📘 Commonly Used Terms in SAS: A Beginner-Friendly Glossary

Datahark March 30, 2020

Whether you're just starting with SAS programming or looking to refresh your concepts, understanding the core terminology in SAS is essential. This post covers commonly used SAS terms you'll frequently encounter while working with data in SAS

SAS - By Datahark

📚 Why Learn SAS Terminology?

SAS (Statistical Analysis System) is a powerful tool used for data management, analytics, and reporting. If you want to write effective SAS code or interpret results correctly, learning the language of SAS is the first step.

🧠 25 Common SAS Terms You Must Know

1. Dataset

A structured table containing rows (observations) and columns (variables). It's the primary data format in SAS, stored as .sas7bdat.

2. Variable

A column in a dataset representing a specific type of data (e.g., age, name, salary). Also called a field.

3. Observation

A single row of data in a dataset, representing one record or case (e.g., a customer).

4. Libref

A nickname or alias assigned to a SAS library using the LIBNAME statement. It points to a folder containing datasets.

libname mylib 'C:\SASData';

5. Format

Determines how data is displayed (e.g., numeric as currency, dates in DDMMYY format).

format salary dollar8.;

6. Informat

Defines how SAS reads and interprets raw data during input (e.g., reading a date string as a SAS date).

informat birthdate mmddyy10.;

7. Missing Value

A value that’s not available for a variable. In SAS, missing numeric values are represented by a dot (.), and character values as a blank space.

8. PROC

Short for Procedure. SAS PROCs are pre-built routines that perform analysis or operations like sorting, summarizing, or modeling.

proc print data=sashelp.class;
run;

9. DATA Step

The building block of SAS programs used to read, modify, or create datasets.

data new_data;
   set old_data;
run;

10. SAS Program

A file containing a series of DATA and PROC steps. The standard file extension is .sas.

11. SAS Log

Displays messages from SAS when a program runs—includes notes, errors, and warnings. Always check the log to debug issues.

12. SAS Output

The result of your program (tables, reports, statistics), which can be viewed in the Output window or exported.

13. Engine

A part of SAS that reads or writes to a data format. Each data type (SAS dataset, Excel, etc.) uses an appropriate engine.

14. Library

A collection of one or more SAS files or datasets stored in a directory.

15. View

A virtual dataset that contains instructions for deriving data from other sources but doesn’t store actual data.

16. Descriptor Portion

Metadata about a dataset—includes variable names, types, lengths, and labels.

17. Data Portion

The actual content (values) stored in the dataset’s rows and columns.

18. SQL (PROC SQL)

Allows use of Structured Query Language within SAS to query and manage data just like in traditional databases.

proc sql;
  select name, age from sashelp.class;
quit;

19. Join / Merge

Combining datasets based on a common key. Use PROC SQL for joins or DATA step for merges.

20. Label

A descriptive name attached to a variable for more readable output.

label age = 'Age of Student';

21. Length

Specifies the storage length of a variable, especially important for character variables.

length city $20;

22. Retain Statement

Used in a DATA step to hold a value across iterations (rows).

retain total 0;

23. Keep / Drop

Used to include or exclude variables during data processing.

data new;
  set old(keep=name age);
run;

24. IF-THEN Statement

Used to conditionally process data in a DATA step.

if age >= 18 then status = 'Adult';

25. SAS Function

Built-in operations that return a value (e.g., sum(), mean(), substr(), today()).

total = sum(a, b);
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