Review of The SAS Workbook Solutions (Paperback)

This is the second book of the author's set; Book 1, "The SAS Workbook" contains the problems and context for the solutions presented here in Book 2, "Solutions" (the two-volume set is available at Amazon). I don't know why anyone would purchase the Solutions book only instead of the set (perhaps a copy of the SAS Workbook" is available).

These are challenging problems, probably most appropriate for the intermediate to intermediate-advanced SAS programmer. The answer book is limited to solutions, with little or no discussion of pitfalls, alternatives, or the logic behind the answers. Therefore, if you do not immediately understand the solution, you will need to work backwards, pick it apart, or use some other technique (like asking someone). This somewhat limits its audience to those who are more experienced. I hope either Cody or someone else will have a more instructive answer book in the future. Still, at this time, with so few books like this available, this is a great way to test and expand your knowledge. (Although you may also wish to examine the shorter but cheaper "test" book by Robert Virgile, also available from Amazon.)

The four sections of the "Workbook" are "Data Step Programming," "Procedures," "SAS Programming Techniques," and "Statistics Problems." Each of these sections has several brief topics; for example, Data Step Programming includes combining data sets, using IF-THEN/ELSE and other logical operators, numerical functions, dates, arrays, and working with longitudinal data.

Why two separate books? Cody explains that the "solution is obvious once you see it" and "the learning potential of the book is lost." He therefore "removed the temptation for students to flip to the back of the book." (Come now, aren't we more disciplined than that?). A more persuasive argument is that "teachers may...feel more comfortable in assigning problems without the solutions too close at hand." Recommendation: Buy the set, especially if you are an intermediate to advanced user.

Product Description
This book provides solutions to the problems in TheSASWorkbook. Use it to compare your own programs to those created bythe author of the problems workbook. Alternate solutions are offeredfor a number of the problems. The solutions book is also available aspart of the set The SAS Workbook and Solutions.

Supports releases 6.09 and higher of SAS software.

About the Author
Ronald P. Cody
Ronald P. Cody, Ed.D., coauthor of two books, Applied Statisticsand the SAS Programming Language, Third Edition, and SASProgramming by Example, has over 17 years of experience usingand teaching the SAS System.A prolific contributor to national,regional, and local users group conferences, Cody is a professorand researcher in the medical field.

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