Top 140+ Advanced SAS Interview Questions and Answers.pdf

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Top 140+ Advanced SAS Interview
Questions and Answers
1. What is SAS?
SAS (Statistical Analytics System)
• SAS is a software suite for advanced analytics, multivariate analyses, business intelligence,
data management, and predictive analytics
• It is developed by SAS Institute.
• SAS provides a graphical point-and-click user interface for non-technical users and more
advanced options through the SAS language.
2. What are the features of SAS?
Answer: The following are the features of SAS:
Figure:SAS Interview Questions – Features of SAS
1. Business Solutions: SAS provides business analysis that can be used as business products for
various companies to use.
2. Analytics: SAS is the market leader in the analytics of various business products and services.
3. Data Access & Management: SAS can also be used as a DBMS software.
4. Reporting & Graphics: Hello SAS helps to visualize the analysis in the form of summaries,
lists, and graphic reports.
5. Visualization: We can visualize the reports in the form of graphs ranging from simple scatter
plots and bar charts to complex multi-page classification panels.
3. What are the reasons for choosing SAS over
other data analytics tools?
Following are some of the reasons for choosing SAS over other data analytics software tools:
• Unlike other data analytics tools, SAS is more professional and comparatively easy to learn
and use, especially for users having familiarity with SQL.
• Although SAS provides limited options for customization, it offers sufficient graphical
functionality.
• SAS streamlines the process of storing and managing large amounts of data in an organized
manner

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• There are fewer chances of errors as SAS is licensed software that releases updates in a
controlled environment. Its features are thoroughly tested.
• SAS offers enterprise-grade security in terms of data privacy.
• SAS offers excellent customer service and technical support. Users receive immediate
support whenever they face technical challenges during the installation process.
4. List down a few capabilities of the SAS
Framework.
The following are the four capabilities of the SAS Framework:
• Data Accessibility – SAS enables users to avail data from varied sources such as Oracle
databases, excel files, SAS datasets, raw databases, etc.
• Data Management – SAS facilitates the generation of beneficial insights by managing
previously accessed data. It manages data by creating variables and subsets, cleaning and
validating data, etc.
• Data Analysis – SAS further enables users to perform statistical analysis on the managed
data. It supports both simple evaluations such as frequency and averages along with
complicated evaluations like regression, forecasting, etc.
• Data Presentation – SAS permits the storage of the analyzed data in a data file or as a graphic
report, a list, or a summary report, which then can be printed or published.
5. Mention a few capabilities of the SAS
Framework.
The following are the four capabilities in SAS Framework:
Figure: SAS Interview Questions – SAS Framework
1. Access: As we can learn from the figure, SAS allows us to access data from multiple sources
like an Excel file, raw database, Oracle database, and SAS Datasets.
2. Manage: We can then manage this data to subset data, create variables, and validate and
clean data.

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3. Analyze: Further, analysis happens on this data. We can perform simple analyses like
frequency and averages and complex analyses including regression and forecasting. SAS is
the gold standard for statistical analyses.
4. Present: Finally we can present our analysis in the form of a list, summary, and graphic
reports. We can either print these reports, write them to data files or publish them online.
6. Provide some examples where the defaults of
PROC REPORT are different from PROC PRINT’s
dEFAULTS.
• Absence of Record Numbers in Proc Report.
• Usage of labels as headers in Proc Report
• REPORT requiring NOWINDOWS option.
7. What is the function of the output statement in
a SAS Program?
You can use the OUTPUT statement to save summary statistics in a SAS data set. This
information can then be used to create customized reports or to save historical information
about a process.
You can use options in the OUTPUT statement to
1. Specify the statistics to save in the output data set,
2. Specify the name of the output data set, and
3. Compute and save percentiles not automatically computed by the CAPABILITY procedure.
8. State the difference between the BY statement
and CLASS statement in proc.
• Contrary to the CLASS statement, the BY statement necessitates sorting or indexing of data in
the order of BY variables.
• BY group results and CLASS group results have different layouts.
9. List down the fundamental features of SAS.
A few key features of SAS include:
• Business Solutions – The business analysis offered by SAS can be used by different
companies as business products
• Analytics – SAS has emerged as one of the leaders in the market of business products and
services analytics.
• Data Management and Accessibility – SAS also offers the benefits of DBMS software.

