Top 60+ SAS Interview Questions and Answers (2024)

Deepanshu Bhalla 144 Comments

Below are the most frequently asked SAS interview questions, along with answers. This will give you the confidence to crack your SAS interview. These questions cover a wide range of topics, from simple theoretical concepts to tricky interview questions for both freshers and experienced SAS programmers.

1. Difference between INPUT and INFILE

The INFILE statement is used to identify an external file while the INPUT statment is used to describe your variables.

FILENAME TEST 'C:\DEEP\File1.xls';
DATA READIN;
INFILE TEST;
LENGTH NAME $25;
INPUT ID NAME$ SEX;
RUN;

Note : The variable name, followed by $ (dollar sign), idenfities the variable type as character.

In the example shown above, ID and SEX are numeric variables and Name a character variable.

2. Difference between Informat and Format

Informats read the data while Formats write the data.

Informat - To tell SAS that a number should be read in a particular format. For example: the informat mmddyy6. tells SAS to read the number121713as the date December 17, 2013.

Format - To tell SAS how to print the variables.

3. Difference between Missover and Truncover

Missover -When the MISSOVER option is used on the INFILE statement, the INPUT statement does not jump to the next line when reading a short line. Instead, MISSOVER setsvariables to missing.

Truncover - It assigns the raw data value to the variable even if the value is shorter than the length that is expected by the INPUT statement.

The following is an example of an external file that contains data:

1
22
333
4444

This DATA step uses the numeric informat 4. to read a single field in each record of raw data and to assign values to the variable ID.

data readin;
infile 'external-file' missover;
input ID4.;
run;
proc print data=readin;
run;
The output is shown below :
Obs    ID
 1          .
 2          .
 3          .
 4      4444
Truncover
data readin;
infile 'external-file' truncover;
input ID4.;
run;
proc print data=readin;
run;

The output is shown below :

Obs    ID
 1      1
 2      22
 3      333
 4      4444

4. Purpose of double trailing@@ in Input Statement ?

The double trailing sign (@@)tells SAS rather than advancing to a new record, hold the current input record for the execution of the next INPUT statement.

DATA Readin;
   Input Name $ Score @@;   
   cards;
Sam 25 David 30 Ram 35
Deeps 20 Daniel 47 Pars 84
;
RUN;

The output is shown below :

Double Trailing
Double Trailing

5. How to include or exclude specific variables in a data set?

- DROP, KEEP Statements and Data set Options

The DROP statement specifies the names of the variables that you want to remove from the data set.

data readin1;
set readin;
drop score;
run;

The KEEP statement specifies the names of the variables that you want to retain from the data set.

data readin1;
set readin;
keep var1;
run;
DROP, KEEP Data set Options

The main difference between DROP/ KEEP statement and DROP=/ KEEP=data set option is that you can not use DROP/KEEP statement in procedures.

data readin1 (drop=score);
set readin;
run;
data readin1 (keep=var1);
set readin;
run;

6. How to print observations 5 through 10 from a data set?

The FIRSTOBS= and OBS=data set options would tell SAS to print observations 5 through 10 from the data set READIN.

proc print data = readin (firstobs=5 obs=10);
run;

7.What are the default statistics that PROC MEANS produce?

PROC MEANS produce the "default" statistics of N, MIN, MAX, MEAN and STD DEV.

Proc Means : Detailed Explanation

8. Name and describe functions that you have used for data cleaning?

SAS Character Functions
SAS Character Functions
Tutorial : Character Functions

9. Difference between FUNCTION and PROC

Example : MEAN function and PROC MEANS

The MEAN function is an average of the value of several variables in one observation. The average that is calculated using PROC MEANS is the sum of all of the values of a variable divided by the number of observations in the variable. In other words, the MEAN function will sum across the row and a procedure will SUM down a column.

MEAN Function
AVG=MEAN (of Q1 - Q3);

See the output below :

MEAN Function Output
MEAN Function Output
PROC MEANS
PROC MEANS DATA=READIN MEAN;
RUN;

The output is shown below :

PROC MEANS Output
PROC MEANS Output

10. Differences between WHERE and IF statement?

For detailed explanation, see this tutorial -SAS : Where Vs IF

  1. WHERE statement can be used in procedures to subset data while IF statement cannot be used in procedures.
  2. WHERE can be used as a data set option while IF cannot be used as a data set option.
  3. WHERE statement is more efficient than IF statement. It tells SAS not to read all observations from the data set
  4. WHERE statement can be used to search for all similar character values that sound alike while IF statement cannot be used.
  5. WHERE statement can not be used when reading data using INPUT statement whereas IF statement can be used.
  6. Multiple IF statements can be used to execute multiple conditional statements
  7. When it is required to use newly created variables, useIF statement as it doesn't require variables to exist in the READIN data set

11. What is Program Data Vector (PDV)?

PDV is a logical area in the memory.

How PDV is created?
SAS creates a dataset one observation at a time.Input buffer is created at the time of compilation, for holding a record from external file.PDV is created followed by the creation of input buffer.SAS builds dataset in the PDV area of memory.

