Monday, June 5, 2017

Format/Informat/Length (SAS)

There exists some confusion, even amongst talented SAS Programmers, as to what the exact difference is between Format, Informat, and Length. This article attempts the explain the characteristics which differentiate each statement.

Format - The format statement specifies how stored SAS variable data is displayed.

Length - The length statement specifies the amount of memory allotted to a specific data variable. If length is modified, data could be potentially modified if the original variable length exceeds the newly established length.

Informat - The informat statement specifies the format in which a variable from an input source is read into SAS.

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