DATA STEP and how SAS processes code

In this training module we will cover the following topics:

    –   What is a SAS DATA STEP?

    –   How SAS processes code within a DATA STEP

    –   The Compilation stage

    –   The Execution stage

    –   The Program Data Vector (PDV)

This module is designed to introduce you to SAS DATA STEPS, one of the two steps that is used to write SAS programs. We will take a look at the code of an example data step and explain some of the different elements that a data step usually consists of. We will also look at how SAS processes code behind the scenes, to help us understand this we will look at the Compilation and Execution stages that SAS goes through when processing code, and also the Program Data Vector or PDV.