PharmaSUG Collaborative Presentation, Paper about SAS
Insights about coding techniques to boost efficiency and effectiveness.
In a presentation during PharmaSUG 2023, Catalyst Flex’s Lisa Mendez, PhD, principal statistical programmer for biometric resourcing, was joined by Richann Watson, from DataRich Consulting, to share insights on enhancing skillsets for SAS programmers. The experts presented ten coding techniques that can significantly boost efficiency and effectiveness. This blog post will summarize Lisa and Richann’s tips and highlight their practical applications.
Tip 1: Add quotes to text strings
Add sections around each token in a text string, programmers can simplify data manipulation tasks and ensure accurate results.
Tip 2: Create column headers with PROC TRANSPOSE
Utilize the TRANSPOSE procedure allows for dynamically generated column headers based on specific values, enabling flexible data transformations.
Tip 3: Set missing values to zero
Lisa and Richann advise avoiding cumbersome if-then-else statements by concisely assigning missing values as zeros to streamline data processing.
Tip 4: Shorthand techniques for variable lengths and initialization
Discover time-saving shortcuts for assigning distances to consecutive variables and initializing them as missing, enhancing code readability.
Tip 5: Calculate visit-day differences
Efficiently calculate the difference between actual and target study days while considering scenarios without a day zero.
Tip 6: Reading variables into macro variables with PROC SQL
PROC SQL should be leveraged to read variables from a dataset into macro variables, enabling flexible and dynamic programming.
Tip 7: Extract data from multiple Excel worksheets
To streamline data integration, users should unlock the potential of the XLSX engine to read data from multiple Microsoft Excel worksheets seamlessly.
Tip 8: Check file existence
Lisa and Richann encourage programmers to avoid unnecessary errors by implementing existence checks before opening files, a handy tip when opening Microsoft Excel files.
Tip 9: Utilize the DIV function
Division operations can be simplified by utilizing the DIV function and eliminating the need for manual checks on dividing by zero.
Tip 10: Abbreviate frequently used SAS code
Boost productivity by utilizing abbreviations for commonly used SAS code snippets, reducing typing efforts and improving code readability.
In conclusion, these SAS coding techniques offer programmers valuable shortcuts and best practices. By implementing these tips, you can enhance your programming skills, improve code efficiency, and streamline your data analysis workflows. Remember to explore each technique in detail to unlock its full potential.
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