data

[Candice_]

How many types of data can be imported directly into SAS?

[Shmuel]

SAS uses two types only - CHAR type and NUM type

CHAR is any alphanumeric string.number, 

NUM type is held as floating point even integers.

INFORMAT defines how to read and interpret the data, and which type to assign to the variable.

FORMAT defines how to display the variable: its total length, date/datetime/time format or how many decimal digits to show, adding the $ or % signs and other more customed formats defined by FORMAT -  PICTURE.

[Kurt_Bremser]

If you are talking about file formats:

• anything in text, with more or less programming effort; includes XML
• Excel workbooks
• most available database systems through SAS/ACCESS modules
• anything via ODBC