Learning About SAS Programming

Rick Aster

There is no one way to learn about SAS programming. Different people learn best in different ways, or with different media. In addition, there are dozens of different ways a SAS programmer can specialize within the world of SAS programming. The questions I would ask to determine how you can most easily learn SAS programming are:

• What do you already know about SAS programming?
• How well do you understand computers and programmer in general?
• What are your objectives in working with SAS programs?
• What have been your favorite or most effective ways of learning other subjects?

Your alternatives for learning about SAS programming include (roughly in increasing order of effort and expense):

• Books
• The SAS online help system (assuming you have your own copy of SAS software)
• Other printed materials and Web sites, including papers, newsletters, magazines, and technical notes
• Audio tapes
• Computer-based training
• SAS Institute’s occasional marketing events
• User group meetings and conferences
• Experimentation and discovery, perhaps starting with SAS/ASSIST software
• Training with an instructor, either from SAS Institute, at a college or university, or elsewhere
• Learning on the job (having coworkers explain how they do things, or being tutored)
• Advice from a consultant or systems integrator

Use any combination that works for you, and make sure you take your own learning style into account. A book or class may present the information you need, but it won’t help you if books or classes put you to sleep! Some people find that they learn faster by reading and studying example programs; others do better with a focus on ideas, rules, and theory. The approach that appeals to you is probably also the one that will work best for you.