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• Data Reporting and Graphics – SAS enables users to present data in the form of lists,
summaries, and graphic reports.
• Visualization – Users are allowed to visualize reports in the form of multiple graphs,
including but not limited to common bar charts and scatter plots to multi-page classification
panels.
10. What is the difference between using the drop
= data set option in the data statement and the set
statement?
If you don’t want to process certain variables and you do not want them to appear in the
new data set, then specify the drop = data set the option in the set statement.
Whereas I want to process certain variables and do not want them to appear in the new data
set, then specify the drop = data set the option in the data statement.
11. What is the function of a Stop statement in a
SAS Program?
Stop statement causes SAS to stop processing the current data step immediately and resume
processing the statement after the end of the current data step.
12. What is the difference between reading data
from an external file and reading data from an
existing data set?
The main difference is that while reading an existing data set with the SET statement, SAS
retains the values of the variables from one observation to the next. Whereas when reading
the data from an external file, only the observations are read. The variables will have to be
re-declared if they need to be used
13. Explain the function of the stop statement in a
SAS program.
The stop statement immediately stops SAS from processing the current data set and causes
it to resume processing after the end of the current data step.
14. How do specify variables to be processed by
the FREQ procedure?
TABLES statements can be used to specify variables to be processed by the FREQ
procedure.

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15. State the difference between using the drop =
data set option in the data statement and set
statement.
• The drop = data set the option in the set statement is specified when both the processing and
the appearance of certain variables in the new data set are undesired.
• The drop = data set the option in the data statement is specified when the processing of
certain variables is desired, but its appearance in the new data set is undesired.
16. How many data types are there in SAS?
There are two data types in SAS. Character and Numeric. Apart from this, dates are also
considered as characters although there are implicit functions to work upon dates.
17. What are the differences between PROC
MEANS and PROC SUMMARY?
PROC MEANS produces subgroup statistics only when a BY statement is used and the input
data has been previously sorted (using PROC SORT) by the BY variables.
PROC SUMMARY automatically produces statistics for all subgroups, giving you all the
information in one run that you would get by repeatedly sorting a data set by the variables
that define each subgroup and running PROC MEANS. PROC SUMMARY does not produce
any information in your output. So you will need to use the OUTPUT statement to create a
new DATA SET and use PROC PRINT to see the computed statistics.
18. Mention some of the common programming
errors in SAS.
Listed below are some of the very common mistakes that individuals make while writing
programs in SAS:
• Missing semicolon – SAS is likely to misinterpret not only the statement missing the
semicolon but also numerous following statements.
• Unclosed quotes and comments – Unclosed quotes and unclosed comments might negatively
affect SAS’s reading of the subsequent statements and give rise to multiple errors.
• Unmatched quotation marks – The quotation marks must be matched.
• Unsorted data – Data must be sorted before using a statement that necessitates a sort.
• Unchecked submitted programs – Submitted programs must be checked for log entries.
• Invalidity – Invalidity of either the dataset option or the statement option.
• Not using debugging techniques – Users must use debugging techniques.

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19. What are the different ways of creating micro
variables in SAS programming?
Following are some of the different ways of creating micro variables in SAS programming:
• %Global
• Macro Parameters
• %Let
• Call Symput
• Proc SQL into clause
20. Briefly explain the Input and Put functions.
Input function – character to numeric conversion – Input (source, informat)
Put function – numeric to character conversion – Put (source, format)
21. Name a few SAS functions.
Substr, Scan, Catx, trim, tranwrd, find, Sum, Index.
22. What are some of the SAS system options used
for debugging SAS micros?
Multiple SAS system options can be used for troubleshooting macro problems. The SAS log
automatically shows the Macro-option results.
• MEMRPT – Shows memory usage statistics.
• MLOGIC – Detects and shows micrologic.
• MERROR – A warning is issued whenever a user attempts to invoke a macro that cannot be
identified by SAS. The warning message is displayed in case of a misspelling or an undefined
macro.
• SYMBOLGEN – Prints a message in the LOG file whenever a macro variable is resolved,
stating the resolving process of the macro variable.
• MPRINT – Displays all the SAS statements of the resolved macro code.
23. How many data types are available in SAS?
There are two types of data in SAS, namely Character and Numeric. Dates are also
considered as characters even though there are suggested functions to work upon dates.

