Where can I find a simple, step-by-step guide to SAS libraries, importing/exporting, and the SAS Explorer window?
January 22, 2011 12:03 PM Subscribe
Where can I find a simple, step-by-step guide to SAS libraries, importing/exporting, and the SAS Explorer window?
I'm taking a stats course for which SAS is the required software. (This is regular SAS, not the "enterprise guide" version.) The programming language itself I can handle, because there's plenty of good guides and tutorials out there. It's the stuff taking place outside the programming language that's giving me a huge headache.
My instructor gives us data files in Excel format and tells us to import it using the Import Wizard. But I'm getting tripped up because my instructor's explanations about how importing and exporting work confuse more than they enlighten. My instructor also seems to be unable to explain the Explorer window on the left side of the screen where the libraries are displayed.
As a result, each time I do a project I basically just screw around with the Import Wizard until I happen to do the right thing to get the Excel data linked up with my code. I seem to have a hard time finding supplemental material to fill in the gaps in my knowledge here. Could some helpful MeFite either A) explain it to me, or B) point me to some resource? Thanks!
I'm taking a stats course for which SAS is the required software. (This is regular SAS, not the "enterprise guide" version.) The programming language itself I can handle, because there's plenty of good guides and tutorials out there. It's the stuff taking place outside the programming language that's giving me a huge headache.
My instructor gives us data files in Excel format and tells us to import it using the Import Wizard. But I'm getting tripped up because my instructor's explanations about how importing and exporting work confuse more than they enlighten. My instructor also seems to be unable to explain the Explorer window on the left side of the screen where the libraries are displayed.
As a result, each time I do a project I basically just screw around with the Import Wizard until I happen to do the right thing to get the Excel data linked up with my code. I seem to have a hard time finding supplemental material to fill in the gaps in my knowledge here. Could some helpful MeFite either A) explain it to me, or B) point me to some resource? Thanks!
I highly recommend importing from within the program. You can then reuse the import code for each project. In fact, as I recall the wizard just creates it's own program to import based on the gui... I believe you can even export that to a text file, and then copy and paste it into a folder (or import the code from the text file programatically, but I'm trying to keep this simple)
Oh, as a FYI, I learned to avoid the actual SAS website for code examples. It just wasn't really useful as a reference for me. I'd recommend from personal experience :
UCLA which vilandra linked to
SAS Procedures Guide
Also, regarding the explorer window, this is one place the SAS website might be helpful.
posted by gryftir at 12:37 AM on January 24, 2011
Oh, as a FYI, I learned to avoid the actual SAS website for code examples. It just wasn't really useful as a reference for me. I'd recommend from personal experience :
UCLA which vilandra linked to
SAS Procedures Guide
Also, regarding the explorer window, this is one place the SAS website might be helpful.
posted by gryftir at 12:37 AM on January 24, 2011
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The first result from my Google search SAS FAQ How do I read/write Excel files in SAS? have some examples.
Once the code has been run, you should see each worksheet that has been imported in the Libraries section of the Explorer window. The link describes how to create either temporary datasets in the temporary work library or permanent datasets in a user created library.
posted by vilandra at 12:24 PM on January 22, 2011