"The original PROC TABULATE by Example was a classic reference that demystified PROC TABULATE and made it accessible. The good news is that PROC TABULATE by Example, Second Edition by Lauren Haworth Lake and Julie McKnight is even better than the original. Each chapter starts with a "vision" or sketch of what the final goal is. Then each example within the chapter gradually builds toward that final goal. Code that might otherwise be intimidating is broken down into manageable examples and presented in a logical and engaging way. Explanations are clear and the examples all lead toward the end result of each chapter. Most chapters have a "Quick Tips" section at the end to recap important points.

"The new ODS material enhances the original PROC TABULATE examples and shows how PROC TABULATE and ODS are a powerful combination to make summary tables. And, examples of creating output for Excel from PROC TABULATE are a welcome addition to the standard PDF, RTF and HTML examples. The good features about this book are too numerous to mention. If you need to slice and dice your data and produce complex, multidimensional tables, then this is the "must-have" reference for PROC TABULATE!"

Cynthia Zender
SAS Technical Trainer

"When the first, and up to now only, book on PROC TABULATE was written by Lauren Haworth, it was an instant 'Best Seller'. The Second Edition offers the reader even more, and will definitely continue the trend of being one of SAS Press' go-to books.

"When I have enjoyed using a technical book, such as PROC TABULATE by Example, and a second edition becomes available, I am always leery that it might be the same book with a new cover. This is definitely not the case with PROC TABULATE by Example, Second Edition. The second edition not only adds a second author, but together they have added a great deal of new and must-have content. When the first edition of this book was released in 1999, the Output Delivery System was only becoming available in Version 7, and consequently only a brief interface between ODS and PROC TABULATE was included. Although the procedure itself has not changed a lot, its ability to interface with ODS radically changes how we use the procedure to generate reports and data summaries. You would want this book if only for its treatment of ODS. But wait there is more. The first edition was chock-a-block full of examples and the second edition expands on what was already there.

"Because the book starts with simple examples of one, two, and three dimensional (definition) tables, and expands them in layers of ever increasing complexity, this book is appropriate, and highly useful for both the user new to PROC TABULATE, as well as intermediate and advanced PROC TABULATE users wanting to take their tables to a new and higher level.

"When learning and teaching PROC TABULATE, I have always been a fan of pre-visualizing the final report code from an idea of a table (visualize the table, then visualize the code needed to produce the table), and when you have a PROC TABULATE step already coded, to pre-visualize the table from the code. The authors follow a similar approach by introducing each section with a 'sketch' of the table that is to be produced in that section's example.

"Already have the first edition? Whether you are a new PROC TABULATE user or if you aspire to use PROC TABULATE more effectively, you need the second edition of this book. It just has too many new tips, too many helpful hints, too many examples, and too many presentation techniques for you not to have this very useful guide to the TABULATE procedure at your fingertips."

Art Carpenter
CALOXY