Using SAS Formats to Enhance Your Data Set

Disclaimer: This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not intend to substitute financial, educational, health, nutritional, medical, legal, etc advice provided by a professional.

Introduction

If you work with data sets in SAS, you know how important it is to present your data in a clear and meaningful way. One way to achieve this is by using SAS formats. In this blog post, we will explore the power of SAS formats and how they can help you enhance your data set.

What are SAS Formats?

SAS formats are a powerful tool that allows you to change the appearance of your data without modifying the underlying values. For example, you can add a dollar sign and two decimal places to a variable that contains price information, or you can convert a text variable to uppercase.

Using PROC FORMAT

SAS provides PROC FORMAT, a procedure that allows you to define and apply formats to your data sets. Let's take a closer look at how to use PROC FORMAT.

Syntax

The syntax for PROC FORMAT is as follows:

PROC FORMAT;

Example

Here is an example of how to use PROC FORMAT:

PROC FORMAT;

SAS Formats

SAS provides a wide range of built-in formats that you can use to enhance your data set. Here are some of the most commonly used SAS formats:

Character Formats
Numeric Formats
Date Formats

FORMAT Statement

In addition to PROC FORMAT, SAS also provides the FORMAT statement, which allows you to apply formats to specific variables within your data set. Here is the syntax for the FORMAT statement:

FORMAT variable format.;

Arguments

The FORMAT statement takes two arguments:

variable: The name of the variable to which you want to apply the format.
format: The name of the format that you want to apply.

Example 1: Assigning Formats and Defaults

Here is an example of how to use the FORMAT statement to assign formats and defaults:

FORMAT variable format.;

Example 2: Removing a Format

If you want to remove a format from a variable, you can use the FORMAT statement with a null format. Here is an example:

FORMAT variable ;

Informats and Formats

Informats and formats are two essential components of SAS that allow you to read and write data in different formats. Informats tell SAS how to read data, while formats tell SAS how to write or print data. Let's explore informats and formats in more detail.

Motivation

The motivation behind using informats and formats is to correctly read in data and change how printed data is displayed to the user. For example, you may need to read data in a specific format or convert data into a different format for reporting purposes.

Built-In Formats & Informats

SAS provides a wide range of built-in formats and informats that you can use in your data sets. These built-in formats and informats cover various data types, such as numeric, character, and date variables. Some of the most commonly used built-in formats and informats include:

Character Formats
Numeric Formats
Date Formats

User-Defined Formats

In addition to the built-in formats and informats, SAS allows you to define your own formats and informats. This gives you the flexibility to customize the appearance of your data according to your specific needs.

A note about formats for date variables

When working with date variables, it's important to choose the right format to ensure that your dates are displayed correctly. SAS provides a variety of date formats that you can use, such as DATE9., DDMMYY., and MMDDYY10. Make sure to choose the format that best suits your data.

For string variables

For string variables, SAS provides various character formats that you can use to change the appearance of your text data. Some of the commonly used character formats include $CHAR., $UPCASE., and $LOWCASE.

A note about formats for date variables

Educational and Formal and Millennials

SAS formats are not only useful for data analysis professionals but also for educational purposes. By using SAS formats, educators can teach students how to present data in a clear and visually appealing way. This can help students better understand the data and draw meaningful insights from it.

Furthermore, SAS formats are widely used in formal settings, such as business reports and presentations. By applying formats to your data, you can ensure that your audience understands the information you are presenting.

Millennials, who are known for their preference for visual content, can benefit greatly from the use of SAS formats. By presenting data in a visually appealing way, millennials are more likely to engage with the information and retain it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, SAS formats are a powerful tool that allows you to enhance your data set by changing the appearance of your data without modifying the underlying values. Whether you are an educator, a data analysis professional, or a millennial, SAS formats can help you present your data in a clear and meaningful way. So, start using SAS formats today and take your data analysis to the next level!