Statistical Analysis System (SAS) Programming Certification Practice Exam

How many program steps are executed when the provided SAS program is processed?

1. 3

2. 4

3. 5

4. 6

The correct answer is: 3

To determine how many program steps are executed in a SAS program, it is essential to understand the structure and components that make up a typical SAS program. A SAS program can include various types of steps such as data steps, which manipulate data, and proc steps, which produce output and perform analyses. In this scenario, if the program consists of a data step and multiple proc steps (for example, a PROC PRINT step to display data and a PROC MEANS step to calculate statistics), we would count each step individually. Each data step and each proc step is considered a distinct program step. Additionally, there may be other utility steps like a RUN statement that finalizes the execution of a procedure or data step. If the answer indicates that three program steps are executed, this suggests that the program likely includes one data step and two proc steps. This counting aligns with how SAS processes the code sequentially, where each step is executed independently and contributes to the overall functionality of the program. Understanding this breakdown is crucial for properly analyzing the SAS program and for preparing for programming tasks in SAS where knowing how many steps you are executing can impact debugging and performance considerations.