DATA Step Statements by Category

In addition to being either executable or declarative, SAS DATA step statements can be grouped into five functional categories:

Categories of DATA Step Statements

Statements Category		Functionality
Action		create and modify variables select only certain observations to process in the DATA step look for errors in the input data work with observations as they are being created
Control		skip statements for certain observations change the order that statements are executed transfer control from one part of a program to another
File-handling		work with files used as input to the data set work with files to be written by the DATA step
Information		give SAS additional information about the program data vector give SAS additional information about the data set or data sets that are being created.
Window Display		display and customize windows.

The following table lists and briefly describes the DATA step statements by category.

Category	Language Elements	Description
Action	ABORT Statement	Stops executing the current DATA step, SAS job, or SAS session.
	Assignment Statement	Evaluates an expression and stores the result in a variable.
	CALL Statement	Invokes a SAS CALL routine.
	DELETE Statement	Stops processing the current observation.
	DESCRIBE Statement	Retrieves source code from a stored compiled DATA step program or a DATA step view.
	ERROR Statement	Sets _ERROR_ to 1. A message written to the SAS log is optional.
	EXECUTE Statement	Executes a stored compiled DATA step program.
	IF Statement, Subsetting	Continues processing only those observations that meet the condition of the specified expression.
	LIST Statement	Writes to the SAS log the input data record for the observation that is being processed.
	LOSTCARD Statement	Resynchronizes the input data when SAS encounters a missing or invalid record in data that has multiple records per observation.
	Null Statement	Signals the end of data lines or acts as a placeholder.
	OUTPUT Statement	Writes the current observation to a SAS data set.
	PUTLOG Statement	Writes a message to the SAS log.
	REDIRECT Statement	Points to different input or output SAS data sets when you execute a stored program.
	REMOVE Statement	Deletes an observation from a SAS data set.
	REPLACE Statement	Replaces an observation in the same location.
	STOP Statement	Stops execution of the current DATA step.
	Sum Statement	Adds the result of an expression to an accumulator variable.
	WHERE Statement	Selects observations from SAS data sets that meet a particular condition.
Control	CONTINUE Statement	Stops processing the current DO-loop iteration and resumes processing the next iteration.
	DO Statement	Specifies a group of statements to be executed as a unit.
	DO Statement, Iterative	Executes statements between the DO and END statements repetitively, based on the value of an index variable.
	DO UNTIL Statement	Executes statements in a DO loop repetitively until a condition is true.
	DO WHILE Statement	Executes statements in a DO-loop repetitively while a condition is true.
	END Statement	Ends a DO group or SELECT group processing.
	GO TO Statement	Directs program execution immediately to the statement label that is specified and, if followed by a RETURN statement, returns execution to the beginning of the DATA step.
	IF-THEN/ELSE Statement	Executes a SAS statement for observations that meet specific conditions.
	label: Statement	Identifies a statement that is referred to by another statement.
	LEAVE Statement	Stops processing the current loop and resumes with the next statement in the sequence.
	LINK Statement	Directs program execution immediately to the statement label that is specified and, if followed by a RETURN statement, returns execution to the statement that follows the LINK statement.
	RETURN Statement	Stops executing statements at the current point in the DATA step and returns to a predetermined point in the step.
	SELECT Statement	Executes one of several statements or groups of statements.
Data Access	CATNAME Statement	Logically combines two or more catalogs into one by associating them with a catref (a shortcut name); clears one or all catrefs; lists the concatenated catalogs in one concatenation or in all concatenations.
	FILENAME Statement	Associates a SAS fileref with an external file or an output device, disassociates a fileref and external file, or lists attributes of external files.
	FILENAME Statement, CATALOG Access Method	Enables you to reference a SAS catalog as an external file.
	FILENAME, CLIPBOARD Access Method	Enables you to read text data from and write text data to the clipboard on the host computer.
	FILENAME Statement, EMAIL (SMTP) Access Method	Enables you to send electronic mail programmatically from SAS using the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) e-mail interface.
	FILENAME Statement, FTP Access Method	Enables you to access remote files by using the FTP protocol.
	FILENAME Statement, Hadoop Access Method	Enables you to access files on a Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) whose location is specified in a configuration file.
	FILENAME Statement, SFTP Access Method	Enables you to access remote files by using the SFTP protocol.
	FILENAME Statement, SOCKET Access Method	Enables you to read from or write to a TCP/IP socket.
	FILENAME Statement, URL Access Method	Enables you to access remote files by using the URL access method.
	FILENAME Statement, WebDAV Access Method	Enables you to access remote files by using the WebDAV protocol.