Detailed Explanation : How PDV Works

12. What is DATA _NULL_?

The DATA _NULL_ is mainly used to create macro variables. It can also be used to write output without creating a dataset.The idea of "null" here is that we have a data step that actually doesn't create a data set.

13. What is the difference between '+' operator and SUM function?

SUM function returns the sum of non-missing arguments whereas “+” operator returns a missing value if any of the arguments are missing.

Suppose we have a data set containing three variables - X, Y and Z. They all have missing values. We wish to compute sum of all the variables.

data mydata2;
set mydata;
a=sum(x,y,z);
p=x+y+z;
run;
The output is shown in the image below :
SUM Function vs PLUS Operator
SAS : SUM Function vs Plus Operator

In the output, value of p is missing for 4th, 5th and 6th observations.

14. How to identify and remove unique and duplicate values?

1. Use PROC SORT with NODUPKEY and NODUP Options.

2. Use First. and Last. Variables - Detailed Explanation

The detailed explanation is shown below :

SAMPLE DATA SET
ID Name Score
1David45
1David74
2Sam45
2Ram54
3Bane87
3Mary92
3Bane87
4Dane23
5Jenny87
5Ken87
6Simran63
8Priya72

Create this data set in SAS

data readin;
input ID Name $ Score;
cards;
1 David 45
1 David 74
2 Sam 45
2 Ram 54
3 Bane 87
3 Mary 92
3 Bane 87
4 Dane 23
5 Jenny 87
5 Ken 87
6 Simran 63
8 Priya 72;
run;

There are several ways to identify and remove unique and duplicate values:

PROC SORT

In PROC SORT, there are two options by which we can remove duplicates.

1. NODUPKEY Option 2. NODUP Option

The NODUPKEY option removes duplicate observations where value of a variable listed in BY statement is repeated while NODUP option removes duplicate observations where values in all the variables are repeated (identical observations).

PROC SORT DATA=readin NODUPKEY;
BY ID;
RUN;
PROC SORT DATA=readin NODUP;
BY ID;
RUN;

The output is shown below :

SAS : NODUPKEY vs NODUP
SAS : NODUPKEY vs NODUP

The NODUPKEY has deleted 5 observations with duplicate values whereas NODUP has not deleted any observations.

Q. Why no value has been deleted when NODUP option is used?

Answer : Although ID 3 has two identical records (See observation 5 and 7), NODUP option has not removed them. It is because they are not next to one another in the dataset and SAS only looks at one record back.

To fix this issue, sort on all the variables in the dataset READIN.

To sort by all the variables without having to list them all in the program, you can use the keywork ‘_ALL_’in the BY statement (see below).

PROC SORT DATA=readin NODUP;
BY _all_;
RUN;
The output is shown below :
SAS NODUP Output
SAS NODUP Output


PROC SORT - Detailed Explanation

15. Difference between NODUP and NODUPKEY Options?

The NODUPKEY option removes duplicate observations where value of a variable listed in BY statement is repeated while NODUP option removes duplicate observations where values in all the variables are repeated (identical observations).

See the detailed explanation for this question above (Q14).

16. What are _numeric_ and _character_ and what do they do?

1. _NUMERIC_ specifies all numeric variables that are already defined in the current DATA step.

2. _CHARACTER_ specifies all character variables that are currently defined in the current DATA step.

3. _ALL_ specifies all variables that are currently defined in the current DATA step.

Example : To include all the numeric variables in PROC MEANS.

proc means;
var _numeric_;
run;

Tutorial : Specify a list of variables

17. How to sort in descending order?

Use DESCENDING keyword in PROC SORT code. The example below shows the use of the descending keyword.

PROC SORT DATA=auto;
 BY DESCENDING engine ;
RUN ;

18. Under what circumstances would you code a SELECT construct instead of IF statements?

When you have a long series of mutually exclusive conditions and the comparison is numeric, using a SELECT group is slightly more efficient than using IF-THEN or IF-THEN-ELSE statements because CPU time is reduced.

The syntax for SELECT WHEN is as follows :

SELECT (condition);
WHEN (1) x=x;
WHEN (2) x=x*2;
OTHERWISE x=x-1;
END;

Example :

SELECT (str);
WHEN ('Sun') wage=wage*1.5;
WHEN ('Sat') wage=wage*1.3;
OTHERWISE DO;
wage=wage+1;
bonus=0;
END;
END;

19. How to convert a numeric variable to a character variable?

You must create a differently-named variable using the PUT function.

The example below shows the use of the PUT function.

charvar=put(numvar, 7.) ;

20. How to convert a character variable to a numeric variable?

You must create a differently-named variable using theINPUTfunction.

The example below shows the use of the INPUT function.

numvar=input(charvar,4.0);

21. What's the difference between VAR A1 - A3 and VAR A1 -- A3?

Single Dash : It is used to specify consecutively numbered variables. A1-A3 implies A1, A2 and A3.

Double Dash : It is used to specify variables based on the order of the variables as they appear in the file,regardless of the name of the variable. A1--A3 implies all the variables from A1 to A3 in the order they appear in the data set.

Example : The order of variables in a data set : ID Name A1 A2 C1 A3

So using A1-A3 would return A1 A2 A3. A1--A3 would return A1 A2 C1 A3.

