2010

Using the SAS Enterprise Guide (Version 4.2)

Table of Contents
Overview of the User Interface ...................................................................................................1
Navigating the Initial Contents of the Workspace .................................................................................................. 3
Useful Pull-Down Menus ............................................................................................................3
Working with Data ......................................................................................................................4
SAS Data Files ....................................................................................................................................................... 4
Other Data Files ..................................................................................................................................................... 5
Working with Tasks ....................................................................................................................6
Choosing a Task .................................................................................................................................................... 6
Performing a Task .................................................................................................................................................. 6
Exploring a Typical SAS Task Window .................................................................................................................. 7
Example: Creating a Simple Report ....................................................................................................................... 8
Working with Results ..................................................................................................................8
Changing the Result Format .................................................................................................................................. 8
Changing the Result Style .................................................................................................................................... 10
Exporting a Result as a Step in a Project ............................................................................................................ 10
Working with Process Flow....................................................................................................... 12
For More Information and Assistance ....................................................................................... 13
SAS Enterprise Guide Help .................................................................................................................................. 13
SAS Enterprise Guide Tutorials ........................................................................................................................... 14
Books ................................................................................................................................................................... 14
SSDS at Stanford ................................................................................................................................................. 14

Overview of the User Interface

SAS Enterprise Guide is a Windows client application with an easy-to-use graphical user interface
(GUI). The GUI consists of pull-down menus, dialog boxes, and windows that display and organize data,
and perform numerical and graphical tasks. You can perform all tasks in SAS Enterprise Guide by
pointing and clicking the mouse. This section describes the basic features of the SAS Enterprise Guide
pull-down menus and windows. SAS Enterprise Guide is a stand-alone application that requires a SAS
server, which can be either a local server or a remote server on any major computer platform. To use
SAS Enterprise Guide with a remote server, SAS Integration Technologies is also required.

A basic familiarity with the Windows operating system is all you need to get started with SAS
Enterprise Guide. You can access SAS Enterprise Guide on a PC from the Start menu, or by double-
clicking on the Enterprise Guide icon (shown below) on the desktop if applicable.

Enterprise
Guide 4.2

Stanford University
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 When you first start SAS Enterprise Guide, you may see a screen like the one below.

For the purposes of this guide, you should select New Project. You will then see a screen like this one:

3. Process
1. Project 2. Pull-Down Flow
Tree Menu Window
Window Window

5. Task
List

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Status
This area is the workspace, and the Process Flow should be the only window open in the workspace.

Navigating the Initial Contents of the Workspace

1. The Project Tree window displays a hierarchical view of the active project (see screenshot on
previous page). When you start with a new project, the Project Tree window is empty. As you add data,
run tasks, and generate results, an icon for each object is added to the Project Tree window.

2. As new windows open in the workspace, which happens when you run analyses or open data, you
need to navigate between them. The pull-down menu at the top of the open window allows you to do so.

3. The Process Flow window is a container for one or more components of the project. Unlike the
Project Tree, the Process Flow offers a relational view of the objects in the project. As you add data, run
tasks, and generate results, an icon for each object is added to the Process Flow window and any
relationship between the objects is shown with an arrow.

If you want to run multiple sets of analyses, you can create new Process Flows. You can also copy or
move objects between Process Flows. Additionally, you have the option of running a portion of the
Process Flow or the entire Process Flow.

4. The Task Status window, usually located at the bottom of the screen, displays messages about the
status of tasks as they are processing.

5. The Task List is hidden by default, but you can display it by clicking or moving your mouse pointer
over the Task List icon, labeled in the screenshot on the previous page. The Task List allows you to
perform various kinds of tasks (e.g., statistical analysis, graphs, etc.) with a simple click. Once you
perform a task, it will show up in both the Process Flow and Project Tree.

Comprehensive help is available from the Help menu. By using the tabs in the Help window, you can
browse the contents or index, perform a search, or bookmark pages for future reference.