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24. Give an example where SAS fails to convert
character value to numeric value automatically.
Suppose the value of a variable PayRate begins with a dollar sign ($). When SAS tries to
automatically convert the values of PayRate to numeric values, the dollar sign blocks the
process. The values cannot be converted to numeric values.
Therefore, it is always best to include INPUT and PUT functions in your programs when
conversions occur.
25. Can a variable be a character data type if it
only contains numbers?
Yes, it will depend upon the use of the variable. The number can be used as a categorical
value rather than a quantity. For example, the ID of a particular table or a phone number
contains numbers that do not represent any quantity.
26. Can a variable be a numeric data type if it
contains letters or special characters?
No, it will be a character data type.
27. What can be the size of the largest dataset in
SAS?
SAS datasets, prior to SAS 9.1, could store up to 32,767 variables. In SAS 9.1, the number of
observatories will depend upon the computer’s capacity to manage and store them.
28. What is the difference between PROC MEANS
and PROC SUMMARY?
PROC MEANS and PROC SUMMARY are similar techniques for calculating mean, median,
count, sum, and other descriptive statistics along with metrics such as percentiles,
variances, quartiles, etc.
Following are the two major differences between PROC MEANS and PROC SUMMARY:
• Output – By default, PROC MEANS prints output in the listing window or any other open
destination. PROC SUMMARY prints to the output window when the PROC SUMMARY
statement includes the print option.

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• Numerical variables – While PROC MEANS considers all the numerical variables in the
statistical analysis, PROC SUMMARY takes into account all the numerical variables defined
in the VAR statement in the statistical analysis.
29. What are _N_ and _ERROR_ in SAS?
A SAS Data Step contains two automatically created variables, namely, the _N_ variable and
the _ERROR_ variable.
• _N_ – This variable monitors the number of times a data step is repeated. By default, the
value is set to 1. Whenever the data step of a data statement is repeated, the value increases.
• ERROR – This variable identifies errors such as input data error, math error, conversion
error, etc., during execution. By default, the value is set to 0.
30. How does PROC SQL work?
PROC SQL is a simultaneous process for all the observations. The following steps happen
when PROC SQL is executed:
1. SAS scans each statement in the SQL procedure and checks syntax errors, such as missing
semicolons and invalid statements.
2. SQL optimizer scans the query inside the statement. The SQL Optimizer decides how the SQL
query should be executed in order to minimize run time.
3. Any tables in the FROMstatement are loaded into the data engine where they can then be
accessed in memory.
4. Code and Calculations are executed.
5. The final Table is created in memory.
6. The final Table is sent to the output table described in the SQL statement.
31. What are SAS functions and procedures?
SAS functions – SAS has several built-in functions for facilitating data processing and
analysis. Different numbers of arguments are addressed by different functions. Here is a
list of SAS functions:
• SCAN()
• COUNTC()
• COMPRESS()
• NPUT()
• SUBSTR(), etc.
SAS procedures – SAS procedures facilitate data processing in SAS data sets for creating
tables, reports, charts, statistics, etc, and performing other data operations and analysis.
Following are some of the SAS PROCs (procedures):
• PROC MEAN
• PROC SQL

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• PROC SORT
• PROC FREQ
• PROC REPORT, etc
32. What is the length assigned to the target
variable by the scan function?
200
33. Name a few SAS functions.
Scan, Substr, trim, Catx, Index, tranwrd, find, Sum.
34. What do you mean by the APPEND process?
The word “append” refers to the last addition. Adding one SAS data set to another SAS data
set is what the APPEND operation in SAS does.
35. What is the work of tranwrd function?
TRANWRD function replaces or removes all occurrences of a pattern of characters within
a character string.
36. What accomplishes a CALENDAR procedure?
The CALENDAR technique displays data from a SAS data source in a monthly calendar
format.
37. Describe the BMDP process.
The BMPD method is applied to data analysis.
38. What SAS functions are utilized for processing
characters?
SAS uses the character functions, often known as UPCASE and LOWERCASE, to handle
characters.
39. Describe the call exchange procedure.
Pattern matching replacement is carried out using the CALL PRXCHANGE function.

