How To Learn SAS Programming Online For Free?

Why SAS?

Being SAS Professional I can tell you why SAS. I would say, its bit tiny subject however very Unique, competitive and leading within the analytics world. SAS is the main statistic tool certified by the FDA, IIRC.

SAS is Statistical Analysis System i.e. a collection of software program tools created by SAS Institute. SAS programming has numerous applications like the analysis of multivariates, predictive analysis, management of data and business intelligence.

Statistics show that 70% of analytics jobs are in SAS Programming, followed by R and then Python. It is an ever-evolving technology according to industry needs is one major factor in its favour.

SAS Job Profiles

Below are some of the job profiles you can take up as a SAS professional:

SAS Analyst
SAS Programmer
Customer Analytics Manager
Decision Analyst

There is a huge scope of SAS for fresher. Banks are heavily using SAS as are Insurance & other Financial Services companies like HSBC, Citi, JP Morgan, & Wells Fargo.

So it’s sensible to grab the opportunity if you get it by some means to learn and work on SAS technology.

How to learn SAS Programming online for free?

You do not want to spend a whopping 6 months to learn SAS. You can go by the 6-week learning guide and turn your self right into a proficient SAS programmer.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to get started in case you are a beginner.

Step 1: Download & Install SAS Studio

SAS University Edition can be downloaded for free and it’s available for everyone. You can both download it in your PC or use it from the Cloud.

Below are the articles that you can refer to download and set up SAS.

Step 2: SAS Interfaces

Before you begin writing any code, you will need to first become acquainted with the SAS interface.

Fortunately, SAS interface is pretty easy to understand. Below is the brief of every a part of the interface.

Coding Area

The coding space is positioned in the middle of the SAS Studio interface. This is the place you can write SAS programming codes.

LOG Window

The LOG window shows the programming notes after you run;

the program. It provides details about the code execution and whether there is an issue with the program and other useful Notes.

Results Window

The RESULTS window shows the report or analysis results when a certain procedure is compiled.

Output Window

SAS Libraries

SAS Library may be seen as the folder that contains all the SAS files and datasets.

Learn more by referring to below the article.

Working with SAS libraries

Folders

Folders allow you to organize your SAS programs and quickly access your saved SAS programs.

Step 3: Learn the SAS Library and Data Sets

SAS Library is the folder that comprises all of the SAS information. Learn about temporary and permanent libraries, how to create and permanent library.

SAS Programming – Basics of SAS Programming Language

Step 4: Learn How to Create a Data Set

SAS data set is the file that contains all the data. It is crucial for you to understand how to create data sets. Learn to create a SAS dataset and the datasets options that are available in SAS.

Step 5: Learn SAS Functions

Now that you have got a stable foundation of SAS data sets, it is time to begin learning how to manipulate data.

One of the methods to manipulate data is to use the built-in SAS functions.

Learn about the character, numeric and data functions in SAS. A simple example is using the SUM function to add up all of the numeric values.

You can learn about SAS functions from the below link.

Step 6: Learn SAS Variables

In SAS, there are 6 attributes that define every of the SAS variables:

Name
Label
Length
Type
Format
Informat

Learn about variable attributes from SAS Variable Attributes – SAS Help Center

Leann about the formats and informats in SAS from Ultimate Guide to SAS Formats and Informats.

Step 7: Learn Reading and writing SAS dataset

Data usually comes from an external source. It is important to learn how to read data from an external file.

Learn to import data in SAS from Import data into SAS.

Step 8: Learn Data Manipulations

SAS programs often involve data manipulation. Sorting and concatenation data are the few examples of data manipulations

Step 9: Learn Data Analysis

SAS is among the world’s best statistical analysis software program. Below are some examples of the data analysis steps that are commonly used.

Step 10: Learn Proc SQL

Proc SQL is an advanced programming step generally used when working with data in the relational database. It can usually achieve identical results as the standard data step however with greater efficiency.

Learn the basics of PROC SQL from A comprehensive guide to PROC SQL in SAS (15 + Examples)