Useful Pull-Down Menus

Like most Windows programs, SAS Enterprise Guide has a toolbar and a menu bar with pull-down
menus that you can use to access many of the features of the program. The toolbar contains buttons for
more commonly used procedures. To see what each button does, hold the mouse over the button for a
moment and a description of what the button does will appear. The following is a summary of the main
pull-down menus and their functions:

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 Menu Functions
File Open and save project, data, code, report, and process flow.
Import and export data. Print process flow.
Edit Modify or copy text, search and replace data. Expand or
collapse data.
View Customize the look of the SAS Enterprise Guide window by
selecting to view the tool bars for Project Flow, Task List, and
Task Status.
Tasks Perform statistical procedures to manage data, create graphs,
and produce descriptive and inferential statistics.
Program Open new or existing program (where you type SAS code to
perform analyses), run or stop current program.
Tools Combine multiple reports into one. Set style of report. Set
options such as window layout and enabling particular
features.
Help Get help on SAS Enterprise Guide tasks. Getting Started
tutorial. Connect to the online SAS Enterprise Guide
resources.

Working with Data

Before you can do anything in SAS Enterprise Guide, you need to add the data that you want to analyze
to your project. In addition to SAS data files, SAS Enterprise Guide can read most PC data files such as
HTML, Microsoft Access, dBASE, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus 1-2-3, and
Paradox files. You can open data that are located on your own computer or on the SAS server that you
are authorized to access.

SAS Data Files

Data on a server can either be opened from the Libraries or Files folder. SAS libraries are pointers to
locations that store SAS data sets. The Files folder enables you to browse the directory structure of the
server and open any data file that SAS Enterprise Guide can read.

If you choose to look for data on your local computer, you can browse the file structure of your
computer. There is a large collection of sample data that is installed with SAS Enterprise Guide in the
Data folder of the Sample directory.

Here is an example of how to open a SAS data set on the local computer:

From the File menu, select Open  Data. Select Local Computer, find the folder where the data are
located, and double-click the data file.

When you open a data file, it opens in a data grid that is located in the workspace area (see screenshot on
page 5). The dropdown menu at the top of the data grid shows the name of that data file. At the same
time, a shortcut to the data is automatically added to the Process Flow of the current project and the data
open in a data grid. By default, the data open in read-only mode. In the Process Flow window there are
shortcuts to a SAS data set.
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Other Data Files
If you select an Excel file to open, you must decide if you want to open the file as it is or if you want to
import the data to create a SAS data set. If you choose to create a SAS data set from the data, the Import
Data task opens automatically.

If you have data in a text file that you want to use in a task, you must import the data or create a SAS
data set first. You can open the Import Data task from the File menu.

After having added data to your project, you can explore the data by viewing them in the data grid. You
can also view the properties of data by right-clicking the data object in the Process Flow window and
selecting Properties from the pop-up menu. The Columns pane in the Properties window lists all the
columns, or variables, in the data as well as the properties of each column.

You can also set options for your task results by going to Tools, selecting Options and making changes
in the pop-up menu. Setting these options affects the way that data are opened and displayed in SAS
Enterprise Guide.

SAS reads the data in each column as either character data or numeric data. Icons for the variables
appear in the column headings of the data grid and provide information about the variables’ type.

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Character variables have a pyramid icon at the top of the column whereas numeric variables have a
circular icon with numbers inside.

In addition to opening existing data and using them, you can also work with your data in the following
ways:
 use the Import Data wizard to create SAS data sets from raw data files and Excel files by going
to FileImport Data and selecting the desired data or Excel file;

 use the New Data wizard to create a new SAS data file by going to FileNewData;

 use the Query Builder to manipulate your data, including filtering, joining, adding columns, and
sorting (see Building Queries in SAS Enterprise Guide Help for more information);

 make changes directly to data in the Data Grid by double-clicking on any cell in the data grid
and clicking yes in the window asking if you would like to switch to update mode.

Working with Tasks

Choosing a Task
After you have data in your project, you generally want to work with them in some way. In SAS
Enterprise Guide, you use tasks to do everything from manipulating data, to running specific analytical
procedures, to creating reports.

After you have opened a task window, you can view help for the entire task by pressing F1 to open the
help window for that task. In addition, in the task window you can view a short description of each
option that you can select in a task by moving your mouse pointer over the option and reading the
description in the help pane at the bottom.

Performing a Task
One way to select tasks is by using the Task List. The Task List is hidden by default, but you can
display it at anytime by clicking the Task List icon (see screenshot on page 2).

