Introduction to the SAS working environment and SAS datasets

In this training module we will cover the following topics:

    –   What is SAS and why do we use it?

    –   The SAS Windowing Environment  and the User Interface

    –   How to submit and save your programs in SAS

    –   SAS Libraries: Temporary and Permanent

    –   SAS datasets and what they are composed of

This module is designed to get you familiarised with working in SAS.  We will explain the different types of windows that make up the SAS windowing environment which we use to do our everyday work. For example, the Editor Window, where we write our programs, the Log window where we can see any errors that occur in our code and the Output Window where we can see summaries of our datasets. We will also explain the use of the Explorer and Results Windows, and Temporary and Permanent SAS Libraries. Finally, we will take a look at what SAS Datasets and their composites: Observations and Character and Numeric Variables.