To Get Started with UF PC SAS

Suppose you sit in front of a PC computer in a CISE computer room.

A. To Sign on:

• A.1 Lab login => type your username (Don't forget .m) and password => [Return] You see Window95.

B. To Get Files from Yang's Webpage:

• B.1 On the Window95, [click on Netscape Navigator]. You see the netscape screen.
• B.2 On the top location type the address: http://www.stat.ufl.edu/~yang. You see the files and directories on the screen. Click at STA6106. Your see the title page for this class.
• B.3 Click Datasets. You see several files in this diectory. The names reveal the contents of the files. Pick the one you wish to transfer to your disk, for example AIRPORTS. Click on this file. You see the data set.
• B.4 Click on File (upper left corner) => Save As ...=>choose 3 1/2 Floppy [A:] => Give it a name, or keep the original name. => [save]. The data is now saved on your disk. To make sure, see C.10.
• B.5 You may click the Back icon and save more files.

C. To Use SAS:

• C.1 Get to SAS: Window95 => Start => Programs => SAS6.12 => SAS Release 6.12. You see a two window SAS screen. (You may need to repeat this process if you do not see the SAS screen. Somehow, the first call is serve as a primer.)
• C.2 Write program: in the Program editor window. (For example, the program on page 32 of The Little SAS Book. )
• C.3 Run the program:
Locals => Submit. You will see the screen moving. The output is in the output window, or the error is in the log window. (Use Globals icon to view them.)
• C.4 Debugging: If your program runs well, you should see the output. If not, you may see a log file or nothing. To find error in your program: Globals => Log (You will see the log file and comments on your error. Note that the SAS error message can be difficult to understand, i.e., the error may be as obvious as it says. One of the most common errors is the missing of [;] at the end of a statement.)
• C.5 To edit program: Globals => Program editor => Put the cursor in the Program editor region and click (You see the top PROGRAM EDITOR bar highlighted.) => Locals => Recall text. You will see your program back. You can modify the program and resubmit according to C.3.
• C.6 To clear window: Cursor in the window you wish to clear. Click the mouse to highlight widow's top bar. Edit => Clear Text
• C.7 To print your files: Click the top printer icon.
• C.8 To save file in disk: File => Save as => 3 1/2 Floppy (A:) => Type a file name and click [Save].
• C.9 To retrieve file from a disk: File => Open => 3 1/2 Floppy (A:) => Type a file name and click [Open].
• C.10 To use data from disk: Before the INPUT statement write -- INFILE 'A:name of the file' FIRSTOBS=; (see the middle of page 50 in The Little SAS Book. ). The computer will fetch the data from the disk directly. (Note: When you use the SAS window, you can only see the .sas files in the disk. To check the other files on the disk, you need to go to the orignial window95 screen and click [My computer] => 3 1/2 Floppy [A:]. You will see all the file in your disk.)

D. To Get Online Helps:

• D.1 Functions such as ABS(), PROBCHI(,): Help => SAS system => Online documentation => BASE SAS documentation => Language reference => SAS functions.
• D.2 Data input and manipulation instructions such as OBS=, FIRSTOBS=: Help => SAS system => Online documentation => BASE SAS documentation => Language reference => SAS Data Set options.
• D.3 Operational instructions such as DO, IF-THEN/ELSE, MERGE, TITLE: Help => SAS system => Online documentation => BASE SAS documentation => Language reference => SAS statements.
• D.4 Random number Functions such as RANNOR, RANUNI, RANEXP: Help => SAS system => Online documentation => BASE SAS documentation => Language reference => SAS call routines.

E. To Logout:

• Click Logout & Reboot or Start => Logout & Reboot.