	LIBNAME Statement	Associates or disassociates a SAS library with a libref (a shortcut name), clears one or all librefs, lists the characteristics of a SAS library, concatenates SAS libraries, or concatenates SAS catalogs.
	LIBNAME Statement for the JMP Engine	Associates a libref with a JMP data table and enables you to read and write JMP data tables.
	LIBNAME Statement for WebDAV Server Access	Associates a libref with a SAS library and enables access to a WebDAV (Web-based Distributed Authoring And Versioning) server.
File-handling	BY Statement	Controls the operation of a SET, MERGE, MODIFY, or UPDATE statement in the DATA step and sets up special grouping variables.
	CARDS Statement	Specifies that data lines follow.
	CARDS4 Statement	Specifies that data lines that contain semicolons follow.
	DATA Statement	Begins a DATA step and provides names for any output SAS data sets, views, or programs.
	DATALINES Statement	Specifies that data lines follow.
	DATALINES4 Statement	Indicates that data lines that contain semicolons follow.
	FILE Statement	Specifies the current output file for PUT statements.
	INFILE Statement	Specifies an external file to read with an INPUT statement.
	INPUT Statement	Describes the arrangement of values in the input data record and assigns input values to the corresponding SAS variables.
	INPUT Statement, Column	Reads input values from specified columns and assigns them to the corresponding SAS variables.
	INPUT Statement, Formatted	Reads input values with specified informats and assigns them to the corresponding SAS variables.
	INPUT Statement, List	Scans the input data record for input values and assigns them to the corresponding SAS variables.
	INPUT Statement, Named	Reads data values that appear after a variable name that is followed by an equal sign and assigns them to corresponding SAS variables.
	MERGE Statement	Joins observations from two or more SAS data sets into a single observation.
	MODIFY Statement	Replaces, deletes, and appends observations in an existing SAS data set in place but does not create an additional copy.
	PUT Statement	Writes lines to the SAS log, to the SAS output window, or to an external location that is specified in the most recent FILE statement.
	PUT Statement, Column	Writes variable values in the specified columns in the output line.
	PUT Statement, Formatted	Writes variable values with the specified format in the output line.
	PUT Statement, List	Writes variable values and the specified character strings in the output line.
	PUT Statement, Named	Writes variable values after the variable name and an equal sign.
	SET Statement	Reads an observation from one or more SAS data sets.
	UPDATE Statement	Updates a master file by applying transactions.
Information	ARRAY Statement	Defines the elements of an array.
	Array Reference Statement	Describes the elements in an array to be processed.
	ATTRIB Statement	Associates a format, informat, label, and length with one or more variables.
	DROP Statement	Excludes variables from output SAS data sets.
	FORMAT Statement	Associates formats with variables.
	INFORMAT Statement	Associates informats with variables.
	KEEP Statement	Specifies the variables to include in output SAS data sets.
	LABEL Statement	Assigns descriptive labels to variables.
	LENGTH Statement	Specifies the number of bytes for storing variables.
	MISSING Statement	Assigns characters in your input data to represent special missing values for numeric data.
	RENAME Statement	Specifies new names for variables in output SAS data sets.
	RETAIN Statement	Causes a variable that is created by an INPUT or assignment statement to retain its value from one iteration of the DATA step to the next.
Log Control	Comment Statement	Specifies the purpose of the statement or program.
	PAGE Statement	Skips to a new page in the SAS log.
	RESETLINE Statement	Restarts the program line numbers in the SAS log to 1.
	SKIP Statement	Creates a blank line in the SAS log.
Operating Environment	X Statement	Issues an operating-environment command from within a SAS session.
Output Control	FOOTNOTE Statement	Writes up to 10 lines of text at the bottom of the procedure or DATA step output.
Output Control	TITLE Statement	Specifies title lines for SAS output.
Program Control	CHECKPOINT EXECUTE_ALWAYS Statement	Indicates to execute the DATA step or PROC step that immediately follows without considering the checkpoint-restart data.
	DM Statement	Submits SAS Program Editor, Log, Procedure Output or text editor commands as SAS statements.
	ENDSAS Statement	Terminates a SAS job or session after the current DATA or PROC step executes.
	%INCLUDE Statement	Brings a SAS programming statement, data lines, or both, into a current SAS program.
	%LIST Statement	Displays lines that are entered in the current session.
	LOCK Statement	Acquires and releases an exclusive lock on an existing SAS file.
	OPTIONS Statement	Specifies or changes the value of one or more SAS system options.
	RUN Statement	Executes the previously entered SAS statements.
	%RUN Statement	Ends source statements following a %INCLUDE * statement.
	SASFILE Statement	Opens a SAS data set and allocates enough buffers to hold the entire file in memory.
	SYSECHO Statement	Fires a global statement complete event and passes a text string back to the IOM client.
Window Display	DISPLAY Statement	Displays a window that is created with the WINDOW statement.
Window Display	WINDOW Statement	Creates customized windows for your applications.