The SAS Workbook and Solutions Set

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 * The SAS Workout!
Review: Another very useful SAS book by one of the premier instructors in the field, Ron Cody. These are challenging problems, probably most appropriate for the intermediate to intermediate-advanced SAS programmer. You can really discover what you know about SAS by trying your hand at these well-conceived problems; as most SAS users know, the best way to learn is by doing. The problems give you some experience (and answers) before you encounter potentially hoarier problems at work or home. The answer book is limited to solutions, with little or no discussion of pitfalls, alternatives, or the logic behind the answers. Therefore, if you do not immediately understand the solution, you will need to work backwards, pick it apart, or use some other technique (like asking someone). This somewhat limits its audience to those who are more experienced. I hope either Cody or someone else will have a more instructive answer book in the future. Still, at this time, with so few books like this available, this is a great way to test and expand your knowledge. (Although you may also wish to examine the shorter but cheaper "test" book by Robert Virgile, also available from Amazon.)

The four sections are "Data Step Programming," "Procedures," "SAS Programming Techniques," and "Statistics Problems." Each of these sections has several brief topics; for example, Data Step Programming includes combining data sets, using IF-THEN/ELSE and other logical operators, numerical functions, dates, arrays, and working with longitudinal data.

Why two separate books? Cody explains that the "solution is obvious once you see it" and "the learning potential of the book is lost." He therefore "removed the temptation for students to flip to the back of the book." (Come now, aren't we more disciplined than that?). A more persuasive argument is that "teachers may...feel more comfortable in assigning problems without the solutions too close at hand. The 243-page "Workbook" has appendices and a very useful index.

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 * The SAS Workout!
Review: Another very useful SAS book by one of the premier instructors in the field, Ron Cody. These are challenging problems, probably most appropriate for the intermediate to intermediate-advanced SAS programmer. You can really discover what you know about SAS by trying your hand at these well-conceived problems; as most SAS users know, the best way to learn is by doing. The problems give you some experience (and answers) before you encounter potentially hoarier problems at work or home. The answer book is limited to solutions, with little or no discussion of pitfalls, alternatives, or the logic behind the answers. Therefore, if you do not immediately understand the solution, you will need to work backwards, pick it apart, or use some other technique (like asking someone). This somewhat limits its audience to those who are more experienced. I hope either Cody or someone else will have a more instructive answer book in the future. Still, at this time, with so few books like this available, this is a great way to test and expand your knowledge. (Although you may also wish to examine the shorter but cheaper "test" book by Robert Virgile, also available from Amazon.)

The four sections are "Data Step Programming," "Procedures," "SAS Programming Techniques," and "Statistics Problems." Each of these sections has several brief topics; for example, Data Step Programming includes combining data sets, using IF-THEN/ELSE and other logical operators, numerical functions, dates, arrays, and working with longitudinal data.

Why two separate books? Cody explains that the "solution is obvious once you see it" and "the learning potential of the book is lost." He therefore "removed the temptation for students to flip to the back of the book." (Come now, aren't we more disciplined than that?). A more persuasive argument is that "teachers may...feel more comfortable in assigning problems without the solutions too close at hand. The 243-page "Workbook" has appendices and a very useful index.