The REPORT Procedure

Concepts

Laying Out a Report
Report writing is simplified if you approach it with a clear understanding of what you want the report to look like. The most important thing to figure out is the layout of the report. To determine the layout, ask yourself the following kinds of questions:

What do I want to display in each column of the report?
In what order do I want the columns to appear?
Do I want to display a column for each value of a particular variable?
Do I want a row for every observation in the report, or do I want to consolidate information for multiple observations into one row?
In what order do I want the rows to appear?

Once you understand the layout of the report, use the COLUMN and DEFINE statements in PROC REPORT to construct the layout.

The COLUMN statement lists the items that appear in the columns of the report, describes the arrangement of the columns, and defines headers that span multiple columns. A report item can be

a data set variable
a statistic calculated by the procedure
a variable that you compute based on other items in the report.

Omit the COLUMN statement if you want to include all variables in the input data set in the same order as they occur in the data set.

Note: If you start PROC REPORT in the windowing environment without the COLUMN statement, the initial report includes only as many variables as will fit on one page. [cautionend]
The DEFINE statement (or, in the windowing environment, the DEFINITION window) defines the characteristics of an item in the report. These characteristics include how PROC REPORT uses the item in the report, the text of the column header, and the format to use to display values.

Usage of Variables in a Report

Much of a report's layout is determined by the usages that you specify for variables in the DEFINE statements or DEFINITION windows. For data set variables, these usages are

DISPLAY

ORDER

ACROSS

GROUP

ANALYSIS

A report can contain variables that are not in the input data set. These variables must have a usage of COMPUTED.

Display Variables

A report that contains one or more display variables has a row for every observation in the input data set. Display variables do not affect the order of the rows in the report. If no order variables appear to the left of a display variable, the order of the rows in the report reflects the order of the observations in the data set. By default, PROC REPORT treats all character variables as display variables.

Featured in:

Selecting Variables for a Report

Order Variables

A report that contains one or more order variables has a row for every observation in the input data set. If no display variable appears to the left of an order variable, PROC REPORT orders the detail rows according to the ascending, formatted values of the order variable. You can change the default order with ORDER= and DESCENDING in the DEFINE statement or with the DEFINITION window.

If the report contains multiple order variables, PROC REPORT establishes the order of the detail rows by sorting these variables from left to right in the report. PROC REPORT does not repeat the value of an order variable from one row to the next if the value does not change.

Featured in:

Ordering the Rows in a Report

Across Variables

PROC REPORT creates a column for each value of an across variable. PROC REPORT orders the columns by the ascending, formatted values of the across variable. You can change the default order with ORDER= and DESCENDING in the DEFINE statement or with the DEFINITION window. If no other variable helps define the column (see COLUMN Statement ), PROC REPORT displays the N statistic (the number of observations in the input data set that belong to that cell of the report).

If you are familiar with procedures that use class variables, you will see that across variables are class variables that are used in the column dimension.

Featured in:

Creating a Column for Each Value of a Variable

Group Variables

If a report contains one or more group variables, PROC REPORT tries to consolidate into one row all observations from the data set that have a unique combination of formatted values for all group variables.

When PROC REPORT creates groups, it orders the detail rows by the ascending, formatted values of the group variable. You can change the default order with ORDER= and DESCENDING in the DEFINE statement or with the DEFINITION window.

If the report contains multiple group variables, the REPORT procedure establishes the order of the detail rows by sorting these variables from left to right in the report. PROC REPORT does not repeat the values of a group variable from one row to the next if the value does not change.

If you are familiar with procedures that use class variables, you will see that group variables are class variables that are used in the row dimension.

Note: You cannot always create groups. PROC REPORT cannot consolidate observations into groups if the report contains any order variables or any display variables that do not have one or more statistics associated with them (see COLUMN Statement ). In the windowing environment, if PROC REPORT cannot immediately create groups, it changes all display and order variables to group variables so that it can create the group variable that you requested. In the nonwindowing environment, it returns to the SAS log a message that explains why it could not create groups. Instead, it creates a detail report that displays group variables the same way as it displays order variables. Even if PROC REPORT creates a detail report, the variables that you defined as group variables retain that usage in their definitions. [cautionend]

Featured in:

Consolidating Multiple Observations into One Row of a Report

Analysis Variables

An analysis variable is a numeric variable that is used to calculate a statistic for all the observations represented by a cell of the report. (Across variables, in combination with group variables or order variables, determine which observations a cell represents.) You associate a statistic with an analysis variable in the variable's definition or in the COLUMN statement. By default, PROC REPORT uses numeric variables as analysis variables that are used to calculate the Sum statistic.

