Working with SAS Files
SAS Processing
As with most statistical software, working on a project in SAS will typically mean working with several different files. The basic workflow will be to submit your SAS commands and data to the SAS processor. SAS interprets your commands, a block of code at a time, and produces the desired output: a log of the commands executed, any statistical tables or graphs requested, and any data sets (new or modified) requested.
The different types of input and output are saved as separate files. Saving your commands and logs works pretty much the way you expect it to: you make the appropriate window active, then click File -> Save in the menus. Saving your data or statistical results is best done by writing the appropriate code, so this is a little less intuitive (details in the links below).
SAS File types
Most files can be named whatever you like. However, data files are most gracefully handled if their names are one-word, alpha-numeric names, i.e. avoid spaces and most special characters in data set names.
| File type | File extension | Save method |
|---|---|---|
| commands | .sas | Menu, Ctrl-s |
| log | .log | Menu, Crtl-s, batch |
| results (docs) | .html, .docx, .pdf, etc | use ODS |
| results (text) | .lst | use ODS, batch |
| graphs | .png, .svg, etc | use ODS graphics |
| data sets | .sas7bdat | use a LIBNAME |
Command Files (*.sas)
Command files should have a file extension of ".sas". These are saved via the menus by clicking File -> Save. Files with SAS commands are saved as plain text.
In principle you could create or view these with any text editor (SAS has recently begun supporting VS Code), but most of us find it easiest to set them up using the Editor window within SAS 9.4 or the Code tab in SAS Studio. The color coding helps you spot typos quickly, and you can test your code as you go by submitting highlighted blocks.
Log Files (*.log)
Log files should be saved with a file extension of ".log". Similar to command files, these can be saved by making the Log window active by clicking in it anyplace and then clicking File -> Save in the menus.
Logs, like commands, are saved as plain text.
A log is the one form of output that all SAS processing creates. Unlike a lot of other statistical software, this echo of your commands, processing notes, and error messages is separate from your statistical results. When you are working interactively, these notes appear in the Log window or tab and are being held in your computer's memory (a buffer), so they are not saved unless you save them manually. You can save the log to a file automatically by batch processing (recommended when you are ready to archive a project).
An “old school” PROC PRINTTO and numerous OPTIONs are available for more nuanced logging.
Results Documents (*.html, *.pdf, *.docx, *.lst, etc.)
Statistical tables and graphs can be saved together or separately, and in several different formats. Saving your results is best done by adding the appropriate ODS commands to your SAS program.
Common formats for results are HTML, simple text ("listing" or lst), Word document ("docx"), and Adobe (pdf). Many other formats are also possible.
By default, SAS produces results in HTML format in the Results Viewer window, combining tables and graphs into a single output document. However, this is deleted when you end your SAS session. The options for saving your results manually are clunky at best. You will want to decide on a format for your output, and add the appropriate ODS commands before and after the code that produces what you want to save. See Saving SAS Output Files.
Results Graphs (*.png, *.svg, *.jpg, etc.)
It will be typical to save graphs as part of a results document, but they can also be saved separately, and in several different graphics formats. As with tables, this is most gracefully accomplished with ODS commands. See Saving Graphics.
You can also right-click on a graph in the Results Viewer and save it manually. This gets tedious quickly.
Data Files (*.sas7bdat)
Data files should have a file extension of ".sas7bdat". These are usually saved as part of a DATA command (a DATA step). See Saving SAS Data Sets.
SAS can read and write data from/to a variety of formats, but to process the data SAS generally must have it in it's own SAS format. It is usually convenient to save data in this format.
