What is sashelp.class?

[GN0001]

Hello all,

What is sashelp.class? What do we use it for?

Respectfully,

Blue Blue

[Kurt_Bremser]

SASHELP.CLASS is one of several "demo" datasets included with every SAS installation, which therefore can be used to easily demonstrate code examples, as the dataset is available for every SAS user.

[SASKiwi · Accepted solution]

It's an example of one of SAS's sample datasets. It is there so you can experiment and learn with it. Often when you have a coding problem, using one of the sample datasets to demonstrate the problem is a good idea as all other SAS users can access the same datasets. Have a look at the SASHELP library to see some of the other datasets.

[PaigeMiller]

Take a look at it! Practice with it!

proc print data=sashelp.class;
run;

It is the single most used data set in the history of SAS (and by the way, this was predicted by Nostradamus).

[WarrenKuhfeld]

The one thing I would add to all of the previous responses is I put together a book on sashelp data sets before I retired. There are many data sets that you can practice with.
https://support.sas.com/documentation/tools/sashelpug.pdf

[ballardw]

Generic response to sometext.othertext:  typically the most used expression in SAS with a dot in the middle is the LIBNAME.DATASET syntax element. So SASHELP.CLASS refers to a data set named CLASS in the Library named SASHELP. Specifically it is a small data set supplied by SAS which is typically used to demonstrate simple(ish) manipulations of data, modeling, reporting or graphing.

So if you see this in a DATA= on a procedure that is the name of the data set(or less commonly data view) in the specified library the procedure is to use. If it appears in a SET, MERGE, MODIFY, UPDATE statement in a DATA step, that is the name of a dataset in that libarary. If using Proc SQL and it appears in a FROM clause it is the source of data.

There are a number of functions related to data set manipulation that use this as well.

Less common it might relate to a CATALOG which stores all kinds of SAS stuff but usage will be different.