The value of an analysis variable depends on where it appears in the report:

In a detail report, the value of an analysis variable in a detail row is the value of the statistic associated with that variable calculated for a single observation. Calculating a statistic for a single observation is not practical; however, using the variable as an analysis variable enables you to create summary lines for sets of observations or for all observations.
In a summary report, the value displayed for an analysis variable is the value of the statistic that you specify calculated for the set of observations represented by that cell of the report.
In a summary line for any report, the value of an analysis variable is the value of the statistic that you specify calculated for all observations represented by that cell of the summary line.

See also:	BREAK Statement and RBREAK Statement
Featured in:	Ordering the Rows in a Report , Using Aliases to Obtain Multiple Statistics for the Same Variable , Consolidating Multiple Observations into One Row of a Report , and Creating a Column for Each Value of a Variable

CAUTION:: Using dates in a report. Be careful when you use SAS dates in reports that contain summary lines. SAS dates are numeric variables. Unless you explicitly define dates as some other kind of variable, PROC REPORT summarizes them.

Computed Variables

Computed variables are variables that you define for the report. They are not in the input data set, and PROC REPORT does not add them to the input data set. However, computed variables are included in an output data set if you create one.

In the windowing environment, you add a computed variable to a report from the COMPUTED VAR window.

In the nonwindowing environment, you add a computed variable by

including the computed variable in the COLUMN statement
defining the variable's usage as COMPUTED in the DEFINE statement
computing the value of the variable in a compute block associated with the variable.

Featured in:

Creating a Column for Each Value of a Variable , Calculating Percentages , and Storing Computed Variables as Part of a Data Set

Interactions of Position and Usage

The position and usage of each variable in the report determine the report's structure and content. PROC REPORT orders the detail rows of the report according to the values of order and group variables, considered from left to right in the report. Similarly, PROC REPORT orders columns for an across variable from top to bottom, according to the values of the variable.

Several items can collectively define the contents of a column in a report. For instance, in Stacking Department and Sales , the values that appear in the third and fourth columns are collectively determined by Sales, an analysis variable, and by Department, an across variable. You create this kind of report with the COLUMN statement or, in the windowing environment, by placing report items above or below each other. This is called stacking items in the report because each item generates a header, and the headers are stacked one above the other.

Stacking Department and Sales

[IMAGE]

When you use multiple items to define the contents of a column, at most one of the following can be in a column:

a display variable with or without a statistic above or below it
an analysis variable with or without a statistic above or below it
an order variable
a group variable
a computed variable.

More than one of these items in a column creates a conflict for PROC REPORT about which values to display.

Report Items That Can Share Columns shows which report items can share a column.

Note: You cannot stack group or order variables with other report items. [cautionend]

Report Items That Can Share Columns
Display Analysis Order Group Computed Across Statistic

Display

X^* X

Analysis

X X

Order

Group

Computed variable

X

Across X^* X

X X X

Statistic X X

X

^*When a display variable and an across variable share a column, the report must also contain another variable that is not in the same column.

The following items can stand alone in a column:

display variable
analysis variable
order variable
group variable
computed variable
across variable
N statistic.

Note: The values in a column occupied only by an across variable are frequency counts. [cautionend]

Statistics Available in PROC REPORT

N CSS

NMISS STDERR

MEAN CV

STD T

MIN PRT

MAX VAR

RANGE SUMWGT

SUM PCTN

USS PCTSUM

Every statistic except N must be associated with a variable. You associate a statistic with a variable either by placing the statistic above or below a numeric display variable or by specifying the statistic as a usage option in the DEFINE statement or in the DEFINITION window for an analysis variable.

You can place N anywhere because it is the number of observations in the input data set that contributes to the value in a cell of the report. The value of N does not depend on a particular variable.

For definitions of these statistics, see Keywords and Formulas .

