The ANOVA Procedure

Absorption is a computational technique that provides a large reduction in time and memory requirements for certain types of models. The variables are one or more variables in the input data set.

For a main effect variable that does not participate in interactions, you can absorb the effect by naming it in an ABSORB statement. This means that the effect can be adjusted out before the construction and solution of the rest of the model. This is particularly useful when the effect has a large number of levels.

Several variables can be specified, in which case each one is assumed to be nested in the preceding variable in the ABSORB statement.

Note: When you use the ABSORB statement, the data set (or each BY group, if a BY statement appears) must be sorted by the variables in the ABSORB statement. Including an absorbed variable in the CLASS list or in the MODEL statement might produce erroneous sums of squares. If the ABSORB statement is used, it must appear before the first RUN statement or it is ignored.

When you use an ABSORB statement and also use the INT option in the MODEL statement, the procedure ignores the option but produces the uncorrected total sum of squares (SS) instead of the corrected total SS.

See the section Absorption in Chapter 42: The GLM Procedure, for more information.