Glossary 331
member
a SAS file in a SAS data library.
member name
a name that is given to a SAS file in a SAS data library.
member type
a name assigned by SAS that identifies the type of information stored in a SAS file.
Member types include ACCESS, DATA, CATALOG, PROGRAM, and VIEW.
missing value
a value in SAS that indicates that no data are stored in the variable for the current
observation. By default, SAS represents a missing numeric value with a single
period, and a missing character value with a blank space.
observation
the horizontal component of a SAS data file. An observation is a collection of data
values that are associated with a single entity, such as a customer or state. Each
observation contains one data value for each variable in the data file. An observation
is analogous to a row in a DBMS table.
PROC SQL view
a SAS data set (of type VIEW) that is created by the SQL procedure. A PROC SQL
view contains no data; instead, it stores the information that is required to read data
values from underlying files. These files can be SAS data files, SAS/ACCESS views,
DATA step views, or other PROC SQL views. When executed, a PROC SQL view’s
output can be either a subset or a superset of one or more underlying files. See also
view.
query
a request to retrieve data from a data set, DBMS table, or view. Queries are
implemented with the PROC SQL SELECT statement.
referential integrity
consistency among related data that are stored in different tables.
relational database management system
a database management system that organizes and accesses data according to
relationships between data items. Oracle and DB2 are examples of relational
database management systems.
rollback
in most databases, the process that restores the database to its state when changes
were last committed, voiding any recent changes. The SQL ROLLBACK statement
initiates the rollback processes. See also commit.
row
the horizontal component of a relational DBMS table. A row is analogous to a SAS
observation.
SAS data file
a form of a SAS data set that contains both the data values and the descriptor
information associated with the data, such as the variable attributes. SAS data files
are of member type DATA. In the SAS , a PROC SQL table is a SAS data file.
SAS data library
a collection of one or more SAS files that are recognized by SAS and that are
referenced and stored as a unit. Each file is a member of the library.
SAS data set
(1) a collection of information that is stored as a unit in SAS. (2) descriptor
information and its related data values, organized as a table of observations and