22. Difference between PROC MEANS and PROC SUMMARY?

1. Proc MEANS by default produces printed output in the OUTPUT window whereas Proc SUMMARY does not. Inclusion of the PRINT option on the Proc SUMMARY statement will output results to the output window.

2. Omitting the var statement in PROC MEANS analyses all the numeric variable whereas Omitting the variable statement in PROC SUMMARY produces a simple count of observation.

How to produce output in the OUTPUT window using PROC SUMMARY?

Use PRINT option.

proc summary data=retail print;
 class services;
 var investment;
run;

23. Can PROC MEANS analyze ONLY the character variables?

No, Proc Means requires at least one numeric variable.

24. How SUBSTR function works?

The SUBSTR function is used to extract substring from a character variable.

The SUBSTR function has three arguments:

SUBSTR ( character variable, starting point to begin reading the variable, number of characters to read from the starting point)

There are two basic applications of the SUBSTR function:

RIGHT SIDE APPLICATION
data _null_;
phone='(312) 555-1212';
area_cd=substr(phone, 2, 3);
put area_cd=;
run;

Result : In the log window, it writes area_cd=312 .

LEFT SIDE APPLICATION

It is used to change just a few characters of a variable.

data _null_ ;
phone='(312) 555-1212' ;
substr(phone, 2, 3)='773' ;
put phone=;
run ;

Result : The variable PHONE has been changed from(312) 555-1212 to (773) 555-1212.

Explanation : Other Character Functions

25. Difference between CEIL and FLOOR functions?

The ceil function returns the smallest integer greater than/equal to the argument whereas the floor returns the greatest integer less than/equal to the argument.

For example : ceil(4.4) returns 5 whereas floor(4.4) returns 4.

26. Difference between SET and MERGE?

SET concatenates the data sets where as MERGE matches the observations of the data sets.

SET

SAS SET STATEMENT

MERGE

Join Horizontally
Detailed Explanation : Data Step Merging
Detailed Explanation : Combine Data Sets

27. How to do Matched Merge and output only consisting of observations from both files?

Use IN=variable in MERGE statements. It is used for matched merge to track and select which observations in the data set from the merge statement will go to a new data set.

data readin;
merge file1(in=infile1) file2(in=infile2);
by id;
if infile1=infile2;
run;

28. How to do Matched Merge and output consisting of observations in file1 but not in file2, or in file2 but not in file1?

data readin;
merge file1(in=infile1)file2(in=infile2);
by id;
if infile1 ne infile2;
run;
SAS Merge

29. How to do Matched Merge and output consisting of observations from only file1?

data readin;
merge file1(in=infile1)file2(in=infile2);
by id;
if infile1;
run;

30. How do I create a data set with observations=100, mean 0 and standard deviation 1?

data readin;
do i=1 to 100;
     temp=0 + rannor(1) * 1;
     output;
end;
run;
proc means data=readin mean stddev;
var temp;
run;

31. How to label values and use it in PROC FREQ?

Use PROC FORMAT to set up a format.

proc format;
value score 0 - 100=‘100-‘
101 - 200=‘101+’
other=‘others’
;
proc freq data=readin;
tables outdata;
format outdatascore. ;
run;

Tutorial : PROC FREQ Detailed Explanation

32. How to use arrays to recode set of variables?

Recode the set of questions: Q1,Q2,Q3...Q20 in the same way: if the variable has a value of 6 recode it to SAS missing.

data readin;
set outdata;   
array Q(20) Q1-Q20;
do i=1 to 20;
if Q(i)=6 then Q(i)=.;
end;
run;

SAS Arrays and Do Loops Made Easy

33. How to use arrays to recode all the numeric variables?

Use _numeric_ and dim functions in array.

data readin;
set outdata;   
array Q(*) _numeric_;
do i=1 to dim(Q);
if Q(i)=6 then Q(i)=.;
end;
run;

Note : DIM returns a total count of the number of elements in array dimension Q.

34. How to calculate mean for a variable by group?

Suppose Q1 is a numeric variable and Age a grouping variable. You wish to compute mean for Q1 by Age.

PROC MEANS DATA=READIN;
VAR Q1;
CLASS AGE;
RUN;

35. How to generate cross tabulation?

Use PROC FREQ code.

PROC FREQ DATA=auto;
 TABLES A*B ;
RUN;

SAS will produce table of A by B.

36. How to generate detailed summary statistics?

Use PROC UNIVARIATE code.

PROC UNIVARIATE DATA=READIN;
 CLASS Age;
 VAR Q1;
RUN;

Note : Q1 is a numeric variable and Age a grouping variable.

37. How to count missing values for numeric variables?

Use PROC MEANS with NMISS option.

