Statistical Analysis System (SAS) Programming Certification Practice Exam

Which of the following pieces of information does SAS need in the DATA step to read an Excel workbook file?

1. a libref to reference the Excel workbook to be read

2. the name and location of the new SAS data set

3. the name of the Excel worksheet that is to be read

4. all of the above

The correct answer is: all of the above

SAS requires a combination of elements to correctly read data from an Excel workbook in the DATA step. When working with an Excel file, each of these components serves a specific purpose that contributes to the successful import of the data. Firstly, establishing a libref is essential because it acts as a reference that allows SAS to access the Excel workbook. By creating a libref for the workbook, SAS can efficiently locate and manage the file during the data import process. Secondly, identifying the name and location of the new SAS data set is crucial. This tells SAS where to store the imported data within its environment. Without specifying where to create the dataset, SAS would not know how to handle the data it reads from the Excel file. Lastly, specifying the name of the Excel worksheet is important because Excel files can contain multiple sheets, and SAS needs to know exactly which one to read. If the worksheet name is not provided, SAS wouldn't be able to determine which data it should import, potentially leading to errors. Together, these three elements—libref, the new dataset's name and location, and the worksheet name—are all necessary for SAS to accurately read and import data from an Excel workbook. This is why the correct answer encompasses all of these components.