Base SAS certification questions. Book = 5th edition guide for studying

[mava]

Hello, 

My name is Mava, and I have submitted questions before, and I thank everyone for responding. 

Even though I have been using SAS for stats for 20 yrs, I want to get SAS certified in Base. I have been studying and doing the exercises in the 5th edition of SAS REVIEW for BASE certification? 

I am a PhD clinical epidemiologist, so I primarily deal with medical data.  So I do epidemiology, grants, scientific writing, and learned more stats throughout the years (extra MS biostat classes) and took SAS courses under one learning path.  

But studying for this exam is hard on me b/c I have been doing things my way (with the correct results), and now there is all stuff I never really "read by the book" to do my programming. 

Also, I have a program, call STATTRANSFER that automatically converts other file types in SAS perm datasets (ds). 

Now, I am going through the proc import stuff, to study, and am getting so confused b/c there are a couple of ways to things, and then there is WIZARD, which is newer to me. 

So, here are my questions:  Please do NOT send me links of videos (I looked up all I could and all topics on the web), and I need HELP with the answers for my questions.  I also go back to Ron Cody's books. 

1.  How can you tell if a file is a fixed length record file? 

2. Does the test include things or other programming needs NOT included in the review book? 

3. Does the test include macro's

4.  Does the test include  SQL basics? 

5.  Can anyone, and I looked this up, and forgive me if I missed it, write code for me on how to bring in multiple excel sheets without using macros? 

6. Can anyone, in basic terms - I mean basic terms, tell me what the 

a. difference is between VALIDVARNAME (I know what that is) and a VALIDMEMNAME is?  I am NOT understanding VALIDMEMNAME and when to or not to use it.  

b. differences in literals, national, special, and pointer control variables?  I printed out and am studying the simple sheets that were out there for definitions.   Can anyone PLEASE give me examples of each of these? 

For example, examples of literals, 

                      examples of national

                      examples of special

                      examples of pointer 

   control variables? 

I know that sounds like I am not good in SAS, but I deal with medical data basically.   So I don't know if I used these before without knowing it.    

7.  If anyone out there took there took the exam and passed, please tell me if they deviate from the review book with questions.  I am watching webinars, studying hard, doing all the exercises, looking up ways to do things, and studying Cody's book.  Do they concentrate on the SAS processing a lot? 

Any hints would be so appreciated. 

I know the pass rate is rather low.  I gave the sample  test (via email) to my  PhD biostat friend,  and she was so perplexed and did not do well on the practice exam at all.  And we both have used SAS for our whole lives. 

If you can answer any question at all, please put the question number in front of your response.   If you can answer all, YAYE!!

I know I will have more basic questions, like my PhD biostat friend will have.  She is not taking the exam. 

So please, make no judgments on me for basic questions.   I thank you for that. 

I thank you so very much,  Mava. 

[Reeza · Accepted solution]

1.  How can you tell if a file is a fixed length record file? 

Documentation. The assumption is you have or understand the file type you're given or will be told in the question. That being said, you should also be able to recognize that file because the file will typically have no delimiters and is text in blocks so a visual examination of a file in a text editor will inform you.

2. Does the test include things or other programming needs NOT included in the review book? 

If this is the test you're planning to take, that does not look like the correct book. Find the page of the test you plan to take and look under the study materials to find the latest guide. Example: https://www.sas.com/en_us/certification/credentials/foundation-tools/base-programming-specialist.htm...

3. Does the test include macro's

No, you can check the content guide on the test page for detailed information on what's included in the test.

Here's an example of one: https://www.sas.com/content/dam/SAS/documents/technical/certification/content-guide/programming-fund...

4.  Does the test include  SQL basics? 

No, see above.

5.  Can anyone, and I looked this up, and forgive me if I missed it, write code for me on how to bring in multiple excel sheets without using macros? 

