SAS Tutorial

SAS (Statistical Analysis System) is a statistical software designed for data inspection and report writing. SAS runs on Windows, UNIX and can be downloaded into Mainframe too. This is an integrated software suite that enables us to perform statistical analysis by altering, managing, and retrieving data from a variety of sources to develop a software solution. It provides a graphical point-and-click user interface for non-technical users and more advanced options through the SAS language (A computer programming language used for statistical analysis that can read data from common spreadsheets and databases and outputs the statistical analysis result in tables, graphs, and as RTF, HTML, and PDF documents). SAS is a batch of a program that works together to reclaim them and to reserve data values, reform data, evaluate complex and single exponential analyses and generate reports. These programs have DATA steps, which retrieve and manipulate data, and PROC steps, which analyze the data.

History of SAS

SAS development was started in 1966 and vast amounts of agricultural data were being collected through USDA grants- but no computerized statistics program existed to analyze the findings. For this purpose, a consortium of eight universities came together under a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and resulted in a program, the Statistical Analysis System, gave both the basis for its name and its corporate training. SAS was developed for the use of data management, business intelligence, and predictive analysis, descriptive and prospective analysis and at yet, many new statistical procedures and components are introduced.

Why we use SAS software?

Basically, SAS works for large datasets and by using this software user can perform various operations on the data as follows:

1. Application Development
2. Business Planning
3. Data extraction
4. Data Management
5. Data transformation
6. Data updating and modification
7. Operations Research and Project Management
8. Quality Improvement
9. Report formation with perfect graphics
10. Statistical Analysis

Types of SAS software:

• Windows or PC SAS
• SAS EG(Enterprise Guide)
• SAS EM(Enterprise Miner i.e., for Predictive Analysis)
• SAS Means
• SAS Stats

Importance of SAS:

SAS develops enterprise solution for the wide business purpose by performing:

1. Statistical and Mathematical Analysis
2. Data Entry, Retrieval, and Management
3. Forecasting, planning and Decision Support
4. Research and Management
5. Report Creation and Graphics

Components of SAS software:

There are more than 200 components available in SAS software and some of those are as follows:

1. Base SAS Software

Base SAS is the foundation of all SAS software i.e., a computer programming language designed to provide a flexible, extensible 4GL and web-based interface for data access, transformation and reporting, further includes:

• SAS Procedures (commonly known as PROC)
• Data Step Language
• SAS Macros
• Output Delivery Systems
• ODS Graphics

Benefits of Base SAS software:

• Integrate data across environments
• Make programming fast and easy
• Read, format, and analyze any data
• Deliver reports to mobile devices

2. SAS/ GRAPH This component of SAS produces many kinds of charts, plots, and maps in both two-and three-dimensional versions. It creates and delivers accurate, high-impact visuals that enable decision makers to gain a quick understanding of critical business issues. SAS/GRAPH 9.4 is its most recent release. 3. SAS/ STAT This component is the State-of-the-art statistical analysis software for making sounds that perform statistical analysis with the variance analysis, regression, multivariate analysis, survival analysis, and psychometric analysis, mixed model analysis. 4. SAS/AF SAS/AF provides a development environment that enables us to create portable, point-and-click applications. This facilitates us to build much of our applications visually, using drag-and-drop components because its applications are stored in SAS catalogs and they are portable to all SAS software platforms. 5. SAS PH This performs clinical trial analysis and was accessed as a Clinical tool for data browsing and SAS report viewing that includes tables, listings, and graphs to summarize data collected from Clinical Trials. 6. SAS/OR It provides a powerful array of optimization, simulation and project scheduling techniques to identify the actions that will produce the best results while operating within resource limitations and other relevant restrictions. 7. SAS/IML SAS/IML allows access to a powerful and flexible programming language in a dynamic, interactive environment. The IML acronym stands for Interactive Matrix Language. 8. SAS/QC It provides a wide range of specialized tools that improve products, optimizes processes and increases levels of customer satisfaction. SAS/QC tools are used for process management as well as process control. 9. SAS/ETS This component offers a wide array of econometrics, time series and forecasting techniques to forecast and simulate business processes on observational data for improved strategic and tactical planning. 10. SAS/INSIGHT This component is a highly interactive tool for data analysis by which we can explore data through a variety of interactive graphs including bar charts, scatter plots, box plots, and three-dimensional rotating plots. 11. SAS/Enterprise Miner This is another component of SAS enables to perform data mining process and to create accurate predictive and descriptive models on large volumes of data across different sources in the organization.

Advantages of SAS:

1. It is easy to learn doesn’t need any programming skill.
2. It has a strong ability to handle big database.
3. Its data is secured thus prevents it from manipulation.
4. Its computation is statistical thus easier for non-programming users.

Disadvantages of SAS:

1. It is expensive. Without a proper license, a person can’t use its all applications.
2. It is not open-source and available in the licensed version.

Reference: https://www.sas.com/en_in/training/home/academic-program/sas-tutorials.html https://www.listendata.com/p/sas-tutorials.html https://intellipaat.com/tutorial/sas-tutorial/