SAS Certified Associate: Programming Fundamentals Using SAS 9.4 Overview

The SAS Certified Associate: Programming Fundamentals Using SAS 9.4 certification is designed to validate your ability to work with SAS 9.4, focusing on key programming skills. This certification is ideal for professionals looking to demonstrate their competency in accessing and manipulating SAS data sets, generating reports, and handling data operations with loops and conditional statements.

Key Details:

• Exam ID: A00-215
• Number of Questions: 60-65
• Duration: 120 minutes
• Passing Score: 68%
• Delivery: Online, proctored
• Cost: $120 (prices may vary by region)
• SAS Version: SAS 9.4 M5
• Allowed Resources: None

Skills Measured:

• Accessing and manipulating SAS data sets
• Data manipulation using the DATA step
• Report generation with PROC steps
• Importing/exporting non-SAS files
• Using loops and conditional statements in programming

Preparation:

QuickTechie.com offers comprehensive resources and training to help candidates prepare for this certification. Our exam-focused materials include quizzes, hands-on exercises, and mock exams that align with the certification objectives. Additionally, SAS provides official preparation guides and videos that cover the certification topics.

By earning this certification, you\'ll validate your foundational SAS programming skills, which are critical for any data-related career. Prepare with confidence and pass the SAS Certified Associate exam with the support of QuickTechie.

Target Audience for SAS Certified Associate: Programming Fundamentals Using SAS 9.4

The SAS Certified Associate: Programming Fundamentals Using SAS 9.4 certification is aimed at professionals who are early in their SAS career and need to understand the fundamentals of SAS programming. This certification is perfect for:

• Aspiring data analysts and statisticians.
• Students in the fields of data science, statistics, or computer science who wish to solidify their programming skills with SAS.
• Professionals transitioning to data-related roles who need a solid foundation in SAS programming.
• Current SAS users looking to gain a formal certification to enhance career prospects.

This certification verifies the ability to perform essential tasks in SAS programming, such as accessing data, creating data structures, managing data, generating reports, and performing conditional and iterative processing. It sets a strong foundation for further development in data analysis and is a stepping stone towards more advanced SAS certifications.

Fundamental SAS Concepts

• Recall general rules of DATA and PROC steps.
• Recognize general rules of SAS statements including global statements.
• Interpret the SAS log.
• Distinguish between syntax and logic errors.
• Recall SAS syntax rules.
• Recognize different types of syntax errors and be able to resolve common problems.
• Recall use of the PUTLOG statement to troubleshoot logic errors.

Explore SAS Data Sets

• Recall naming conventions used for SAS data sets and variables.
• Recognize variable types (character and numeric).
• Explain how to create and manipulate SAS date values.
• Explain how SAS stores date values.
• Recognize how SAS stores missing data.
• Use the LIBNAME statement to read SAS data sets.
• Use PROC CONTENTS to view the descriptor portion of a data set.
• Recall how to use Data Set options: DROP=, KEEP=, RENAME=, OBS=.

Using the DATA Step to Access SAS Data Sets

• Use the DATA statement to create one or multiple data sets.
• Use the SET statement to read a data set.
• Explain how to combine data sets.
• Use MERGE and BY statements to combine multiple data sets horizontally.
• Use the IN= option on the MERGE statement to control processing.
• Use the SET statement to combine multiple data sets vertically.
• Explain the compilation and execution process of the DATA step.
• Describe how the Program Data Vector PDV is created.
• Explain how the LENGTH statement affects the default behavior of the PDV.
• Describe the process of the data step iteration.
• Subset observations and variables.
• Use the WHERE statement to subset observations during input.
• Use the IF statement to subset observations during processing.
• Use DROP/KEEP statements to subset variables at output.
• Use DROP=/KEEP= options to subset variables at input and output.

Using the DATA Step to Manipulate Data

• Create or update variables.
• Use the assignment statement to create character and numeric variables.
• Recall how to assign a date constant to a variable.
• Recognize SAS Functions.
• Use Character Functions: UPCASE, PROPCASE, SUBSTR, SCAN, FIND, LENGTH, CATX.
• Use Date Functions: MONTH, DAY, YEAR, TODAY, MDY.
• Use Truncation Functions: ROUND, INT.
• Use Descriptive Stats Functions: MEAN, SUM.
• Perform conditional processing.
• Use the IF-THEN and ELSE statements.
• Use IF-THEN DO and ELSE DO statements.
• Use the LENGTH statement for assigning byte size of character variables.
• Control the output of observations.
• Use the OUTPUT statement to output to a specific data set.
• Use the OUTPUT statement to control output timing.
• Create an accumulating variable.
• Use the SUM statement.
• Use BY group processing with FIRST. and LAST to accumulate in groups.
• Explain the function of iterative DO loops.
• Assign permanent attributes.
• Use the FORMAT statement to change the display of the variable value.
• Use the LABEL statement to change the display of the variable name.

Generate Reports Using PROC Steps

• Use PROC PRINT to generate a detail report.
• Use the LABEL option and NOOBS options to enhance the report.
• Use the VAR statement to control the display of variables.
• Use PROC MEANS to generate a summary report.
• Use the MAXDEC= option to control the display of decimal places.
• Use VAR and CLASS statements to control the structure of the report.
• Use PROC FREQ to generate a frequency report.
• Use the ORDER=option to control the order of the rows of the report.
• Use the TABLES statement for one-way and two-way tables.
• Use the NOCUM and NOPERCENT options in a one-way table.
• Use the CROSSLIST option to control the layout of two-way tables.
• Identify methods to enhance reports.
• Use TITLE statement.
• Use FOOTNOTE statement.
• Use FORMAT statement for temporary attributes.
• Use the LABEL statement for temporary attributes.
• Use the WHERE statement for subsetting observations.