haven’t seen a soul for days, take out a pack of cards and start playing Solitaire, and soon you’ll be surrounded by kibitzers.
Another method might be to start writing a book on learning SAS. Pretty soon, you’ll be surrounded by other SAS training experts who will coach you on what to write about.
Ron Cody isn’t lost in the Arctic, however, and really doesn’t need any help finding his way around and out in Learning SAS by Example: A Programmer's Guide, Second Edition. All that I, as a reviewer, can possibly do is to make some minor adjustments to his snowshoes.
First, the clearly positive aspects of Ron Cody’s book. The name “Cody” gives the whole game away. Nomen est omen. He knows SAS code inside out and top to bottom. I’m a SAS trainer with many years of programming experience and nevertheless learned several new coding features from the book. For example, the AUTONAME statement in PROC MEANS was new to me.
True to its billing, Ron Cody’s book contains details that experienced SAS users may find helpful. Base SAS is a work in progress, and we all need to keep up with its detailed changes and enhancements. The book does a good job in highlighting some of them. The discussions of MEANS and FREQ are excellent in that regard.
Last, but not least, congratulations to Ron Cody for including PROC REPORT. Why hasn’t it been covered in SAS training materials?
What about the book’s utility for beginners and people with only a little experience? Here is where I think the book could benefit from a small amount of additional material and insights to orient new SAS users in broader contexts.
As written, “Learning SAS by Example” follows the traditional structure of SAS training content, starting with reading raw data and using the INFILE statement. Is this good or bad? This has become a controversial topic, and many people believe it’s an outdated topic and shouldn’t be part of SAS training.
The book could defend its inclusion by pointing out that this data access technique is contemporary, not ancient history. Why? Look at how it can be used to read Hadoop data! What could be hipper and more up to date than that? I’ll mention context again below in connection with the chapters on additional languages.
Many other short, supplementary comments could help new users. Here are only a few random suggestions:
1) SAS dates are based on a “thermometer” that uses a “freezing” date of January 1, 1960. All dates are above or below freezing.
2) The WHERE statement is efficient – reads in only selected records.
3) The SET statement reads data one record at a time and the code that follows it is applied to each one.
4) How SAS as a 4GL makes programming less of a chore. For example, no OUTPUT or RETURN statements needed. The DATA step is an automatic loop.
5) CNTLIN building a format is great for automation of a process and keeping it up to date.
6) Mention that it’s possible to read only those rows and columns of an Excel sheet that contain data.
These are all snowshoe adjustments.
Separate short chapters on MACRO and SQL follow the conventional SAS training structure. These topics require much more than a sip. They could be mentioned in another context, however, as they are examples of the polyglot nature of SAS. SAS speaks many languages and interoperates with more and more software. Most recently, SAS has been demonstrating its compatibility with open-source languages. The book ought to mention this evolution.
In conclusion, Ron Cody has used excellent judgment to balance depth of the presented material with accessible insights and useful techniques. Some chapters may be a little too compact, but overall the book keeps the information overload polar bear caged up.
Jim Sattler, President
Satmari Software Systems, Inc