UNIX Program: SAS

Contents

• Description
• Instructions for SAS

Description

SAS is primarily  a statistical package, but it also performs many other functions. SAS functions include (but are not limited to):

• Statistical analysis (e.g., means, standard deviations, tables, regression, t-test, ANOVA, factor analysis, logistic regression, two-stage least squares, time series).
• Programming (e.g., data preparation, transformations).
• Matrix algebra.
• Graphics (e.g., histograms, pie charts, two-dimensional plots, three-dimensional plots, maps).
• Utilities (e.g., sorting, copying data, identifying contents of a SAS data set, transporting SAS files between different computing systems).
• Data entry: Customized prompts for entering data.

The current version of SAS is SAS 9.2. See the SAS documentation for SAS 9.2 to see a long list of new features. SAS version 9.2 is available on the Central UNIX machine, strauss.

Instructions for SAS

Getting started with SAS on Strauss

• UNIX setup

  Be sure your configuration files on strauss conform to the current standard configuration. This can be done by executing a configuration script from the strauss command prompt.

• Browser specification

  Using a UNIX editor such as pico, vi, or emacs, add the following lines to a file in your home directory named .Xdefaults.

  SAS.webBroswer: /usr/local/bin/firefox-launcher
  SAS.helpBrowser: /usr/local/bin/firefox-launcher

  If your .Xdefaults file already contains SAS settings, put these two lines after the last existing setting. If you do not have an .Xdefaults file, create it by specifying it as the file name on an editor command. First go to your home directory by typing cd with no argument, for example:

  cd
  pico .Xdefaults

  Add the two lines above, save the file, and exit.

How do I run SAS on Strauss?

The instructions for running SAS are divided into 5 sections:

• Running SAS interactively using the SAS Display Manager System (DMS)
• Running SAS noninteractively using a command file (batch mode)
• Running SAS interactively using line mode
• Working with permanent SAS data sets
• Controlling the SAS environment