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40. Describe how the BOR works.
The BOR function returns a bitwise logical OR between two statements. It is a bitwise logical
operation.
41. State RUN-group Processing definition.
The RUN statement is used to submit a PROC step while keeping the procedure running.
42. Why is double trailing @@ used in input
statements, please?
In order to execute the following input statement, SAS should hold onto the current record
rather than switching to the new record when double trailing @@ is used in input
statements during data step iteration.
43. How well-versed are you in the SAS data set?
The data that may be analyzed using a SAS application is often referred to as a SAS data set.
The SAS data table is another name for the SAS dataset.
Two sections make up a SAS data table:
• rows of variable columns
• observations in rows
The SAS data set’s pertinent details may be summed up as follows:
• In addition to having built-in data sources for use like Excel, Access, etc., SAS Dataset can
also read.
• A temporary Dataset is a dataset that is only utilized for the current session run and is
deleted when the session concludes.
• The Permanent Dataset is another name for the Dataset that is saved for use in a subsequent
session.
44. How many observations would be there at the end of the
data step execution?
12

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45. What do you mean when you say the SAS Scan
function is used?
Typically, words are extracted from a value delimited by delimiters using the Scan() method
(characters or special signs that separate words in a text string). Using text or variables
containing text, the SCAN function picks out certain words and puts them in new variables.
46. Describe the purpose of VFORMATX.
The format associated with the value of a given statement is returned by the VFORMATX
function.
47. What is the STD function?
The standard deviation for the nonmissing statements will be returned using the STD
function.
48. What is the difference between do
while and do until?
An important difference between the DO UNTIL and DO WHILE statements are that the DO
WHILE expression is evaluated at the top of the DO loop. If the expression is false the first
time it is evaluated, then the DO loop never executes. Whereas DO UNTIL executes at least
once.
49. How do you use the do loop if you don’t know
how many times you should execute the do loop?
We can use ‘do until’ or ‘do while’ to specify the condition.
50. What use does $BASE64X serve?
The character data is encoded into ASCII text using $BASE64X.
51. Which SAS command does not automatically
convert values while doing comparisons?
Automatic conversions are not possible with WHERE statements, since the data set,
contains WHERE statement variables.

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52. What distinguishes the NODUPKEY and
NODUP choices?
The NODUP option verifies and eliminates duplicate observations. The NODUPKEY option,
on the other hand, searches for all BY variable values and, if any are found, eliminates
them.
53. If a variable contains only numbers, can it be
a character data type?
Yes, it depends on how you use the variable. There are some numbers we will want to use as
categorical values rather than a quantity. An example of this can be a variable called
“Foreigner” where the observations have the value “0” or “1” representing not a foreigner
and foreigner respectively. Similarly, the ID of a particular table can be in number but does
not specifically represent any quantity. Phone numbers are another popular example.
54. How should the SAS software be validated
properly?
The OPTIONS OBS=0 must be placed at the beginning of the code, but if you wish to run it, a
log will appear, which will be shown by the colors that are highlighted.
55. If a variable contains letters or special
characters, can it be a numeric data type?
No, it must be a character data type
56. What distinguishes reading data from an
existing dataset from reading data from an
external file?
The primary distinction is that SAS preserves the values of the variables from one
observation to the next when reading an existing data set with the SET command. Only the
observations are read when the data are read from an external file. If the variables are
utilized, they must be defined again.

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57. Could you clarify the distinction between
PROC MEANS and SUMMARY?
When a BY statement is used and the input data has already been thoroughly sorted out
using BY variables, a subgroup statistician is produced under the PROC MEANS.
There is a statistics that is automatically generated under the PROC SUMMARY for each
subgroup. It offers a wide range of running information. The data set would undergo the
best sorting, which is then constructed with the aid of factors that substantially define each
subgroup and execute PROC MEANS.
58. How many other Sas products have you used
and do you consider yourself proficient with
them?
Proc means, proc tabulate, proc report, proc print, proc freq, proc univariate, etc.
59. What is the meaning of the ‘Of’ there in X =
Sum (Of A1-A4, A6, A9);
It cannot be understood the way we want if the OF function is not used. This function
computes a1 minus a4 plus a6 and a9, rather than summarising a1 to a4 & a6 & a9. It
likewise holds true for the mean choice.
60. What Functions Do Put and Input?
Character data values are converted to numeric values using the INPUT function.
The PUT function changes character values from numeric values.
61. What are some statements that are only
understood during compilation?
drop, rename, maintain, format, label, attrib, informat, by, where, length, retain, and array
are all valid operations.