Once you click the Task List icon, you will see a pull-down menu allowing you to display Tasks by
Category or Tasks by Name. Select Tasks by Category.

If a task has a wizard version and you want to use it, you can click Use Wizard to the right next to the
task name in the Task List.

As you scroll down in the Task List, you see tasks in the Graph category. As you scroll down further,
you see tasks for Statistical Analysis.

Now switch to Tasks by Name from the pull-down menu. This way of viewing tasks lists individual
tasks alphabetically. It also lists the SAS procedure or procedures that are used in the task, which is
helpful is you plan on writing your own SAS code in the future.

In each task window, there are certain steps that you must complete before you can run the task. For
example, you must specify which variables you want to analyze and how you want to analyze them.
6 – Using the SAS Enterprise Guide (Version 4.2)
After that, you can select from a variety of options that pertain to the particular task. The most common
options for each task are selected for you, so after you've specified the information that is necessary to
run the task (e.g., indicated which variables to use), the Run button becomes available and you can run
the task and get the default results.

Exploring a Typical SAS Task Window

All tasks have a Task Roles list where you assign variables to roles in the task. This is how you
tell SAS Enterprise Guide how you want to analyze your data. The Task Roles list displays all
the ways that variables can be used in a task.

The Variables to Assign list displays all the variables from the data that you have selected. The
small window on the right of the screen gives a demonstration of what to do with instructions
beneath it.

Note: The data icon next to each variable shows the variable’s type, and the icon next to each
task role shows the type of variable that the role will accept.
Variables to Demonstration
Task roles with instructions
assign

Preview
code

7 – Using the SAS Enterprise Guide (Version 4.2)

To assign a variable to a task role, you select the variable and drag it to the role. You can also
select the variable, click the right arrow, and select the role from the menu that appears. Most
tasks enable you to set a title (which appears at the top of the results) and footnote (which
appears at the bottom of the results) for the task.

Note: As you assign variables to roles and select options, SAS Enterprise Guide generates code
that it will send to SAS to process. You can see this code by clicking the Preview code button in
the lower-left of each task window.

Example: Creating a Simple Report

The most basic report that you can create in SAS is a List Report. This type of report has one
line for each row (or observation) in your data. You can select the columns (or variables) that
you want in your report, group the data, and add totals and subtotals. The task that creates this
report is the List Data task.

 In the Process Flow window, select the data set. Then in the Describe menu of the Task
List, select List Data.

 Select variables of interest by pressing CTRL and clicking them. Drag them to the List
Variables category on the right, or click the right arrow and select List variables.

 After that, assign the grouping variable (if applicable) by dragging it to the Group
analysis by role, and the Identifying label role.

 You can now set Options if needed and click Run.

 Once the results appear in the window, click the Create pull-down menu at the top of the
window and select Create Report. Doing so will allow you to alter the format and style
of the report as discussed below.

Working with Results

Changing the Result Format
The List Report created above opens as a default in the SAS Enterprise Guide main window. If
you want to save it in a format other than SAS, you can easily do so by clicking on Export and
selecting Export SAS Report. Then click the pull-down menu for Files of type at the bottom of
the window (see screenshots below). You’ll see that you have the option of saving the report as
a SAS, an HTML, a PDF, or an XML file.

8 – Using the SAS Enterprise Guide (Version 4.2)

 Modify
Report Export Properties

Files of
type

9 – Using the SAS Enterprise Guide (Version 4.2)

Changing the Result Style
You can also change the style and layout of the report. The style dictates such characteristics as
the color and font of the tables and graphs in the report. SAS Enterprise Guide has several preset
styles, and you can set the report to one of them by clicking Properties in the upper right-hand
corner of the List Report window, then clicking the pull-down menu next to Style and selecting
the preferred style (see top screenshot on previous page).

You can also join reports from separate analyses you have run and choose their layout (e.g., have
the two reports be side-by-side or one on top of the other) by clicking Modify Report at the top
left-hand side of the window (see top screenshot on previous page). This also allows you to
insert text or image into the report.

Exporting a Report as a Step in a Project

Now suppose you would like to export the List Report as a step in a project, and you would like
it to be an HTML file. That way, each time you run the project an updated HTML file will be
exported to a specified location.