Note: If you use the MISSING option in the PROC REPORT statement, N includes observations with missing group, order, or across variables. [cautionend]

Using Compute Blocks
A compute block is one or more programming statements that appear either between a COMPUTE and an ENDCOMP statement or in a COMPUTE window. PROC REPORT executes these statements as it builds the report. A compute block can be associated with a report item (a data set variable, a statistic, or a computed variable) or with a location (at the top or bottom of the report; before or after a set of observations). You create a compute block with the COMPUTE window or with the COMPUTE statement. One form of the COMPUTE statement associates the compute block with a report item. Another form associates the compute block with a location in the report (see Using Break Lines ).

Note: When you use the COMPUTE statement, you do not have to use a corresponding BREAK or RBREAK statement. (See Ordering the Rows in a Report , which uses COMPUTE AFTER but does not use the RBREAK statement). Use these statements only when you want to implement one or more BREAK statement or RBREAK statement options (see Writing a Customized Summary on Each Page , which uses both COMPUTE AFTER MANAGER and BREAK AFTER MANAGER. [cautionend]

The Purpose of Compute Blocks

A compute block that is associated with a report item can

define a variable that appears in a column of the report but is not in the input data set
define display attributes for a report item (see CALL DEFINE Statement ).

A compute block that is associated with a location can write a customized summary.

In addition, all compute blocks can use SAS language elements to perform calculations (see The Contents of Compute Blocks ). A PROC REPORT step can contain multiple compute blocks.

The Contents of Compute Blocks

In the windowing environment, a compute block is in a COMPUTE window. In the nonwindowing environment, a compute block begins with a COMPUTE statement and ends with an ENDCOMP statement. Within a compute block, you can use these SAS language elements:

DM statement
%INCLUDE statement
these DATA step statements:

assignment LENGTH

CALL LINK

DO (all forms) RETURN

END SELECT

GO TO sum

IF-THEN/ELSE
comments
null statements
macro variables and macro invocations
all DATA step functions.

For information about SAS language elements see the appropriate section in SAS Language Reference: Dictionary.

Within a compute block, you can also use these PROC REPORT features:

Compute blocks for a customized summary can contain one or more LINE statements, which place customized text and formatted values in the summary. (See LINE Statement .)
Compute blocks for a report item can contain one or more CALL DEFINE statements, which set attributes like color and format each time a value for the item is placed in the report. (See CALL DEFINE Statement .)
Any compute block can contain the automatic variable _BREAK_ (see The Automatic Variable _BREAK_ .

Four Ways to Reference Report Items in a Compute Block

A compute block can reference any report item that forms a column in the report (whether or not the column is visible). You reference report items in a compute block in one of four ways:

by name.
by a compound name that identifies both the variable and the name of the statistic that you calculate with it. A compound name has this form

variable-name.statistic
by an alias that you create in the COLUMN statement or in the DEFINITION window.
by column number, in the form

_Cn_
where n is the number of the column (from left to right) in the report.
Note: Even though the columns that you define with NOPRINT and NOZERO do not appear in the report, you must count them when you are referencing columns by number. See the discussion of NOPRINT and NOZERO .

CAUTION:: Referencing variables that have missing values leads to missing values. If a compute block references a variable that has a missing value, PROC REPORT displays that variable as a blank (for character variables) or as a period (for numeric variables).

The following table shows how to use each type of reference in a compute block.

If the variable that you reference is this type... Then refer to it by... For example...

group name^*
Department

order name^*
Department

computed name^*
Department

display name^*
Department

display sharing a column with a statistic a compound name^*
Sales.sum

analysis a compound name^*
Sales.mean

any type sharing a column with an across variable column number ^** _c3_

^*If the variable has an alias, you must reference it with the alias.

^**Even if the variable has an alias, you must reference it by column number.

If the variable that you reference is this type...	Then refer to it by...	For example...
group	name^*	Department
order	name^*	Department
computed	name^*	Department
display	name^*	Department
display sharing a column with a statistic	a compound name^*	Sales.sum
analysis	a compound name^*	Sales.mean
any type sharing a column with an across variable	column number ^**	_c3_
^*If the variable has an alias, you must reference it with the alias.
^**Even if the variable has an alias, you must reference it by column number.

