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Learn SAS

Learn about the latest tips, tutorials, upcoming events and certifications

Learn SAS | Programming Tips

Chris Hemedinger

Chris HemedingerJune 11, 2015 0

Ask the Expert: Creating custom tasks for SAS Enterprise Guide

If you have not yet discovered the new Ask the Expert series on the SAS Training site, you are missing out on a treasure. Visit the site right now and review all of the available topics, from "Newbie" to Analytics to Visualization to good ol' SAS programming. Go on; I'll

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Learn SAS

Jim SimonJune 8, 2015 0

DATA STEP text file tricks

When reading a text file (common extensions: TXT, DAT; or, for the adventurous: HTML) with the DATA STEP, you should always view several lines from the text file, and compare to the record layout, before completing the INPUT statement. There are many ways to view a text file. I use

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Data Visualization | Learn SAS | Programming Tips

Sample of Google map with embedded SAS ODS output

Leonid BatkhanJune 5, 2015 0

SAS ODS destination - Google maps

➤ DISCLOSURE! In June 2018 Google introduced changes to the way it handles its Maps platform. They now require API key in order to embed a map, plus Google Maps "projects" must now be associated with a billing account. Unless these new Google rules are met, Google maps described in

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Learn SAS

Jim SimonJune 4, 2015 0

Weird PROC FREQ trick

Default PROC FREQ output looks like this: Suppose you don't want the two cumulative statistic columns above. No problem. Those can be suppressed with the NOCUM option on the TABLE statement, like this: proc freq data=sashelp.shoes; table product / nocum; run;

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Learn SAS | Programming Tips

Charu ShankarJune 1, 2015 0

Looking for a SAS job? Join the 21-day SAS challenge

I recently taught a SAS training course where the students were very engaged. They had so many questions, I could have spent the next month writing helpful blog posts that came from that one class. However, I picked this one question that the class begged for me to share. The

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Learn SAS

Rick WicklinJune 1, 2015 0

SAS/IML functions that operate on columns of a matrix

A SAS programmer asked for a list of SAS/IML functions that operate on the columns of an n x p matrix and return a 1 x p row vector of results. The functions that behave this way tend to compute univariate descriptive statistics such as the mean, median, standard deviation, and quantiles. The following

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Learn SAS

Rick WicklinMay 28, 2015 0

Five reasons to use ODS EXCLUDE to suppress SAS output

I previously wrote about the best way to suppress output from SAS procedures. Suppressing output is necessary in simulation and bootstrap analyses, and it is useful in other contexts as well. In my previous article, I wrote, "many programmers use ODS _ALL_ CLOSE as a way to suppress output, but

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Learn SAS | SAS Events

Sian RobertsMay 27, 2015 0

Top 10 bestselling titles at SAS Global Forum 2015

The final figures are in! This year there was a fierce battle for the top spot of the SAS Global Forum 2015 books bestseller list. In a nail biting finish, newcomer, Exchanging Data between SAS and Microsoft Excel: Tips and Techniques to Transfer and Manage Data More Efficiently, beat off

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Learn SAS | Programming Tips

Charu ShankarMay 27, 2015 0

Life saver tip for comparing PROC SQL join with SAS data step merge

“Phew! That tip alone was a life saver,” said a student in one of my SAS SQL classes. “Before, I would have to read about ten Google search results before I could find that content of the sort you shared in class.” That student was referring to the tip I

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Learn SAS

Lauren Haworth LakeMay 26, 2015 0

3 reasons you need the new edition of PROC TABULATE by Example

What prompted me to find a co-author and write a new edition of my original book on PROC TABULATE? It’s those inventive developers at SAS. They keep adding new features to make the product even better. There are too many new features and techniques in the book to name, but these are

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Learn SAS | Programming Tips

Chris Hemedinger

Chris HemedingerMay 20, 2015 0

Using LIBNAME XLSX to read and write Excel files

The XLSX libname engine in SAS allows you to read and write Microsoft Excel files in the same way that you can work with other data sets and databases. This article describes the basic (and some limitations) of the XLSX engine.

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Jim SimonMay 18, 2015 0

Dataset too big for PROC PRINT?

Dataset too big for PROC PRINT? One weird trick solves your problem! proc print data=bigdata (obs=10); run; The OBS= dataset option specifies the last observation to process from an input dataset. In the above example, regardless of dataset size, only the first 10 observations are printed; an easy way to

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Advanced Analytics | Learn SAS

Rick WicklinMay 11, 2015 0

Finding observations that satisfy multiple conditions: The LOC-ELEMENT technique

A common task in data analysis is to locate observations that satisfy multiple criteria. For example, you might want to locate all zip codes in certain counties within specified states. The SAS DATA step contains the powerful WHERE statement, which enables you to extract a subset of data that satisfy

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Learn SAS | Programming Tips

Michael A. RaithelMay 8, 2015 0

Doctor, I have this friend who has a pain right about here

We have all heard the old joke about the person who sidles up to a doctor at a party and describes in great detail a medical problem a "friend" is having in order to get free medical advice. It could just as easily be a person buttonholing an accountant for

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Learn SAS | Programming Tips

Charu ShankarMay 6, 2015 0

10 reasons to learn SAS code even when you have Enterprise Guide

New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg made a new-year's resolution to learn code. Apple’s Steve Jobs said, “I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.” President Barrack Obama said, "Don't just buy a new video game, make one.

