Abstract

The SAS system shares many features with other programming languages and reporting packages. The programming logic found in the ubiquitous data step provides the mechanisms for assignment, iteration, and logical branching which rest at the core of any procedural language. Analytic data displays, like the humble frequency crosstabulation produced by the FREQUENCY procedure, may be replicated with varying degrees of success using any number of other products. The FORMAT procedure is another matter. Somewhat like an enumerated data type; somewhat like a normalized and indexed reference table; it really has no exact analog in these other products and packages. There’s a lot you can do with PROC FORMAT. And, there’s a lot to know about PROC FORMAT. The aim of this paper is to provide insight on at least ten of those things which you should know.

Jack Shoemaker works at Medical Home Network, which operates care-management platforms for Medicaid and Medicare populations using innovative real-time patient-centered care models. Previously, Jack has been building out business intelligence environments at health plans in Indianapolis, IN, and Greenville, SC. Before that, Jack was in the Healthcare Practice at d-Wise, an RTP-based technology consultancy that serves the Life Sciences and Healthcare industries. Before d-Wise, Jack had a long run at WellCare Health Plans, where he held several leadership roles in the information technology and operations departments using SAS technologies to build a robust business intelligence platform supporting WellCare’s merger, acquisition, and integration initiatives. Jack is a long-time SAS user and contributor to local and regional user group conferences.