Types of Missing Values in SAS

38. How to count missing values for all variables?

proc format;
value $missfmt ' '='Missing' other='Not Missing';
value missfmt .='Missing' other='Not Missing';
run;
proc freq data=one; 
format _CHAR_ $missfmt.;
tables _CHAR_ / missing missprint nocum nopercent;
format _NUMERIC_ missfmt.;
tables _NUMERIC_ / missing missprint nocum nopercent;
run;

39. Describe the ways in which you can create macro variables

There are 5 ways to create macro variables:

  1. %Let
  2. Iterative %DO statement
  3. Call Symput
  4. Proc SQl into clause
  5. Macro Parameters.
Detailed Tutorial : SAS Macros Made Easy

40. Use of CALL SYMPUT

CALL SYMPUT puts the value from a dataset into a macro variable.

proc means data=test;
var x;
output out=testmean mean=xbar;
run;
data _null_;
set testmean;
call symput("xbarmac",xbar);
run;

%put mean of x is &xbarmac;

41. What are SYMGET and SYMPUT?

SYMPUT puts the value from a dataset into a macro variable where as SYMGET gets the value from the macro variable to the dataset.

Tutorial - Difference between SYMGET and SYMPUT

42. Which date function advances a date, time or datetime value by a given interval?

The INTNX Function advances a date, time, or datetime value by a given interval, and returns a date, time, or datetime value. Example : INTNX(interval,start-from,number-of-increments,alignment).

Tutorial: SAS Date Functions

43. How to count the number of intervals between two given SAS dates?

INTCK(interval,start-of-period,end-of-period) is an interval function that counts the number of intervals between two give SAS dates, Time and/or datetime.

Tutorial : INTCK Function Explained

44. Difference between SCAN and SUBSTR?

SCAN extracts words within a value that is marked by delimiters. SUBSTR extracts a portion of the value by stating the specific location. It is best used when we know the exact position of the sub string to extract from a character value.

45. The following data step executes:

Data strings;
Text1=“MICKEY MOUSE & DONALD DUCK”;
Text=scan(text1,2,’&’);
Run;

What will the value of the variable Text be?

* DONALD DUCK [(Leading blanks are displayed using an asterisk *]

46. For what purpose would you use the RETAIN statement?

A RETAIN statement tells SAS not to set variables to missing when going from the current iteration of the DATA step to the next. Instead, SAS retains the values.

Tutorial : RETAIN Statement

47. When grouping is in effect, can the WHERE clause be used in PROC SQL to subset data?

No. In order to subset data when grouping is in effect, the HAVING clause must be used. The variable specified in having clause must contain summary statistics.

PROC SQL Made Easy

48. How to use IF THEN ELSE in PROC SQL?

PROC SQL;
SELECT WEIGHT,
CASE
WHEN WEIGHT BETWEEN 0 AND 50 THEN ’LOW’
WHEN WEIGHT BETWEEN 51 AND 70 THEN ’MEDIUM’
WHEN WEIGHT BETWEEN 71 AND 100 THEN ’HIGH’
ELSE ’VERY HIGH’
END AS NEWWEIGHT FROM HEALTH;
QUIT;

49. How to remove duplicates using PROC SQL?

Proc SQL noprint;
Create Table mergedtbl as
Select distinct * from readin ;
Quit;

50. How to count unique values by a grouping variable?

You can use PROC SQL with COUNT(DISTINCT variable_name) to determine the number of unique values for a column.

51. How to merge two data sets using PROC SQL?

PROC SQL Merging

52. Difference between %EVAL and %SYSEVALF

%EVAL cannot perform arithmetic calculations with operands that have the floating point values. It is when the %SYSEVALF function comes into picture.

%let last=%eval (4.5+3.2);
%let last2=%sysevalf(4.5+3.2);
%put &last2;

53. How to debug SAS Macros

There are some system options that can be used to debug SAS Macros: MPRINT, MLOGIC, SYMBOLGEN.

Detailed Tutorial : SAS Macros Made Easy

54.

%let x=temp;
%let n=3;
%let x3=result;
%let temp3=result2;

Difference between &x&n , &&x&n , &&&x&n?

Solution : Multiple Ampersand Macro Variables

55. How to save log in an external file

Use PROC PRINTTO

proc printto log="C:\Users\Deepanshu\Downloads\LOG2.txt" new;
run;

56. How Data Step Merge and PROC SQL handle many-to-many relationship?

Data Step MERGE does not create a cartesian product incase of a many-to-many relationship. Whereas, Proc SQL produces a cartesian product.

SAS : Many-to-Many Merge

57. What is the use of 'BY statement' in Data Step Merge?

Without 'BY' statement, Data Step Merge performs merging without matching. In other words, the records are combined based on their relative position in the data set. The second data set gets placed to the "right" of the first data set (no matching based on the unique identifier - if data is not sorted based on unique identifier, wrong records can be merged).

When you use 'BY' statement, it matches observations according to the values of the BY variables that you specify.

58. Use of Multiple SET Statments

SAS : Use of Multiple SET Statements

59. How to combine tables vertically with PROC SQL

PROC SQL : Combine tables vertically

60. Two ways to reverse order of data

Reverse order of data

61. Which is more faster- Data Step / Proc SQL

The SQL procedure performed better with the smaller datasets (less than approx. 100 MB) whereas the data step performed better with the larger ones (more than approx. 100 MB). It is because the DATA step handles each record sequentially so it never uses a lot of memory, however, it takes time to process one at a time. So with a smaller dataset, the DATA step is going to take more time sending each record through.

