Score Higher on Verified A00-215 | SAS Certified Associate: Programming Fundamentals Using SAS 9.4 Exam Questions with Answers

The correct answer is D. This option uses the PROC PRINT procedure, which is used to print SAS data sets. The format statement within PROC PRINT temporarily assigns a format to a variable for the duration of the PROC PRINT step. Here is how it works:

• data=sashelp.shoes; tells SAS which dataset to print.
• Format sales comma12.; temporarily assigns a comma format to the sales variable, making it easier to read, especially if the numbers are large. The comma12. format adds commas for thousands, millions, etc., and displays the number in a field that is 12 characters wide.
• The format is only applied for the duration of the PROC PRINT step and does not permanently change the dataset.

The other options are incorrect for the following reasons:

• Option A attempts to use a PROC FORMAT step, which is for creating custom formats, not for assigning formats to variables in a dataset.
• Option B uses a DATA step which could permanently assign the format to the sales variable if it were syntactically correct (it should be set sashelp.shoes; instead of Set sashelp,sheoes;).
• Option C mentions PROC CONTENTS which displays metadata about variables in a dataset and does not have the capability to assign formats.

References:

• SAS 9.4 documentation for the PROC PRINT statement: SAS Help Center: PROC PRINT

In the provided program, there are six distinct SAS statements:

• data FemaleStudents; - Data step beginning
• set sashelp.Class; - Set statement
• where Sex="F"; - Where statement
• Classroom="Red Room"; - Assignment statement
• run; - Run statement to execute the data step
• title "Female Students in Red Room"; - Title statement

Note that the proc print and the second run; statement are part of another PROC step to print the results and hence are not counted in this particular count. The final title; statement is used to clear the title setting and does not count as part of the program statements being asked about.

References:

• SAS 9.4 Language Reference: Concepts, "DATA Step"
• SAS documentation on "TITLE Statement"

In SAS, the FORMAT procedure (PROC FORMAT) allows users to create custom formats that can be used to change the way data is displayed without altering the data itself. The VALUE statement within PROC FORMAT is a key component of this procedure.

The VALUE statement can indeed create both numeric and character formats, which is why option C is correct. Numeric format names typically do not start with a $ sign (this is reserved for character format names), and the keyword UNKNOWN is not a part of the VALUE statement syntax; it is used in a different context within PROC FORMAT, specifically for handling undefined data values when using custom formats.

Moreover, the LIB= option is not used within the VALUE statement. The LIB= option is used at the PROC FORMAT level to specify the library where the formats should be stored or from which they should be read.

References

• SAS 9.4 documentation for the PROC FORMAT and VALUE statement.
• "SAS Formats and Informats." in "Step-by-Step Programming with Base SAS 9.4" from the SAS Institute.