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In this SAS tutorial, we are going to study what is SAS Programming and the SAS features to understand and learn SAS Programming. SAS compatibility to perform in all types of environment makes it versatile. It has strong statistical abilities, and an easy to work syntax.
So, let’s start tutorial for SAS features.
What is SAS Programming?
SAS full form is Statistical Analysis Systems. SAS is a powerful programming language. The components of the language are called procedures. T
He procedures perform various things like different types of analysis, data management functions and produce different types of text-based and graphical presentation output.
SAS language and its procedures have the following applications:
- Access data in both internal and external databases.
- Manage data editing, retrieval, formatting, and conversions using various tools.
- Uses tools like forecasting & modeling, descriptive statistics, multivariate techniques, and linear programming.
- Present output data in various ways, like reports, statistical graphics, etc.
SAS can be transported into various computing environments. SAS works exactly the same on all platforms, except the feature of an interactive window. This SAS feature is not supported on all platforms.
Let’s discuss now new & unique SAS features in detail.
Top 7 Features of SAS Programming
These are the 7 key features of SAS Programming Language:
1. Strong Data Analysis Abilities
The first SAS feature is that SAS Programming has an ability of Strong Data analysis, as discussed below.
- It’s like a complete package for the stream of the data analysis. Its analysis acumen ranges from simple statistics to the advanced level. For instance, it plots bar graphs from the provided data to compute a correlation between complex SAS data sets.
- The best part about SAS is the inbuilt libraries. These contain all the necessary packages required for analyzing and reporting data.
2. Flexible 4 Generation Programming Language (4GL)
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The important feature of SAS is that it is a 4GL programming language.
- SAS syntax is easy-to-learn. The code is like statements. These statements act as clear and concise instructions to the systems.
- SAS has reduced coding for common application with its inbuilt libraries. It provides an opportunity to modularize our job. It is user-friendly for non- programming users as well.
- SAS is an interactive language. Its log window is like a mirror which keeps instructing the user. It provides notes and marks error.
- It also has DS2, which helps in data manipulation. Complex data can be manipulated at its location in the database.
3. SAS Studio
SAS Studio is unique among SAS features.
- It is easily accessible from any device with any web browser. There is no client installation required. All libraries and data files of the SAS program can be accessed through any web browser.
- It is very instructive in nature. Autocomplete feature prompts us various procedures as soon as one starts typing. Pop up syntax and parameter list is displayed for further guidance.
- It also helps you add and create individual code snippets and add it to the snippet library.
- We can point and click the interface; it guides us throughout the analysis process at various levels.
4. Support for Various Types of Data Format
Support for the various data format is another feature of SAS.
- SAS language has the ability to read data from any kind of file, from any format and even from files with missing data.
- SAS provides support for SQL. It has a huge database of character encoding; there is full support for most widely used languages.
- It also maintains code singularity, so that SAS works with data in multiple languages.
5. Management
SAS Management is one of the important features of SAS.
- SAS environment manager alerts, monitors and manages the analytics environment.
- Extended Java Graphical user interface administers SAS tasks in SAS Management Console.
- We can also completely execute a failed program in restart mode. It resumes from the same step where the program failed.
- The XML engine has a variety of functions like import and export of XML documents and creating XML Maps.
- Application Response Measurement interface looks into diverse applications and checks for the availability of transactions.
6. Report Output Format
- SAS has the ability to display analytical results and number of reporting choices.
- High-quality graphics in Base SAS 9.4 are, ODS statistical graphics, ODS Graphics Designer and Editor etc.
- We can save and create reports in a standard format like RTF, PowerPoint, and pdf. We can also save them as ebook and I–book. It gives us the luxury of visual analytics.
- We can customize output according to the hierarchy of needs of the customers. The output can be ported to various places.
7. Data Encryption Algorithms
- SAS makes sure that security maintains immaterial of how we grant access. SAS/SECURE is a security feature in SAS 9.4. We can also encrypt SAS data on disks through various algorithms.
So, this was all about SAS features. Hope you like our explanation.
Summary
Hence, in this SAS features, we studied that SAS Programming is a complete package for any type of statistical work. It also provides service support in all platforms. Its encryption feature makes it secure and portable to various devices.
The libraries in SAS contains all that we require for analysis in general. Furthermore, if you have any query about SAS features, feel free to ask in the comment section.