topic POLL: Proc TABULATE - still used or obsolete? in SAS Programming

POLL: Proc TABULATE - still used or obsolete?

mbuchecker — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 22:16:07 GMT

If you were training someone new to SAS, and assuming they only have Base SAS available, is PROC TABULATE really worth knowing? Please respond YES if PROC TABULATE is used frequently enough in your job, or NO if it is rarely used.
THANKS!

Updated: Looks like everyone has said Yes, so thanks for the feedback!

Re: POLL: Proc TABULATE - still used or obsolete?

Reeza — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 19:35:24 GMT

Yes

Re: POLL: Proc TABULATE - still used or obsolete?

ballardw — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 19:39:17 GMT

Yes.

I use Proc Tabulate frequently as many of my reports often involve nesting row and column data at the same time. I even have processes using Proc tabulate to create summary data sets.

Re: POLL: Proc TABULATE - still used or obsolete?

Astounding — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 20:15:36 GMT

Yes, but ... that doesn't make it a top priority. Here are all topics that I would want a trainee to master before learning PROC TABULATE:

PROCS: SORT, PRINT, SUMMARY, FREQ, FORMAT

The effect of a BY statement in a DATA step.

How SAS handles dates.

PROC FREQ: creating an output data set, the effect of adding a FORMAT statement (both on printed table and on output data set)

PROC SUMMARY: what does the output data set look like? What is NWAY, CHARTYPE, and _TYPE_? The effects of a BY statement, a CLASS statement, a FORMAT statement, and combinations of these statements.

Re: POLL: Proc TABULATE - still used or obsolete?

PGStats — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 21:43:00 GMT

YES

It is useful for some real work. Its greatest asset is its simplicity. I always consider using it before I (reluctantly) turn to proc report.

Re: POLL: Proc TABULATE - still used or obsolete?

Cynthia_sas — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 22:39:20 GMT

Hi:
I've discovered that some folks are TABULATE people and some folks are REPORT people. I've heard people say that they will always to go to REPORT first and then (reluctantly) turn to TABULATE.

I think the main strength of TABULATE is the 10**31-1 number of crossings of the CLASS variable that it can make for you. Of course, that is going to be a VERY huge set of table cells to page through, so honestly, the most I've done in TABULATE ever was 2 class variables in the PAGE dimension, 3 class variables in the row dimension and 3 class variables in the column dimension with just the N as the statistic. I've had 2-dimensional tables with more crossings in my work in the past. But I have seen more complicated tables.

To add to @Astounding's suggestion of what to master, before TABULATE, I'd add learning the DATA step and IF logic before mixing in BY groups and FIRST.byvar and LAST.byvar and then along with TABULATE, I'd recommend REPORT.

cynthia

Re: POLL: Proc TABULATE - still used or obsolete?

mbuchecker — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 23:03:59 GMT

Thanks @cynthia. I'm going off another person's course outline, so I don't have much flexibility with regard to order or content, only depth of content. But rest assured DATA step and IF logic will come first!

Re: POLL: Proc TABULATE - still used or obsolete?

ChrisBrooks — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 23:09:56 GMT

I'm definitely much more of a Proc Report type of guy but then occasionally I find something which is much easier to do with Proc Tabulate and then I use that - horses for courses....