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62. What statements are the only ones that are
carried out?
procedures for INPUT, INFILE, OUTPUT, and CALL
63. Which statements should go where in the
DATA phase, according to experts?
Data input, files, running cards, where label, choose information format, and format
64. Give examples of statements that work both
during compilation and execution.
Options, a title, and a footnote
65. List the many data types that SAS can handle.
Character and numeric data types are the only two that SAS supports. Despite the fact that
there are implicit functions that may be applied to dates, they are still regarded as
characters.
66. What does the tranwrd function do?
Using the TRANWRD function, characters or patterns that appear inside a character string
can be replaced or removed.
67. Give a SAS definition of the data phase.
A SAS dataset in the form of the Data step in SAS contains both the data and the “data
dictionary.” The main purpose of the data dictionary is to keep all the details of variables
and their properties.
68. Describe Base SAS.
An older-looking text-based, rudimentary IDE is called Base SAS. A more GUI-like IDE with
wizards to help with developing code for various operations is called Enterprise Guide (EG).

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69. What are the various approaches to include or
exclude particular variables from a dataset?
You may use the DROP and KEEP commands to include or omit particular variables from a
data collection.
• Drop Statement: These tell SAS which variables to take out of the data set.
• Keep Statement: This statement identifies the variables in the data collection that should be
kept.
70. Why would you use the trace option?
When a process creates many output objects, the names of each may be determined using
ODS Trace.
ODS TRACE ON;
ODS TRACE OFF;
71. What distinguishes a macro variable?
Using the apostrophe (&) symbol
72. What distinguishes %LOCAL from %GLOBAL?
% An internal macro variable is known as local. % A macro variable called global is
specified in open code (outside the macro or can use anywhere).
73. What would constitute a macro’s end?
The %Mend Statement determines when the macro ends.
74. Distinguish between INPUT and INFILE.
In contrast to the INPUT statement, which specifies the variables utilized, an INFILE
statement in SAS programming indicates an external file that contains the data.

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75. Which SAS software command is used to
achieve sorting?
To do sorting on either a single variable or a number of variables, use the PROC SORT
command. This command is used on the dataset when sorting results in the creation of a
new data set while leaving the old data set alone.
76. How are PROC print and PROC contents used?
The SAS program’s PROC step is used to launch built-in analytical processes for the dataset’s
data.
77. Which statement in SAS does not
automatically conduct conversions in
comparisons?
The “where” statement does not automatically convert values when used in comparisons in
SAS.
78. Explain the distinction between nodupkey and
nodup choices.
Because NODUP compares all the variables in our dataset but NODUPKEY just compares
the BY variables`, NODUP is different from NODUPKEY.
79. Mention the SAS validation tools that are
employed.
For the DataSet Debug: Data set name named set: stmtchk
To use macros: Options: mlogic, mprint, and symbolgen
80. What exactly does Proc glm do?
An analysis of covariance, a multivariate analysis of variance, and a repeated measure
analysis of variance can all be performed with the help of the procedure glm.

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81. What exactly are SAS informats?
The SAS INFORMATS module allows for the reading and input of data from a wide range of
external files. These include flat files, ASCII files, text files, and sequential files. The data
will be read into SAS variables using the information provided.
82. What exactly is Linear Regression?
Linear regression is a statistical approach that predicts the value of one variable Y based on
the value of another variable X. X is known as the predictor variable, while Y is known as
the criteria variable.
83. What do you mean when you say “Normal
Distribution”?
Data is often dispersed in various ways, with a bias to the left or right, or it might all be
mixed up. There is a chance, however, that the data is dispersed about a central value with
no bias to the left or right and achieves normal distribution in the form of a bell-shaped
curve. A symmetrical bell-shaped curve is used to disperse the random variables.
84. What is the category in which SAS Informats is
classified?
SAS data is divided into three types.
• Character Informats: $INFORMATw
• Date/Time Informats: INFORMAT w.
• Numeric Informats : INFORMAT w.d
85. What is the purpose of the CATX syntax?
Syntax concatenates character strings by removing leading and trailing blanks and inserting
separators.
86. Can a variable that solely includes integers be
a character data type?
Yes, depending on how you utilize the variable. Some numbers will be used as a categorical
value rather than a quantity. An example of this would be the “Foreigner” variable, where
the observations would have values “0” and “1”, respectively, denoting foreigners and not

