Math 318Winter 2015 Yihong Zhang

Office: 215-504-4820

Office Hours: By Phone: Evening and Weekend,By email any time

Mathematical Applications of Statistical Software

  1. Prerequisites: This is a heavy computer programming class using SAS. Programming experience in any other language is highly desired but not strictly required. Student is required to have your own computer that run Windows Operating System so that the SAS software can be installed (Sorry that we don’t have Mac version software). This is because you need to spend a lot of time to run example programs, study course materials and to do all home works, mostly programming in SAS.
  1. Course Coverage: This course will cover SAS Base Programming and many advanced skills, including: SAS Environment, SAS statement syntax, SAS data step programming with many advanced topics, frequently used SAS procedures and ODS basics, and basics of SAS Macro. For details, see Learning Objectives.
  1. Course Materials: MS Word documents, home work assignments and related SAS data, SAS programs will be posted on the class web site for download. No text book is needed.

The advantage of this class document is that once set up, all SAS code can be copy/paste to SAS Program Editor and run directly without modification. By this, it saves significant amount of time to type the code, and help better understand the program concept.

  1. Course Format:The class will meetevery Monday from 6:00 – 8:50. Additionally, there will be two midterms in the class period.
  1. Home Work: The key to success in programming is practices. There will be home work assignment every week after Monday class. Home work will due by Saturday night 9:00pm of the same week. Because the class moves in fast pace, anyone who cannot spend enough time to study class materials and complete homework on time will fall behind very quickly.
  1. Exams: Two midterms, in week 4 and week 7 and a final.
  1. Course Grades:Attendance: 10%

Homework:20%

Midterms: 20% + 20% = 40%

Final:30%

  1. Changes to syllabus: Any changes on the syllabus will be communicated in class and via email.
  1. Useful Resources: SAS Online Document:

Learning Objectives:The objectives of this class include the following items that need to understand and the ability.

  • Familiar with the SAS programming environment; Being able to write, edit, run SAS program, to review SAS data, log and output and to use all information debug the SAS program.
  • Understand the SAS libname, filename, and able to write SAS Program to read raw data (or Text file, or flat data) in 3 different styles.
  • Understand SAS dataset structure and how to use proc contents to review the information about the SAS dataset, and how to review the values of the SAS dataset.
  • Understand the structure and properties of SAS data step. Being able to write SAS data step to read, write SAS data and to generate simple output.
  • Understand the definition and properties of SAS numeric variables, basic numeric functions, character variables, and basic character functions.
  • Understand SAS informat, format and proc format; knowing how to use them in variable format, conversion and look up.Understand SAS label.
  • Understand and being able to use basic SAS logical statements (if …then, else … then, do loop, do while loop, etc.), SAS if and where selection statement.
  • Understand and being able to use proc sort, first.varname, last.varname, retain statements.
  • Being able to use proc sort, merge, set statements to combine SAS dataset horizontally and vertically.
  • Understand and being to use other basic SAS procedures, including:

Proc contents, Proc prints, Proc Sort, Proc freq, Proc summary, Proc means,

Proc Univariate, Proc rank, Proc Transpose, Proc compare, Proc Datasets,

Proc gchart, proc gplot, and some very basics of SAS ODS.

  • Understand basic concept of SAS macro, macro variables, macro variable reference, indirect reference, macro function; How to use SAS macro to do simple automation and data driven SAS programs.

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