I usually like to view a quick 5 to 10 rows of my table so I can actually see the column names, and also get a feel of what sample data looks like.
I always tend to use the following:
proc sql inobs=10;
select * from table;
quit;
Is this the best way to view a quick sample of my data? From my experience, sometimes inobs=10 can generate a table really quick, and other times, it takes a long time to run.
Maybe I don't quite understand what an "inobs" does, but is this the best way to get a very fast look at my data?
It should be fine, I use the equivalent, data step version.
proc print data=have (obs=10) ;
run;
It's documented here:
As to widely varying times for 10 obs:
data table /view=table;
do until(last.ticker);
set quotes;
by ticker;
total_ask_shares=sum(total_ask_shares,ask_shares);
total_bid_shares=sum(total_bid_shares,bid_shares);
end;
run;
proc sql inobs=10;
select * from table;
quit
If each stock ticker has 10,000 records in the quotes data set, then the first 10 obs in TABLE requires then first 100,000 observations in QUOTES.Are you ready for the spotlight? We're accepting content ideas for SAS Innovate 2025 to be held May 6-9 in Orlando, FL. The call is open until September 25. Read more here about why you should contribute and what is in it for you!
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