With the SQL procedure, everything is loaded up into memory at once. By doing this, the SQL procedure can process small datasets rather quickly since everything is available in memory. Conversely, when you move to larger datasets, your memory can get bogged down which then leads to the SQL procedure being a little bit slower compared to the DATA step which will never take up too much memory space.

If you need to connect directly to a database and pull tables from there, then use PROC SQL.

62. What does tranwrd function do?

The TRANWRD function is a string function that is used to replace occurrences of a specific word or phrase within a character string with a new word or phrase. It stands for "translate and replace word.

63. Explain PROC REPORT

PROC REPORT is a powerful SAS procedure used for creating customized tabular reports. It provides extensive options for formatting and arranging data in tables.

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About Author:
Deepanshu Bhalla

Deepanshu founded ListenData with a simple objective - Make analytics easy to understand and follow. He has over 10 years of experience in data science. During his tenure, he worked with global clients in various domains like Banking, Insurance, Private Equity, Telecom and HR.

Post Comment 144 Responses to "Top 60+ SAS Interview Questions and Answers (2024)"
  1. Thanks a lot for the wonderful questions and most of the people do mistake in this basic concept.This site is very useful and I have subscribed this channel and I am very excited whenever I will see the updates from your site. I will read all things which you have posted. Please help us to learn more on advanced SAS concepts.

    Againt thanks in advance and please continue the same.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much.Its really helpful for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your feedback. Glad you found it useful.

      Delete
  3. if u know the MACROS plzz..show with these type view .its must helpful for us

    ReplyDelete
  4. it was very helpful thank you. little more on macro and proc sql will be really helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks Man.. It really helpe..

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is awesome. I am preparing for an interview and could not have used a more well written and comprehensive article

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. All the best for your interview.

      Delete
    2. Hi akriti.. Have u gave interview already if so please keep us updated on the interview Q's..
      Thanks

      Delete
  7. thanks a lot for such useful block of examples and concepts... it made me some what more clarified regarding the topics i was planning to be through.

    thanks again. great job

    ReplyDelete
  8. Doubt in que 3. MIssover vs Truncover...

    data test_data;
    infile datalines missover;
    input age_ 4.;
    datalines;
    1
    22
    333
    4444
    ;
    run;

    proc print data=test_data;
    run;

    The output is printing all values in missover option and not missing values, opposite of what that was mentioned on your site.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Use external file rather than data lines to read data into sas and you will get your answer.

      data test_data;
      infile "C:\Users\Deepanshu Bhalla\Desktop\test.txt" missover;
      input age_ 4.;
      run;

      proc print data=test_data;
      run;

      Delete
    2. Thanks.it really help

      Delete
  9. First of all i would like to thanku for providing such a precise and crisp basic questions to be taken care before heading to an interview. But i guess example of Nodup was wrong and there is no use _all_ keyword .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your feedback. I would request you to try NODUP example in SAS.

      Delete
    2. Yes, i checked and giving the same output.
      I have one more question. suppose we have a variable of character datatype(containing numeric data also) and we need to create two vble in such a way that numeric data and character data will come in differentiated.
      CAN someone pls help.

      Delete
    3. You can use compress function to extract text and numbers from alphanumeric string. Check out this link - http://www.listendata.com/2015/04/sas-extracting-numbers-and-text-from.html

      Delete
  10. I am learning base SAS and i find this website very easy to follow and its really helpful, i just signed up for subscription today, and looking forward to learn new updates related to sas. i am going to give test for sas certification if you can post more certification practice question it will be very helpful. thanks a lot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you found it helpful. Sure, i will post more certification practice questions. Thanks!

      Delete
  11. Great work man. Definitely awsome data for those , preparing for there intrrviews.
    Thanks man for this great work. And keep posting like this great information.

    ReplyDelete
  12. thanks a lot Deepanshu. this one is a very good collection of Q&A. could you please post Q&A of Proc SQL and macros.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey .. Great Job! Just cracked an interview because of this post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congratulations! Glad to know that :-)

      Delete
    2. Can u give us more info about the interview and Questions that were asked?? @ Anonymous

      Delete
  14. Thanks. Answers werereally h elpfull. good job.

    ReplyDelete
  15. which infile option use for read given data.

    VVVVV 3 2 3 4
    VAR 2 3
    SSSSS 3 2

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thnks ..Great Job ..can you please add more questions ?

    ReplyDelete
  17. very useful compilation thanks a lot

    ReplyDelete
  18. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR MARVELOUS WORK ,WHICH IS VERY HELP FULL, AND I REQUEST YOU POST MACROS MATERIALS

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is very helpful...great work! Thank you :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Very helpful and great work. Can you please post the differences between proc means, proc summary and proc univariate.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Iam pushpa.I did my MSC statistics .iam learning SAS. Which project should I take either banking n finance or clinical trails .which one should really helpful to my career in analytical side

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would say "Banking & Finance" project as jobs in BFSI industry are more than the pharma industry, Thanks!

      Delete
  22. Good going Deepanshu... Found it really healpful...

    ReplyDelete
  23. Deepanshu, I need a analytics +sas resume for fresher, I hope you will help me.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Good set of questions.. very helpful.. keep writing..