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foreigners. Similarly, the ID of a certain table might be a number but does not reflect any
amount. Another common example is phone numbers.
87. Can a variable be of the numeric data type if it
contains letters or special characters?
No, it must be a character data type.
88. What is the maximum size of a dataset in SAS?
SAS data sets may include up to 32,767 variables prior to SAS 9.1. The maximum number of
variables in SAS data collection in SAS 9.1 is restricted by the computer’s resources.
89. What are your primary interests in Sas?
ETSBriefly, BASE, STAT, GRAPH
90. How do you test and debug SAS programs?
The first step is to check the log for errors, warnings, or NOTEs in certain circumstances, or
to utilize the debugger in the SAS data stage.
91. What Sas versions have you used (and on what
platforms)?
SAS 9.1.3, 9.0, and 8.2 on Windows and UNIX, as well as SAS 7 and 6.12.
92. What issues might you face when processing
missing values? In the data steps? Arithmetic?
Comparisons? Functions? Data classification?
Any operation with a missing value will produce a missing value. Missing variable values
are excluded from analysis in most SAS statistical procedures.

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93. What’s the difference between functions and
procedures that do the same simple descriptive
statistics calculation?
Proc may be used with a broader scope, and the results can be transferred to another
dataset. Functions often have an impact on existing datasets.
94. If you were asked to create multiple records
from a single record, how would you do it using
an array and proc transpose?
Do loop Proc Transpose with VAR using the array of variables in the record.
95. What is the difference between numeric and
character?
All numeric and character variables in the dataset will be read or written.
96. How would you make a data set with 30
variables and 1 observation from a data set with
30 variables and 1 observation?
PROC TRANSPOSE is used.
97. What is the distinction between INFORMAT
and FORMAT?
INFORMAT: To tell SAS that a number should be read in a certain format.
FORMAT: Indicates how SAS should print the variables.

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98. Mention how you read the variables you
require.
The variables are read using an input statement with column/line pointers, informats, and
length specifiers.
99. What exactly is factor analysis?
Factor analysis is a general name for a group of statistical approaches that involve reducing
a collection of observable variables to a small number of hidden components. The primary
purpose of factor analysis is to reduce and summarise data.
100. Mention which special input delimiters are
used in SAS.
DLM and DSD are special input delimiters used in SAS.
101. With no input data, how might you generate
test data?
Data Null and the put statement are used.
102. When debugging, what can you learn from
the SAS log?
It will show the execution of the entire program as well as the reasoning. It will also display
the error along with the line number, allowing you to edit the program.
103. What is the Meaning Of _Error_?
It only has two values: 1 for error and 0 for no error.

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104. Is SAS capable of handling missing values in
assignment statements, a merge, functions, an
update, sort order, formats, and procedures?
Missing values will be noted as such in the Assignment statement. Missing is sorted as the
second smallest item, followed by an underscore.
105. How do you incorporate a “trace” into your
program?
By turning on ODS TRACE.
106. How can missing values be tested?
Subset functions such as IF then Else, Where, and Select are used.
107. Internally, how are numeric and character-
missing values represented?
Blank or Numeric as a character
108. Which of the following date functions
advances a date time or date/time value by a
given interval?
INTNX.
109. What is the first action in a typical data step
in the flow of data step processing?
SAS processes the DATA step and then produces a new SAS data set when you submit it.
(input buffer and PDV generation)
Execution Phase Compilation Phase

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110. SAS/access vs. SAS/connect: What’s the
difference?
SAS/Access only works with databases such as Oracle, SQL-server, and Microsoft Access.
SAS/Connect solely makes advantage of the Server connection.
111. What Is the Benefit of Using the N=ps
Option?
The N=PS option generates a buffer in memory big enough to contain PAGESIZE (PS) lines,
allowing a page to be prepared arbitrarily before printing.
112. What Are Sas Scrubbing Procedures?
Proc Sort with the nodupkey option to remove duplicate values.
113. What differences did you see between SAS
Versions 6-8 and 9?
SAS 9 Architecture is fundamentally different from any previous SAS version. SAS 9
architecture relies on a new component, the Metadata Server, to provide an information
layer between applications.
114. What differences did you see between SAS
Versions 6-8 and 9?
SAS 9 Architecture is substantially different from any previous SAS version. SAS relies on a
new component, the Metadata Server, in the SAS 9 design to provide an information layer
between the programs and the data they access. Metadata, such as security permissions for
SAS libraries and the locations of the numerous SAS servers, are kept in a central
repository.
115. What is your most common programming
error?
Missing semicolon and failure to check the log after program submission Using debugging
techniques and the Fsview option infrequently.