First, in the List Report window, click Export  Export Report As A Step In Project from the
pop-up menu.

The first page of the Export wizard enables you to select the file that you want to export. In this
case, you should select SAS Report – List Data. Click Next.

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The second page of the Export wizard enables you to choose the file type of the exported file.
To save the report as an HTML file, select HTML documents.

The third page of the Export wizard allows you to specify a location for the exported file. If you
would like to change the name of the file, simply type over the default name. Take care not to
change the file extension (.html) or where it will be saved when changing the file name. Click
Next.

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The fourth page of the Export wizard enables you to review the selections that you have made.
Click Finish.

The Export task runs and creates the HTML file. You have changed the result format and style,
and you have learned to export an HTML file as a step in a project.

Working with Process Flow

In practice you will probably have multiple data sets and tasks in one project. Sometimes it is
helpful to create a new Process Flow and move some of the objects from the default Process
Flow to a separate Process Flow. This makes it easy to run a Process Flow to refresh your results.
You can even use File in SAS Enterprise Guide to schedule the task to run automatically (see
Automating Projects in SAS Enterprise Guide Help for more information).

Here is an example of how you can run the same task repeatedly, on different data sets without
doing everything from scratch. In the main Process Flow window, click the New button (the
document icon shown in the screenshot on the next page). From the pull-down menu, select
Process Flow. Once you have the new Process Flow (which SAS Enterprise Guide assigns the
name Process Flow 1) open, you can rename it by clicking Properties at the top right-hand side
of the screen. Then you can copy parts of your original Process Flow and paste them into the
new Process Flow you have just created.

For example, if you would like to run a List Data analysis on the SAS dataset “cars” instead of
“candy,” create a new Process Flow as outlined above, click on Properties, and type “Car
Analysis” in the Label field to rename it. Then go to FileOpenData and select “cars” from
the SAS Sample Data folder. Once the icon for the cars dataset has appeared in the Car Analysis
window, you can right click on List Data on the left-hand side of the screen under Project Tree
and select Copy. Then right click on the icon for the cars dataset in the Cars Analysis window
and select Paste. You now have a List Data analysis set up for the dataset cars.

12 – Using the SAS Enterprise Guide (Version 4.2)

 Project Tree List Data New Button Properties
(for creating a new Process Flow)

For More Information and Assistance

SAS Enterprise Guide Help
SAS Enterprise Guide has an extensive help system that provides information about using it and
understanding the results. To access the Help system, go to the Help menu and select an option.

The Explore SAS Enterprise Guide lists a table of contents from which you can link to the
topics listed. The Getting Started Tutorial walks you through the most frequently used features
of SAS Enterprise Guide. You are also only a click away from online resources for SAS
Enterprise Guide. This resource contains much up-to-date information about this product.

13 – Using the SAS Enterprise Guide (Version 4.2)

SAS Enterprise Guide Tutorials
For information on SAS Enterprise Guide tutorials and resources, see
http://support.sas.com/documentation/onlinedoc/guide/

Books
SAS for Dummies, by Stephen McDaniel and Chris Hemedinger. Available online for Stanford
users at http://proquest.safaribooksonline.com/9780471788324.

[QA276.4 .D45 2003] The Little SAS Book for Enterprise Guide 4.1, by Susan Slaughter and
Lora Delwiche, SAS Corporation.

[QA276.4 .D38 2007] Statistics Using SAS Enterprise Guide, by James Davis, SAS Corporation.

Note: These books are available on a non-circulating basis in the Velma Denning Room (Room 120F
in the Bing Wing of Green Library). Please see also the document on Resources for Learning SAS
compiled by SSDS staff at

https://www.stanford.edu/group/ssds/cgi-bin/drupal/content/getting-started-guides-
documents

SSDS at Stanford
Software Services provides technical support for SAS users at Stanford. Users can ask questions
or make appointments with SSDS consultants via our website. For more information or to
contact us, please visit:

http://ssds.stanford.edu/

Copyright © 2010 by The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. Permission granted to copy for
non-commercial purposes, provided we receive acknowledgment and a copy of the document in which our material
appears. No right is granted to quote from or use any material in this document for purposes of promoting any
product or service.

Social Science Data and Software

Document revised: 8/31/2010

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