    ReplyDelete
  25. thanks for a wonderful questions keeps going on but i need more questions on macros will u please

    ReplyDelete
  26. great job.present scanario which sector to use sas. and who r looking for job in sas, r they have any oputunite on sas domain in future... is it better course for learning?

    ReplyDelete
  27. very well done Deepanshu. There is no website like yours with such good interview questions and answers. keep going!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Nice Questions and Very Well Presented. Thank You!!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Great article. Can you include some info on new things in SAS 9.4 version as most interviewer ask this kind of questions and there are lot more addition to the normal function in SAS 9.4. It would be great if look into this topics.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Nice questions and answers.Very much helpful.Thank You!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  31. The Explanation for basic SAS is very useful. Can you do same thing for Macro and Array?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hello.

    There is a mistake at question 28.

    The question was: "How to do Matched Merge and output consisting of observations in file1 but not in file2?"

    The answer in this article is wrong.

    The answer would be:
    data readin;
    merge file1(in=infile1) file2(in=infile2);
    by id;
    if infile1 = 1 and infile2 = 0;
    run;

    Your 'if' (infile1 ne infile2) outputs cases when infile1 = 1 and infile2= 0 but also cases when infile1 = 0 and infile2 = 1: i.e. respectively observations in file1 but not in file2 and observations in file2 but not in file1.

    My 'if' (infile1 = 1 and infile2 = 0) represents only cases when infile1 = 1 and infile2= 0: i.e. observations in file1 but not in file2.

    Regards.
    Cédric Guilmin

    ReplyDelete
  33. Deepanshu keep it up nice job this artical cleared my almost all questions thank u.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Dm statement ia used to clean the windows like editor,output and log and we can export the log. Let me explain is there any specific meaning for dm r any fullform for dm.

    ReplyDelete
  35. We have proc datasets it is performing append,copy,delete,modify.Though it is performing all these why we are using still all these proc procedures separately like proc copy,proc delete,proc append.Is there any limitation to proc datasets

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PROC DELETE is faster than PROC DATASETS when you want to remove a few data sets from the library. On the other hand, if you need to delete an entire library, then PROC DATASETS is the best tool. Read about "how PROC Datasets keeps an in-memory directory"

      Delete
  36. Hi Deepanshu,

    Me planning to give the base sas certification exam by 15th Jan, Please provide me some dummy questions to clear the exam...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hello sir,
      I am already pursuing a course on SAS.I wanted to know is the pnline certification course required for a job?

      Delete
    2. Which online certification you are referring to? Is it base SAS certification course?Certification does not help much. At the end, you have to crack interview. What matters is your knowledge about practical application of SAS Programming. In short, It's good to be Base or Advanced SAS certified but it would not guarantee you a job.

      Delete
  37. Plz help me on this :

    Id age salary
    1 23 3000
    2 34 5000
    4 26 2000
    4 26 2000
    5 32 5000
    5 32 4000

    Output:
    Id age salary
    1 23 3000
    2 34 5000
    4 26 4000
    5 32 9000

    Kindly tell me how to achieve this. Thanks in advance. Plz help

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. using NODUPKEY BY ID WILL do the trick

      Delete
    2. data temp;
      input Id age salary;
      cards;
      1 23 3000
      2 34 5000
      4 26 2000
      4 26 2000
      5 32 5000
      5 32 4000
      ;
      run;

      proc sql;
      select distinct ID, Age, sum(salary) as salary
      from temp
      group by ID;
      quit;

      Delete
    3. Thanks a lot brother. Sas seems to be getting easier and a lot easier courtsey You and this wonderful website listen data. Amazing job.
      Congrats
      MAC

      Delete
    4. proc sort data=dsn nodupkey;
      by id;
      run;

      Delete
    5. You can use below code for that..

      Proc sort data = temp;
      By id;
      Run;

      Data temp1(rename=(salary1=salary));
      Set temp;
      By id;
      If first.id then salary1=salary;
      Else salary1+salary;

      If last.id then output;
      Drop salary;
      Run;

      Delete
  38. Thankq so much..Its really helpful for me.great job..

    ReplyDelete
  39. amazing , yaar you know everything

    ReplyDelete
  40. How to reverse a set of numbers without sorting..
    For example, 2 9 6 4 3 8

    This was an interview question as well :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice question! Check out the solution -
      data temp;
      input var1 @@;
      cards;
      2 9 6 4 3 8
      ;
      run;

      data temp2;
      do i = nobs to 1 by -1;
      set temp nobs = nobs point=i;
      output;
      end;
      stop;
      run;

      Delete
  41. Thank you Deepanshu Bhalla :)

    ReplyDelete
  42. Hello sir,
    your post has been very helpful .I am already learning sas.I have also done my M.A. in economics with specialization in Econometrics.will this be of any added advantage sir?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some companies give preference to economics or statistics graduates for predictive modeling profiles. FYI - I am also an economics graduate.

      Delete
  43. Hi deepanshu....

    your content is amazing...really helpful...could u help me with this query..if a datavalue is missing in the middle of the record what infile option is to be used...i used both missover and truncover options..both resulted in the same way... i did not get the desired output...