Featured in:

Using Aliases to Obtain Multiple Statistics for the Same Variable , which references analysis variables by their aliases; Creating a Column for Each Value of a Variable , which references variables by column number; and Calculating Percentages , which references group variables and computed variables by name.

Compute Block Processing

PROC REPORT processes compute blocks in two different ways.

If a compute block is associated with a location, PROC REPORT executes the compute block only at that location. Because PROC REPORT calculates statistics for groups before it actually constructs the rows of the report, statistics for sets of detail rows are available before or after the rows are displayed, as are values for any variables based on these statistics.
If a compute block is associated with a report item, PROC REPORT executes the compute block on every row of the report when it comes to the column for that item. The value of a computed variable in any row of a report is the last value assigned to that variable during that execution of the DATA step statements in the compute block. PROC REPORT assigns values to the columns in a row of a report from left to right. Consequently, you cannot base the calculation of a computed variable on any variable that appears to its right in the report.

Note: PROC REPORT recalculates computed variables at breaks. For details on compute block processing see How PROC REPORT Builds a Report . [cautionend]

Using Break Lines
Break lines are lines of text (including blanks) that appear at particular locations, called breaks, in a report. A report can contain multiple breaks. Generally, break lines are used to visually separate parts of a report, to summarize information, or both. They can occur

at the beginning or end of a report
at the top or bottom of each page
between sets of observations (whenever the value of a group or order variable changes).

Break lines can contain

text
values calculated for either a set of rows or for the whole report.

Creating Break Lines

There are two ways to create break lines. The first way is simpler. It produces a default summary. The second way is more flexible. It produces a customized summary and provides a way to slightly modify a default summary. Default summaries and customized summaries can appear at the same location in a report.

Default summaries are produced with the BREAK statement, the RBREAK statement, or the BREAK window. You can use default summaries to visually separate parts of the report, to summarize information for numeric variables, or both. Options provide some control over the appearance of the break lines, but if you choose to summarize numeric variables, you have no control over the content and the placement of the summary information. (A break line that summarizes information is a summary line.)

Customized summaries are produced in a compute block. You can control both the appearance and content of a customized summary, but you must write the code to do so.

Order of Break Lines

You control the order of the lines in a customized summary. However, PROC REPORT controls the order of lines in a default summary and the placement of a customized summary relative to a default summary. When a default summary contains multiple break lines, the order in which the break lines appear is

overlining or double overlining
summary line
underlining or double underlining
blank line
page break.

If you define a customized summary for the same location, customized break lines appear after underlining or double underlining.

The Automatic Variable _BREAK_

PROC REPORT automatically creates a variable called _BREAK_. This variable contains

a blank if the current line is not part of a break
the value of the break variable if the current line is part of a break between sets of observations
the value RBREAK if the current line is part of a break at the beginning or end of the report.

Using Style Elements in PROC REPORT
If you use the Output Delivery System to create HTML output or Printer output from PROC REPORT, you can specify style elements for the procedure to use for various parts of the report. Style elements determine presentation attributes like font face, font weight, color, and so forth. Information about the attributes that you can set for a style is in Customizing the Style Definition That ODS Uses .

You specify style elements for PROC REPORT with the STYLE= option. Using the STYLE= Option in PROC REPORT shows where you can use this option. Specifications on a statement other than the PROC REPORT statement override the same specification in the PROC REPORT statement. However, any style attributes that you specify in the PROC REPORT statement and do not override in another statement are inherited. For instance, if you specify a blue background and a white foreground for all column headers in the PROC REPORT statement, and you specify a gray background for the column headers of a variable in the DEFINE statement, the background for that particular column header is gray, and the foreground is white (as specified in the PROC REPORT statement).

Detailed information about STYLE= is provided in the documentation for individual statements.

