Rating: 
Summary: Good compared to bad books
Review: This book is good compared to other SAS books only becuase the quality bar for SAS books is so incredibly low, which is why SAS users tend to own piles of different books. SAS authors should team up with Stata manual writers, and aim to create one truly great SAS manual. We've waited too long! I'm not taking about gimmicks and a "chatty" style. Be incisive. Use color to add clarity. Address the simple before the complex. Use sporadic metaphor. Organize sections by the function not the command. Anticipate reader reactions. SAS authors need to borrow the tricks of incisive teachers, not just think like programmers. This book is good compared to bad books, but the book 'SAS programming by Example' is a bit better.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent beginner's book
Review: This is the best introductory SAS book I have seen. It introduces the basic SAS structure and programming statements. A good and detailed explanation is provided for DATA step vs. PROC, a topic that always proves to be difficult to grasp for SAS newbies.The book starts with SAS terminology and logic, i.e., how SAS works its magic. It moves on to simple tasks such as reading in data, summarizing it, and displaying it. Then there are chapters on SAS programming elements (expressions, logic flows, etc.) as well as intermediate-advanced statements. The MERGE statement is explained very clearly. Examples abound, although I feel that they are presented in a very confusing format -- often you can't tell if a block of text belongs to the main text or an example. The organization of the book is also a little confusing, esp. if you want to use it as a reference book (not recommended; stick with SAS manual set instead). In short, this book provides an excellent ovewview of SAS. Read the chapters in sequence and you'll soon be on your way to happy SAS'ing!
Rating: 
Summary: Good for beginners
Review: This is the best introductory SAS book I have seen. It introduces the basic SAS structure and programming statements. A good and detailed explanation is provided for DATA step vs. PROC, a topic that always proves to be difficult to grasp for SAS newbies. The book starts with SAS terminology and logic, i.e., how SAS works its magic. It moves on to simple tasks such as reading in data, summarizing it, and displaying it. Then there are chapters on SAS programming elements (expressions, logic flows, etc.) as well as intermediate-advanced statements. The MERGE statement is explained very clearly. Examples abound, although I feel that they are presented in a very confusing format -- often you can't tell if a block of text belongs to the main text or an example. The organization of the book is also a little confusing, esp. if you want to use it as a reference book (not recommended; stick with SAS manual set instead). In short, this book provides an excellent ovewview of SAS. Read the chapters in sequence and you'll soon be on your way to happy SAS'ing!
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