    The following is my example:
    LANGKAMM SARAH E0045 Mechanic
    TORRES JAN E0029 Pilot
    SMITH MICHAEL E0065
    LEISTNER COLIN Mechanic
    TOMAS HARALD
    WADE KIRSTEN E0126 Pilot
    WAUGH TIM E0204 Pilot


    ReplyDelete
    Replies



    1. data employee;
      input Name & $15. id $5. profession $10.;
      infile datalines missover;
      datalines;
      LANGKAMM SARAH E0045 Mechanic
      TORRES JAN E0029 Pilot
      SMITH MICHAEL E0065
      LEISTNER COLIN Mechanic
      TOMAS HARALD
      WADE KIRSTEN E0126 Pilot
      WAUGH TIM E0204 Pilot
      run;

      Hi, Neelima is the above code is ok for your query??

      Delete
  44. Appreciate the work Deepanshu. It really is a crisp collection with the appropriate links for the detail.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Deepanshu, I do not have words to appreciate you. The Questionnaire you have created is a 'One-Stop-Shop' for all the SAS lovers & Users. Please continue to add on the good work. Wish you all the Best!. Regards, Rakesh

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind words. I am glad you found it helpful. Cheers!

      Delete
  46. Nice!! Good interview questions and answers for base SAS. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  47. Really helps in understanding the concepts more clearly.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Such a nice collection of interview questions and answers. The best thing is that your site looks so user friendly and one feels like reading a book instead of webpage. Great work !!!

    ReplyDelete
  49. thank q sir ur explantion is good it is really helpfull to me

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you found it helpful. Cheers!

      Delete
    2. Dear Sir

      How to find cumulative sum of a variable.please help me
      TIA

      Delete
    3. data abcd;
      input x y;
      cards;
      1 25
      1 28
      1 27
      2 23
      2 35
      2 34
      3 25
      3 29
      ;
      run;



      data aaa;
      set abcd;
      retain z 0;
      z = z + y;
      run;

      Delete

    4. hi sr,

      I have a real time scenario


      I have a dataset with the following info

      emp_id currency$

      1234 USD

      1289 USD

      1389 INR

      1456 INR,USD

      1567 USD,GBP,INR



      I need ouput like this

      e_id currency$

      1234 USD

      1234 USD

      1289 USD

      1389 INR

      1456 INR

      1456 USD

      1567 USD

      1567 GBP

      1567 INR

      1567 INR


      how to do it,please help me

      Delete
    5. Hi,
      This is Satish.
      Please find the below solution.

      data EMP_CURR;
      input emp_id currency$20.;
      CUUR_COUNT_DEL=LENGTH(currency)-length(compress(currency,","));
      call symput('x_c',max(CUUR_COUNT_DEL)+1);
      cards;
      1234 USD
      1289 USD
      1389 INR
      1456 INR,USD
      1567 USD,GBP,INR
      1897 USD,INR,AFN,DZD,ABC
      ;

      %put &x_c;

      data EMP_CURR_1 (drop=i currency);
      set EMP_CURR;
      array scan_(&x_c.) $;
      do i= 1 to &x_c.;
      scan_(i)=scan(currency,i,",");
      end;
      run;

      data EMP_CURR_2(keep=emp_id currency);
      set EMP_CURR_1;
      array scan_(&x_c.) $;
      do i= 1 to &x_c.;
      if scan_(i) ne " " then currency=scan_(i);
      output;
      end;
      run;
      proc sort data=EMP_CURR_2 nodup;by emp_id;
      run;

      Delete
  50. Do you have any content and interview questions and answers on SAS Graphs please post them.
    Thank you in advance.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Nice!! Good interview questions and answers for base SAS. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  52. Awsome!!! Really helpful...pls also try to post some scenario based questions as well..that would be really great.Looking forward to it!

    ReplyDelete
  53. this was excellent stuff to go through thanks for uploading and can u upload prog 3 questions if possible

    ReplyDelete
  54. can anyone suggest the best institue in delhi for sas and will it be beneficial for B.Sc maths background student

    ReplyDelete
  55. Nice.... really very helpfull.add more questions on base sas.and please add few questions from domain too on sdtm and AdaM

    ReplyDelete
  56. I am working in sql server and .net but want to move in SAS is it a good idea?

    ReplyDelete
  57. I am Post Graduate in Statistics.I keep on following this site. I learned SAS.But as of my knowledge openings for freshers are low.I dont have working knowledge on SAS.I want to learn Advanced excel and statistical topics under excel.With excel also I have the chance to become a data analyst.I thought after that move on to SAS is easy. Is my thinking is right? If it good, what are topics that i have to learn? Can u please answer me?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unless you excel in VBA after you complete your session with EXCEL, I would recommend you start with SAS directly. There is less necessity to take a detour.

      Delete
  58. really helpful as language is quite simple.

    ReplyDelete
  59. This list of Q&A is really comprehensive! I spent a day and currently stopped Q26, and will continue to finish the rest tomorrow. I have watched SAS official tutorials but none of those are as helpful as the questions in this blog. I would recommend newbies, like myself, spend extra time to expand a little bit beside the scope of each question, and don't just look for answers for questions, instead treat each question seriously and key in the codes in SAS to see how the answer works. By practicing along the way, I have developed a pretty good sense of the data structure and common syntaxes. Good luck everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  60. Thanks a lot for the q&a.