Using the STYLE= Option in PROC REPORT
To set the style element for Use STYLE= in this statement

The report as a whole, including attributes of the table itself (like the spacing between cells) as well as style elements for column headers, cells, default summaries, customized summaries, and individual cells defined by CALL DEFINE statements PROC REPORT

Column headers and cells for a particular variable DEFINE

Default summary lines BREAK
RBREAK

Customized summary lines COMPUTE (with a location and LINE statements)

Individual cells of the report CALL DEFINE

***Using the STYLE= Option in PROC REPORT***
To set the style element for	Use STYLE= in this statement
The report as a whole, including attributes of the table itself (like the spacing between cells) as well as style elements for column headers, cells, default summaries, customized summaries, and individual cells defined by CALL DEFINE statements	PROC REPORT
Column headers and cells for a particular variable	DEFINE
Default summary lines	BREAK RBREAK
Customized summary lines	COMPUTE (with a location and LINE statements)
Individual cells of the report	CALL DEFINE

Printing a Report

Printing from the REPORT Window

By default, if you print from the REPORT window, the report is routed directly to your printer. If you want, you can specify a form to use for printing (see Printing with a Form ). Forms specify things like the type of printer that you are using, text format, and page orientation.

Note: Forms are available only when you run SAS from a windowing environment. [cautionend]

Operating Environment Information: Printing is implemented differently in different operating environments. For information related to printing, consult SAS Language Reference: Concepts. Additional information may be available in the SAS documentation for your operating environment. [cautionend]

Printing with a Form

To print with a form from the REPORT window:

Specify a form. You can specify a form with the FORMNAME command or, in some cases, through the [File] menu.
Specify a print file if you want the output to go to a file instead of directly to the printer. You can specify a print file with the PRTFILE command or, in some cases, through the File pull-down menu.
Issue the PRINT or PRINT PAGE command from the command line or from the File pull-down menu.
If you specified a print file,
1. Free the print file. You can free a file with the FREE command or, in some cases, through Print utilities in the File pull-down menu. You cannot view or print the file until you free it.
2. Use operating environment commands to send the file to the printer.

Printing from the OUTPUT Window

If you are running PROC REPORT with the NOWINDOWS option, the default destination for the output is the OUTPUT window. Use the commands in the File pull-down menu to print the report.

Printing from Noninteractive or Batch Mode

If you use noninteractive or batch mode, SAS writes the output either to the display or to external files, depending on the operating environment and on the SAS options that you use. Refer to the SAS documentation for your operating environment for information about how these files are named and where they are stored.

You can print the output file directly or use PROC PRINTTO to redirect the output to another file. In either case, no form is used, but carriage control characters are written if the destination is a print file.

Use operating environment commands to send the file to the printer.

Printing from Interactive Line Mode

If you use interactive line mode, by default the output and log are displayed on the screen immediately following the programming statements. Use PROC PRINTTO to redirect the output to an external file. Then use operating environment commands to send the file to the printer.

Using PROC PRINTTO

PROC PRINTTO defines destinations for the SAS output and the SAS log (see The PRINTTO Procedure ).

PROC PRINTTO does not use a form, but it does write carriage control characters if you are writing to a print file.

CAUTION:: You need two PROC PRINTTO steps. The first PROC PRINTTO step precedes the PROC REPORT step. It redirects the output to a file. The second PROC PRINTTO step follows the PROC REPORT step. It reestablishes the default destination and frees the output file. You cannot print the file until PROC PRINTTO frees it.

Storing and Reusing a Report Definition
The OUTREPT= option in the PROC REPORT statement stores a report definition in the specified catalog entry. If you are working in the nonwindowing environment, the definition is based on the PROC REPORT step that you submit. If you are in the windowing environment, the definition is based on the report that is in the REPORT window when you end the procedure. The SAS System assigns an entry type of REPT to the entry.

In the windowing environment, you can save the definition of the current report by selecting

File Save Report
A report definition may differ from the SAS program that creates the report (see the discussion of OUTREPT= ).

You can use a report definition to create an identically structured report for any SAS data set that contains variables with the same names as the ones used in the report definition. Use the REPORT= option in the PROC REPORT statement to load a report definition when you start PROC REPORT. In the windowing environment, load a report definition from the LOAD REPORT window by selecting

File Open Report

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N	CSS
NMISS	STDERR
MEAN	CV
STD	T
MIN	PRT
MAX	VAR
RANGE	SUMWGT
SUM	PCTN
USS	PCTSUM

assignment	LENGTH
CALL	LINK
DO (all forms)	RETURN
END	SELECT
GO TO	sum
IF-THEN/ELSE