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Learn SAS

Michael SmithMay 4, 2015 0

Become SAS certified at PharmaSUG and save 50% on the exam cost

If you’re one of the hundreds of SAS users registered for PharmaSUG, scheduled for May 17-20 in Orlando, you should give extending your stay some serious thought. In just a few hours, you can set yourself apart with a professional certification from SAS! SAS is offering something no theme park

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Rick WicklinMay 4, 2015 0

An easy way to clear your SAS titles

Did you know that if you have set multiple titles in SAS, that there is an easy way to remove them? For example, suppose that you've written the following statements, which call the TITLE statement to set three titles: title "A Great Big Papa Title"; title2 "A Medium-sized Mama Title";

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Learn SAS

Patricia SpainMay 1, 2015 0

Where do you e-learn SAS?

We’re celebrating the student in all of us and you’re invited. Email us a photo of yourself or your fav SAS user learning SAS. Send it to sastraining@sas.com. You can also Tweet us your best shot using #SASworldclass Our planet-friendly training is available worldwide, wherever you may be. Show us

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Learn SAS | SAS Events

Carrie VetterApril 24, 2015 0

Technical experts on hand at SAS Global Forum

The SAS Training and Certification groups are excited to participate in SAS Global Forum 2015! We’ll have a booth in the Quad where you can stop by to ask questions, talk to your favorite instructor and register to win an iPad! We offer courses on almost every SAS product so to

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Advanced Analytics | Learn SAS

Rick WicklinApril 22, 2015 0

Sum a series in SAS

A customer asked: How do we go about summing a finite series in SAS? For example, I want to compute for various integers n ≥ 3. I want to output two columns, one for the natural numbers and one for the summation of the series. Summations arise often in statistical

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Learn SAS

Maggie MillerApril 14, 2015 0

Landing a SAS Certification

After working as a flight attendant for more than 20 years, Lauren Guevara was ready for a new adventure. The inspiration for her journey came from an article she read in CNN’s Money magazine that highlighted the earning potential of a SAS Certification. Also having earned a Master of Science

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Michael A. RaithelApril 10, 2015 0

We don’t need no education!

So, how did you first learn SAS programming? Originally, I was self-taught. Many years ago, I learned SAS on the job when a systems programmer quit and I took over supporting a mainframe performance software package that was written in SAS. I got a copy of the Base SAS users

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William BenjaminApril 8, 2015 0

What to do when all your boss wants is a spreadsheet

Most SAS programmers have been here. Someone just wants a handful of numbers that they can add to a graph or power point presentation that is due tomorrow. You have the data files, you have a job to summarize it, and you have a dilemma. How do I get my

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Learn SAS

Sian RobertsMarch 24, 2015 0

3 bestselling books at ENAR 2015 Spring Meeting

We had a lot of books at the ENAR 2015 Spring Meeting in Miami last week, but these were the top three bestsellers. Analysis of Observational Healthcare Data using SAS by Douglas E. Faries, Robert L. Obenchain, Josep Maria Haro, and Andrew C. Leon Survival Analysis Using SAS®: A Practical

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Data Visualization | Learn SAS | Programming Tips

Leonid BatkhanMarch 20, 2015 0

How to reverse graph axes in SAS Visual Analytics

It may never crossed your mind, but there are real-life cases when reversing graph axes make sense. For example, when Y-axis represents a depth under the sea level or depth of oil well drilling, it makes perfect sense to have zero on top and positive numbers increasing from top down.

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Learn SAS

Catherine (Cat) Truxillo

Catherine (Cat) TruxilloMarch 18, 2015 0

Data Super Savers vs Data Science

“Dear Cat, I got an email from my IT department that says: [We are nearing capacity on the Flotsam Drive. Please clear data from any folders you are no longer using so we can save disk space. Thanks, The IT Department] Doesn’t this strike you as a bit old-fashioned? I

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Learn SAS | Programming Tips

Charu ShankarMarch 16, 2015 0

I can see clearly now thanks to this SAS student

With any software program, there are always new tips and tricks to learn, and nobody can know them all. Sometimes I even pick up tips or techniques from my students while they’re learning broader programming tips from me. Like fine wine, instructors only get better with age. Every customer interaction

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Sian RobertsMarch 12, 2015 0

SAS Press is heading to ENAR 2015 Spring Meeting

Are you heading to the ENAR 2015 Spring Meeting in Miami this week? SAS author and Program Chair Mithat Gönen, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Associate Chair Brisa Sánchez, of the University of Michigan School of Public Health have created an outstanding scientific program this year. The sessions cover

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Learn SAS

Rick WicklinMarch 9, 2015 0

Writing data in chunks: Does the chunk size matter?

I often blog about the usefulness of vectorization in the SAS/IML language. A one-sentence summary of vectorization is "execute a small number of statements that each analyze a lot of data." In general, for matrix languages (SAS/IML, MATLAB, R, ...) vectorization is more efficient than the alternative, which is to

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Learn SAS

Rick WicklinMarch 2, 2015 0

Avoid loops, avoid the APPLY function, vectorize!

Last week I received a message from SAS Technical Support saying that a customer's IML program was running slowly. Could I look at it to see whether it could be improved? What I discovered is a good reminder about the importance of vectorizing user-defined modules. The program in this blog

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