    ReplyDelete
  61. If any opening related to this profile please please contact me I realy need one job 8745991176

    ReplyDelete
  62. Really this is very helpful site. Could be more helpful if scenario base questions are included. Thank you very much.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Thank you for all the questions. It helps alot

    ReplyDelete
  64. good going buddy,, found it very helpful...
    keep posting
    Thanx a ton

    ReplyDelete
  65. Thanks for this material.Really Help full alot.

    ReplyDelete
  66. This is so much helpful and easy to understand. Till now, my every query got answered through these blogs.
    Thanks a lot :)

    ReplyDelete
  67. hi,
    I wanted to learn tableau but don't see it on your blog. Any plans to add it

    ReplyDelete
  68. good stuff,and it is very useful for freshers as well as experienced candidates....'thank you sir'....

    ReplyDelete
  69. Hey...Nice blog...great for interview preparation ..Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. hi sr,

      I have a real time scenario


      I have a dataset with the following info

      emp_id currency$

      1234 USD

      1289 USD

      1389 INR

      1456 INR,USD

      1567 USD,GBP,INR



      I need ouput like this

      e_id currency$

      1234 USD

      1234 USD

      1289 USD

      1389 INR

      1456 INR

      1456 USD

      1567 USD

      1567 GBP

      1567 INR

      1567 INR


      how to do it,please help me

      Delete
  70. Hi,
    This is satish.
    Please find the solution.

    data EMP_CURR;
    input emp_id currency$20.;
    CUUR_COUNT_DEL=LENGTH(currency)-length(compress(currency,","));
    call symput('x_c',max(CUUR_COUNT_DEL)+1);
    cards;
    1234 USD
    1289 USD
    1389 INR
    1456 INR,USD
    1567 USD,GBP,INR
    1897 USD,INR,AFN,DZD,ABC
    ;

    %put &x_c;

    data EMP_CURR_1 (drop=i currency);
    set EMP_CURR;
    array scan_(&x_c.) $;
    do i= 1 to &x_c.;
    scan_(i)=scan(currency,i,",");
    end;
    run;

    data EMP_CURR_2(keep=emp_id currency);
    set EMP_CURR_1;
    array scan_(&x_c.) $;
    do i= 1 to &x_c.;
    if scan_(i) ne " " then currency=scan_(i);
    output;
    end;
    run;
    proc sort data=EMP_CURR_2 nodup;by emp_id;
    run;

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awesome solution it's great to learn..
      Thanks Satish

      Delete
  71. Really Nice and very helpful SAS QnA

    ReplyDelete
  72. Do you have simillar in SAS VA ?

    ReplyDelete
  73. Hi everyone,

    I have a table/dataset as below:

    Name Skill
    Amit Informatica
    Amit SQL
    Ram Abinitio
    Bhim SAS
    Bhim SQL

    And I need output using SAS as:

    Name Abinitio. Informatica SAS SQL
    Amit No Yes No Yes
    Bhim No No Yes Yes
    Ram Yes No No No

    Could you please help me with the code?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. data temp;
      input name $ Skill $12.;
      cards;
      Amit Informatica
      Amit SQL
      Ram Abinitio
      Bhim SAS
      Bhim SQL
      ;
      run;

      proc transpose data=temp out=temp2 (drop=_NAME_);
      by name notsorted;
      id Skill;
      run;

      proc format;
      value flag
      .='No'
      1='Yes';
      run;

      data temp22;
      set temp2;
      format SAS SQL Informatica Abinitio flag.;
      run;

      Delete
    2. Thank you Deepanshu

      Delete
    3. Hi, above is not working correct as it gives error as numeric format for character formating there is slight change in code,
      data temp;
      input name $ Skill $12.;
      cards;
      Amit Informatica
      Amit SQL
      Ram Abinitio
      Bhim SAS
      Bhim SQL
      ;
      run;

      proc transpose data=temp out=temp2 (drop=_NAME_);
      by name notsorted;
      id Skill;
      var name;
      run;

      proc format;
      value $ flags
      " "='No'
      other='Yes';
      run;

      data temp22;
      set temp2;
      format SAS SQL Informatica Abinitio flags.;
      run;

      Delete
  74. question no. 28 answer is wrong, plz verify

    ReplyDelete
  75. Hi,

    Referring to Q. 10(Point number 2):
    "WHERE can be used as a data set option while IF cannot be used as a data set option"

    I believe there is a Typo for using "cannot" rather than using "can".

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  76. Hi,
    I have a dataset with n number of columns .my qn is I am searching one word ,I want to print only that column names wherever that word exists in Columns.?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please check vname function with array referenced on the variables/columns you want the condition on.

      Delete
  77. Hi
    Could you breif explanation of proc means it means what is N,mean,median like that

    ReplyDelete
  78. Hi,How can i remove selected observations and when i can use more set variable in data step if i have two data set?

    ReplyDelete
  79. Please add some more questions that are being asked on SAS interviews.

    ReplyDelete
  80. thank you so much yar it is useful for us

    ReplyDelete
  81. it is very use full to me thanks a lot

    ReplyDelete
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