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116. What is the difference between using the
mean function to calculate the mean and using
proc means?
By default, Proc Means computes summary statistics such as N, Mean, Standard Deviation,
Minimum and Maximum, whereas the Mean function just computes mean values.
117. In the Merge Statement, which data set is the
controlling data set?
The data set with the fewest observations controls the data set in the merge statement.
118. Do you like Proc Report or Proc Tabulate
better? Why?
I like to utilize Proc report till I need to generate cross-tabulation tables since it provides me
with so many possibilities for modifying the look-up of my table, but Proc tabulate is unable
to produce some of the items in my table.
119. What are the options for input and output
datasets?
Options for the input data set are obs, first jobs, and compress, while reuse is an option for
the output data set.
The options for the input and output datasets are kept, drop, rename, obs, and first obs.
120. How does the enterprise guide work? What
purpose does it serve?
There is a method for importing text files into SAS.
121. How Are Zero Observation Datasets Made?
Utilizing the like clause to create a data collection.
The following example: proc sql;create table latha.emp like oracle.emp;quit;

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A similar phrase in this case causes the structure of the old table to be copied over to the
new table. The generation of an empty table is the outcome of applying this procedure.
In the editor window, we type %include “path of the SAS file”; run; if the environment isn’t
one that supports windows, there’s no need to include the run statement.
122. How Can a.csv File Be Imported Into SAS?
Open notepad and specify the variables before creating the CSV file.
123. What Function Does Proc SQL Serve?
SAS’s PROC SQL function, which combines the capabilities of data and procs steps, is a
potent tool. PROC SQL can combine datasets into new variables, display the results, sort,
summarise, subset, join (merge), and concatenate them all in one operation! Compared to
data and proc steps, PROC SQL consumes fewer resources. It is not necessary to arrange the
data before merging in PROC SQL in order to combine files; data merging is required.
124. Sas Graph: What Is It?
The SAS/GRAPH program develops and delivers precise, high-impact visualizations that
help decision-makers comprehend important business challenges quickly.
125. Specify the steps to include or exclude
particular variables from a data set.
DROP, KEEP Statements, and Data Collection O
126. What constitutes the SAS base program’s
fundamental structure?
The two steps that makeup SAS’s fundamental architecture are ==DATA, which retrieves
and manipulates data, and ==PROC, which interprets the data.
127. Describe how to utilize PROC GPLOT.
The data collection containing the plot variables is identified by PROC GPLOT. It offers
additional possibilities, which enables it to produce visuals that are more vibrant and
elaborate.

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128. How do You order things in decreasing
order?
We may sort in descending order by using the DESCENDING keyword in the PROC SORT
code.
129. What is the input of the function and put
used for?
The input function transforms character inputs into numerical values.
Put function: Character values are created from numerical values.
130. What do you mean by the sum function and
“+” operator?
The “sum” function or the “+” operator are both used in SAS to achieve addition or
summation. In contrast to the “+” operator, which returns a missing value when one or
more arguments are absent or missing, the function “Sum” returns the sum of arguments
that are present (non-missing arguments).
131. What purpose does the DIVIDE function
serve?
The division outcome is returned using the DIVIDE function.
132. How does the CALL PRXFREE Routine work?
Character string matching and the allocation of free memory for Perl regular expressions
are done using the CALL PRXFREE routine.
133. Describe how ANYDIGIT works.
The ANYDIGIT function is used to look for a digit’s (or number’s) first appearance in a
string. The digit’s position is returned. It returns a “0” if no digit is discovered. The
ANYDIGIT function allows the search to start anywhere in the string by providing an
optional argument.

