SAS Language Reference: Dictionary

Formats by Category

There are four categories of formats in SAS:

Category Description

CHARACTER instructs SAS to write character data values from character variables.

DATE and TIME instructs SAS to write data values from variables that represent dates, times, and datetimes.

NUMERIC instructs SAS to write numeric data values from numeric variables.

USER-DEFINED instructs SAS to write data values by using a format that is created with PROC FORMAT.

Storing user-defined formats is an important consideration if you associate these formats with variables in permanent SAS data sets, especially those shared with other users. For information on creating and storing user-defined formats, see the FORMAT procedure in the SAS Procedures Guide.

Category	Description
CHARACTER	instructs SAS to write character data values from character variables.
DATE and TIME	instructs SAS to write data values from variables that represent dates, times, and datetimes.
NUMERIC	instructs SAS to write numeric data values from numeric variables.
USER-DEFINED	instructs SAS to write data values by using a format that is created with PROC FORMAT.

The following table provides brief descriptions of the SAS formats. For more detailed descriptions, see the dictionary entry for each format.

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