SAS Programming Basic Questions

Following are the questions related to Base SAS.

1. How many windows are displayed when a SAS session is started?
2. How can I improve my knowledge about different SAS windows?
3. What is enhanced editor window?
4. How can I change the text color, size, font etc. of editor window?
5. What is explorer window?
6. What is log window?
7. What do you mean by bug and debugging?
8. How can I clear the contents of output, log or editor window?
9. What is output window?
10. How can I change the setting so that SAS displays the last output instead of first one?
11. What is the object type for output window?
12. What is displayed in RESULT window?
13. There are certain terms or expression I use very often in codes. How can I create abbreviations for them?
14. How can I record a keyboard macro?
15. How can I convert selected text in editor window into comments?
16. How can I create bookmark for a line?
17. What are file shortcuts?
18. How can I set the default output type? 
19. Enhanced editor window has many shortcuts. How can I read / know them? 
20. How can I place an icon at SAS tool bar for a command?
21. How can I create objects of a catalog?
22. Is it compulsory to specify data set name in data statement?
23. Is it necessary to specify RUN statement at the end of DATA Step?
24. What is INFILE statement? 
25. What is INPUT statement?
26. What is difference between input and infile statement?
27. Write various options used in infile statement.
28. What is FLOWOVER?
29. What is MISSOVER?
30. What is STOPOVER?
31. What is RECFM=N option of infile statement?
32. What is LENGTH=variable option of infile statement?
33. What difference is between put and file statement?
34. What is list input method?
35. What is formatted input method?
36. What is an informat?
37. What is difference between list input and formatted input methods?
38. What are various Pointer control features?
39. What are Column pointer controls?
40. Explain Line pointer control.
41. Explain Line hold control.
42. Explain Binary file indicator controls.
43. Explain pattern searching feature.
44. What is the meaning of $ symbol in input statement?
45. What is the meaning of & symbol in input statement?
46. When should I use list input method?
47. Explain Record Directives.
48. How can I test EOF condition?
49. What are differences between SAS data step and IML?
50. What is the role of LRECL=operand in FILE statement?
51. Explain PUT statement.
52. How is permanent data set created?
53. What is library?
54. Is it necessary to provide library reference in LIBNAME statement apart from folder path for physical location of the library folder?
55. What is IML?
56. What is difference between FILENAME and FILEPATH?
57. Differentiate between CARDS, LOG and PRINT filenames?
58. What are two major types of external files?
59. How can I read a binary file?
60. I have created a data set. How can I know about the descriptive information of this data set?
61. How to write the SAS output in a text file?
62. How to see the output in log window?
63. Can we use label statement in PROC step?
64. What is the use of PROC format?
65. How can you view the built-in formats?
66. What is the use of PUT _PAGE_?
67. What is the use of PUT _ALL_?
68. Suppose you have created a format folder XX. Now if you wish to see the format definitions of XX then what will you do?
69. How does SAS search for formats?
70. How can you create SAS data set from an excel file?
71. How can you create an excel file from SAS data set?
72. How can you activate command bar?
73. What is RECALL command?
74. What are the uses of VIEWTABLE?
75. How can I create a SAS data set without using program?
76. What is the function of LENGTH statement?
77. Who can manipulate SAS configuration file?
78. Explain LRECL=n option in INFILE statement?
79. What is difference between $n. and :$n.?
80. What is &$n.?
81. What is @@?
82. Write some options commonly used in INFILE statement.
83. What is difference between compile and execution stages?
84. What is program data vector?
85. How can I improve my knowledge about different SAS windows? 
86. What is a SAS data set? 
87. What is SAS data view? 
88. SAS doesn’t allow special characters in naming data sets or variables. Why?
89. What are SAS automatic variables? Give two examples.
90. What is SAS data set descriptor? 
91. Do SAS data views have data values?
92. What do you mean by the statement: “SAS is a free-form and case-insensitive language”?
93. Is there any difference between CARDS and DATALINES? 
94. What is NULL statement?
95. What are stored in a SAS catalog? 
96. What is SAS Data Step? 
97. Name some objects generated after SAS Data Step?  
98. What is SAS batch mode? 
99. How can I run SAS from RUN dialog box? 
100. How can I run SAS from COMMAND prompt? 
101. What is program editor window?
102. What is Text Editor?
103. How can I execute SAS code by writing in notepad?
104. How can I place SAS commands on tool bar?
105. How can I change the text color, size, font etc. of enhanced editor window?
106. How can I disable log details?
107. How can I send the contents of log, editor or output window into a text file or word file? 
108. How can I send the content of a text file into SAS editor window?
109. How can I change the setting so that SAS displays the last output instead of first ones? 
110. What happens if I use CTRL+N in explorer window? 
111. What happens if I use CTRL+N in libraries window?
112. What happens if I use CTRL+N in a library window?
113. How can you create a catalog, query or table?
114. What is difference between query and table?
115. How can I know about column attributes of a table?
116. What are the object types for output window?
117. What is TRUNCOVER?
118. What is LOSTCARD?
119. Differentiate between DLM and DSD options of infile statement?
120. What is difference between & and : format modifiers?
121. What is difference between input data set and output data set?
122. What is difference between system options and data set options?
123. What is difference between statement options and data set options? 
124. What is YEARCUTOFF? 
125. How is date time constants created?
126. Write the mnemonic equivalent operators for logical operators.
127. Give two examples of global statement. 
128. Write various options and statements used in page layout setting?
129. How can I print the values of _N_ of a data step?
130. Why input buffer is not needed to read SAS data set but is required in case of reading an external file?
131. Write the steps needed to read data from a text file(TAB delimited) using import wizard.
132. What is difference between FIRSTOBS and OBS options?
133. What is the role of DBMS option in PROC IMPORT?
134. What is GETNAMES statement?
135. What is DATAROW statement?
136. Create a named input data text-file and read it.
137. What is difference between KEEP statement and KEEP option?
138. Which one is more efficient - DROP statement and DROP option? Discuss.
139. My friend writes filepath in single quote but I write in double quote. Which one is better?
140. What is the use of RENAME data set option?
141. I am trying to edit some data in VIEWTABLE but editing doesn’t take place. Why?
142. How can I display the VIEWTABLE in output window without using PROC PRINT?
143. Discuss about Form view and Table view of a data set.
144. How can I toggle line numbers in editor window?
145. How can I create multiple editor windows and arrange them.
146. What is the use of NEW WINDOW?
147. How many data sets can be mentioned in data statement?

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Updated on 6 July 2023