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134. Explanation of BY-group Processing
The BY-group processing makes use of the BY statement to process data that has been
indexed, grouped, or ordered according to variables.
135. What would be the value of month at the end of data
step execution and how many observations would be there?
The value of month would be 13
No. of observations would be 1
136. What does the CALL MISSING Routine mean
to you?
The CALL MISSING procedure can be used to assign missing values to the given character
or numeric variables.
137. PDV (Program Data Vector) – what is it?
Program data vectors are logical sections of memory where SAS creates data sets, one
observation at a time (PDVs). When a program is run, SAS typically receives data values
from the input buffer or creates them using SAS language instructions, assigning these data
values to particular or appropriate variables in the program data vector. Two automated
variables, the _N_, and ERROR variables are also included in the program data vector.
138. How does PROC COMPARE handle variable
formats?
PROC COMPARE, which is used to compare unformatted values, can handle variable
formats.
139. What do you mean by the option ALTER=
Data Set?
Assigns an ALTER= password to a SAS file, preventing users from replacing or deleting the
file and allowing access to a read-only or write-only file.

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140. What function does SAS’ Retain serve?
The missing values of variables are assigned either by an INPUT statement or through an
assignment statement within the data step, and SAS reads the data statement at the
beginning of each iteration of the data step before adding them to the program’s data vector
(logical areas of memory). This default is overridden with RETAIN statements. SAS does not
change variables to missing when switching between iterations of a data step when a
RETAIN statement is used. Rather than keeping the variables, they are retained.
141. How do dates work in SAS data?
Data is central to every data set. In SAS, data is available in tabular form where variables
occupy the column space and observations occupy the row space.
• SAS treats numbers as numeric data and everything else falls under character data. Hence
SAS has two data types numeric and character.
• Apart from these, dates in SAS are represented in a special way compared to other
languages.
•
Figure:SAS Interview Questions – SAS Dates
• A SAS date is a numeric value equal to the number of days since January 1, 1960.
• Apart from Date Values, there are many tools to work on dates such as informats for reading
dates, functions for manipulating dates, and formats for printing dates.
142. List down the reasons for choosing SAS over
other data analytics tools.
We will compare SAS with the popular alternatives in the market based on the following
aspects:

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SAS over data analytics tools
143. What is interleaving in SAS?
Interleaving combines individual, sorted SAS data sets into one sorted SAS data set. For
each observation, the following figure shows the value of the variable by which the data sets
are sorted. You interleave data sets using a SET statement along with a BY statement.
In the following example, the data sets are sorted by the variable Year.
we can sort and then join the datasets on Year with the below code.
1234 data combined; set data1 data2; by Year;run;
144. Explain the tranwrd function.
The TRANWRD function discards or replaces any occurrence of a substring.
Ease of
Learning
SAS is easy to learn and provides an easy option (PROC SQL) for
people who already know SQL.
Data
Handling
Capabilities
SAS is on par with all leading tools including R & Python when it
comes to handling huge amounts of data and options for parallel
computations.
Graphical
Capabilities
SAS provides functional graphical capabilities and with a little bit of
learning, it is possible to customize these plots.
Advancements
in Tool
SAS releases updates in a controlled environment, hence they are well-
tested. R & Python, on the other hand, have an open contribution and
there are chances of errors in the latest developments.
Job Scenario
Globally, SAS is the market leader in available corporate jobs. In
India, SAS controls about 70% of the data analytics market share

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145. State the difference between DO WHILE and
DO UNTIL.
The DO WHILE expression is gauged at the top of the DO LOOP, and if the expression is
false at the first time of evaluation, then the DO LOOP never executes. DO UNTIL, on the
contrary, executes at least once.
146. What is the CROSS LIST option in the
TABLES statement?
The addition of the CROSSLIST option to the TABLES statement shows crosstabulation
tables in ODS column format.
147. Explain the function of the output statement
in a SAS program.
The output statement helps in saving summary statistics in a SAS data set for creating
customized reports or saving past information about a process.
The output statement can be used for the following:
• Stating the statistics to be saved in the output data set
• Stating the name of the output data set
• Computing and saving the percentile is not automatically computed by the CAPABILITY
process.
148. Given an unsorted data set, how to read the
last observation to a new data set?
We can read the last observation to a new data set using end= data set the the option.
For example:
data work.calculus;
set work.comp end=last;
If last;
run;

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