Use the libname method. This should copy all excel files from the workbook to your work library.

libname myfile xlsx 'full path to file with extension.xlsx';

proc copy in=myfile out=work;
run;

6. Can anyone, in basic terms - I mean basic terms, tell me what the 

a. difference is between VALIDVARNAME (I know what that is) and a VALIDMEMNAME is?  I am NOT understanding VALIDMEMNAME and when to or not to use it.  

VARNAME controls variable names, MEMNAME options control data set, views and store names. 

VALIDMEMNAME= System Option
Specifies the rules for naming SAS data sets, SAS data views, and item stores.

VALIDVARNAME= System Option
Specifies the rules for valid SAS variable names that can be created and processed during a SAS session.

SASHELP.CLASS is a data set. VALIDMEMNAME controls what type of data set names you can use. 

VALIDVARNAME controls the variables within CLASS, such as Sex, Age, Name etc.

Hope that helps. 

For example, examples of literals, 

I think these are now called Constants. See this page:

https://documentation.sas.com/?cdcId=pgmsascdc&cdcVersion=9.4_3.5&docsetId=lrcon&docsetTarget=p0cq7f...

Your other terms are too vague for me to understand what you're looking for. 

There isn't a test called SAS Base Certification so you may want to link to which test you're planning to take. 

I passed the exam on my first try in 2010 after studying through the guide. Do not try and use the free non-sas practice exam banks online, they are full of mistakes, outdated and no longer reflect the exam well. SASsensei is a good option for practicing. 

[mava]

Thank you. The test is the base programming specialist. Thanks for
helping me clarify this!

[mava]

THAT HELPS.  THANKS

[ballardw]

I won't answer test specific questions because I have never taken one and if I had it would likely have been long enough ago that the format/content has changed. Same with any details about whether a specific guide covers the current test.

1. How can you tell if a file is a fixed length record file?

Best way: the source for the data says so. The second, open the file in a text editor. If there are no separating characters like comma, pipe | or tab (may need a nicer editor to reveal such) and columns align or there are no separators or spaces in the text at all but you have reason to believe there is more than one "field" buried in it(again, the source should indicate variables, types, lengths and such).

a. difference is between VALIDVARNAME (I know what that is) and a VALIDMEMNAME is? I am NOT understanding VALIDMEMNAME and when to or not to use it.

VALIDVARNAME relates to allowable construction of Variable names inside dataset, VALIDMEMNAME relates to allowable construction rules of Members, most common member is a data set but could include data views or catalogs.

b. differences in literals, national, special, and pointer control variables?

Literal : any way to state a specific fixed value. Numeric : 123  Character: "123" (a text value with digits 1 2 and 3, NOT a number)

Date:  '01Jan2021'D , the quotes followed immediately by D with a value that is displayed in DATE9. or DATE7. format.

Time: '12:15:23'T  again quotes followed by T, a time representing 12 hours, 15  minutes, 23 seconds.

Datetime: "01Jan2021:12:15:23"dt, again quotes followed by DT with the date portion in DATE9. appearance followed by : and hours and minutes (optionally seconds).

If you use validvarname and have variables that do not conform to basic SAS variable name rules you use "This is non-standard"n the quotes around the name and N to tell SAS this is a Name literal, similar for member names if you do so.

National language characters are language specific. Which are used and valid depend on your national language settings. The NLS, national language support, is not a trivial or short answer topic. It also related to your SAS session Encoding as to which character sets are involved.

Special variables? Which ones. There are automatic variables in a data set such as _error_, _n_, First. and Last. if a by statement is used, ones you create with data set options such as IN= or set statement options like INDSNAME= END= and such. There a probably 40 or more of these depending on operating system. Statements like FILE and SET each create a different collection of such. I have no idea how many of these might be involved.

Pointer control variables are basically variable you may get involved with for setting pointer controls. Not being obnoxious, pointer controls reference which column in a text file or row in a text file an operation takes place, whether reading (input) or writing (put). There are File statement options such as COLUMN and LINE that SAS will place the current pointer positions into if requested. You really need to read the documentation on INPUT and PUT get much control over pointers to begin with and then the options that create the variables.

[mava]

tHANK YOU!!!  THAT HELPS