Changing the length of the numeric column changes the largest integer that column can hold. Don't worry about changing numeric columns. Just leave them alone and set them to the default 8 bytes.   Read the doc for more information. https://go.documentation.sas.com/doc/en/lrcon/9.4/p0ji1unv6thm0dn1gp4t01a1u0g6.htm#p0ewuck1evqdpnn158twtqy10ime     ... View more

Again, you never said what EDITION you are using. It's on the front cover. I'm guessing the fifth edition textbook since you said 2019?   In an earlier post I said: So I'm guessing that's the fifth edition? Look at the cover and let us know the edition. My guess it's this question? Which program correctly imports only the first seven observations from the external file? You never confirmed this. You need to be 100% clear when posting on forums. I'm only guessing which question you are on. Because I have the fifth edition, the question above is Chapter 4, question #3. Page 56 like you mentioned. So are you now talking about another question now? The question I'm looking at has feedback that has nothing to do with a delimiter. It says: Use the OBS= option in the OPTIONS statement before the IMPORT procedure to limit the number of observations that SAS reads from the external file. When you use the OBS= option in the PROC PRINT statement, the whole file is imported but printing is limited to the number of observations specified. - Peter ... View more

@jaliu wrote: I totally get that practice is necessary, but it does mean that this kind of information shouldn't be provided? Is it SAS's intention to have their certified users know the details of every single statement and option available? If that's the case, why is the documentation allowed then? And is it also SAS's intention for users to discover all the idiosyncracies of the syntax by playing around with every possible combination or stumbling upon things by chance?  I don't particularly understand what you are asking here. No one knows every option/statement available. That's not possible. The guide teaches you a lot. You have to practice, practice practice by reading/processing data. Realize what's available, then use what you know. Google and look up what you don't. You can't just memorize everything in the book.    Take the course or go through the guide and just program using the examples given. Add statements to see what happens. Go to the documentation if you are curious of more options available. For example, here you are learning about reading in Excel files. Read about it. Then go read in an Excel file and practice. Then PRINT the table. Use  WHERE statement. Add a TITLE.   Before this book I HIGHLY recommend finishing the programming I course to better understand the fundamentals.   - Peter   ... View more

So I'm guessing that's the fifth edition? Look at the cover and let us know the edition. My guess it's this question? Which program correctly imports only the first seven observations from the external file?   Go to page 42. Near the bottom of that page the main section is Reading and Verifying Data. Then go to the subsection Verifying the Code that Reads the Data. It says: Before you read a complete external file, you can verify the code that reads the data by limiting the number of observations that SAS reads. You can use the OPTIONS statement with the OBS= option before the IMPORT procedure to limit the number of observations that SAS reads from your external file.   Right below that is the code options obs=5; proc import datafile="C:\Users\Student1\cert\boot.csv"; ... It's the exact answer to your question.   - Peter   ... View more

Check my previous comment. Page 47. The section is Reading Microsoft excel Data with the XLSX Engine. Then go to the second subsection. Look under Steps for Reading Excel Data   It specifically says: To read the Excel workbook file, SAS must receive the following information in the DATA step: • a libref to reference the Excel workbook to be read • the name of the Excel worksheet that is to be read   Continue reading after that. It'll show you how to do it with the LIBNAME statement Try those examples slowly and carefully. Also try an example where you use the libname to reference to an Excel workbook without the worksheet name. It won't work. You have to practice all of this. You cannot read the book and remember all of this. Practice, practice practice.   Eventually in the DATA step you realize that you need to write OUT to a table. That's why it also needs an output libref and table name.   - Peter       ... View more

Again, not sure what certification book edition you are using. The one I am looking at you need to: Go to Chapter 4, find the Reading Microsoft Excel Data with the XLSX Engine (page 47, depending on your edition). There are five pages detailing what you need to do.   1. You need a libname statement to reference an Excel workbook. This tells SAS where to find the Excel workbook.   libname x xlsx 'c:\users\...\exercise.xlsx';  *step 1 *;   2. Now that SAS knows about the workbook, you can use it in the DATA step using the library reference x.<worksheet> in the set statement. The SET statement reads in the Excel workbook and sheet name that you want. You then also need to write out the new table somewhere (SAS table in this example). I will write my new table work.newFile.     data work.newFile; * Step 2: The output file. This case I am creating a SAS data set in the work library from my Excel workbook's worksheet *; set x.WorksheetName; * Step 3: Excel workbook and worksheet to read in *; * Additional statements of stuff you want to do (filter/add columns/etc) *; run;     Summary:   You need: Step 1. A libref that references an Excel workbook Step 2. The output file name and library you want to create the new table in Step 3. The name of the worksheet IN the workbook from the libname statement - Peter   ... View more

There are multiple editions. Can you please provide the edition, lesson, page number, question number etc.  ... View more

What page number in the certification book is this 'lines' on?   ... View more

SAS libraries access data. You set a library to some location (folder, database, Excel workbook). You can then references that library name when working with the data in those locations.   You can also check out the free SAS Programming course. Go to Lesson 2, then Accessing Data Through Libraries. Practices doing that with the Excel file, and folder paths.     ... View more

Occasionally syntax across PROCs can be slightly different, but generally the logic is similar. Especially the PROCS you are using in programming 1 and 2.    Summary statistics PROC MEANS data= options; statements; RUN;   Print rows of a table PROC PRINT data= options; statements; RUN;   Categorical data frequencies PROC FREQ data= options; statements; RUN;   Create new tables DATA newtable... options; statements; run;     Each PROC has a different purpose. So the statements within them can sometimes be different. Think of each PROC as a package in Python. A PROC can do a lot of things, similar to a package.   PROC MEANS, FREQ, PRINT, DATA Step, etc. -> Pandas and other statistical packages PROC SGPLOT/SGSCATTER/SGPANEL, etc. -> Matplotlib, Seaborn, or other visualization packages   It's all about practice. You need to run through exercises, practice, really understand the fundamentals of the procedures. In the end you will most likely use the same common statements and options for what you do.. I've been using SAS for years, and I probably use 30% of the options in MEANS or FREQ. Many are statistical tests that I don't need or use. But many others do use those options. They are there IF you need them.   Above I posted a video that mentions you can use the doc in the exam to help you. You will not be asked for some obscure options or statements. Again, if you can do the practices and answer the questions in the courses you will be on the right track. Go through the course and practice. Just like any language It takes a lot of time, effort, practice and mistakes to learn.   Focus on learning. Then the certification will come.   - Peter       ... View more

Looking at the certification content guide, SQL is not on the base programmer exam. It's showing you in the course because as a programmer SQL is important and something to start thinking about. The first course shows you a couple of general SQL concepts, and that you can use SQL inside of SAS using PROC SQL. There is an entire full two day course on PROC SQL in SAS: SAS® SQL 1: Essentials.   SQL is on the Advanced programmer exam.   - Peter     ... View more