SAS Certification Prep Guide: Base Programming for SAS 9, Third Edition

The book has easy to understand chapters for both the beginners and those who have some familiarity with sas. It has over 900 pages, so at first it feels like bible, but when you start the chapters you will be able to move really fast as the characters, tables, example codes are well placed and sufficiently spaced. Overall a very good buy at this price for the quality of paper and prints.Concepts and examples are explained in both overview, detailed, and summarized way, better than previous versions, i will give 5/5 for this. The examples are based on the sample data that comes with the sas product which is very helpful, no need to copy-paste or import from a CD - BTW it does not come with a CD. A cd could have been little helpful for those who want to try only specific examples and find the derived/intermediate data sets on it instead of running codes in the previous examples to created them.

Well, don't use this to learn statistical techniques.It is design to PREPare you for the ceertification exam, that's it.The chapter end quizes taught me that the cert exam will be nit-picky.The expectation is to get you to know "exactly" situational appropriate knowledge.There are errors in the text that I have run into in many chapters, and some areas that contradict each other.But I have found this a very good reference for using SAS and will be buying the next text in the series.I think a more CD practice as you go approach would be much better but I couldn't find one.So if your like me, and know some SAS programming and want to assure yourself of what you know and learn the finicky particulars before you sit for the certification exam....then this is a great text for you.Pair this with some SAS by statistical example text and you have the makings of the start of a good SAS library.

6/25/15I've upgraded from 1 to 3 star because SAS has come through withupdated code to run in the University Edition.I'm running UE on the VMWARE virtual machine on Win 8.1.Some PC's may not run virtual machines. I had no luckwith the Oracle virtual.If you want to use this book in a similar environment you need toemail them at support@sas.com and ask for the code. Eventuallyit should be available on the website.Original review:1. For admit.dat, the sample data does not match the data shown in the book.You can create a csv using these 5 lines:id,name,sex,age,date,height,weight,activity,fee1,"johnson","f",43,31,63,137,"mod",149.002,"smith","m",51,4,71,158,"low",124.003,"eberhart","f",49,27,64,172,"high",160.004,"peterson","m",35,15,66,180,"mod",200.00The code I used:* import the csv;* in the line below this is how you address folders in SAS University Edition;PROC IMPORT DATAFILE='/folders/myfolders/sasuser.v94/basesasprep/admit.csv' OUT=WORK.admit DBMS=CSV REPLACE;RUN;*save to permanent library;libname basesas "/folders/myfolders/sasuser.v94/";proc copy inlib=work outlib=basesas;select admit;run;* print the permanent dataset;proc print data=basesas.admit;run;* run the sample program with my mods;libname basesas "/folders/myfolders/sasuser.v94/";data basesas.admit2; set basesas.admit; where age>39;run;proc print data=basesas.admit2;run;If you're new to SAS you should probably start with something like "Learning SAS by Example: A Programmer's Guide." This and other books will help you cover the possibility that the exam has topics that aren't covered in this book.SAS needs to do a deep dive on this book to make sure it is correct and in sync with the tests. Most of the example data is provided as .dat (text) files but the book doesn't start by telling you how to read these file.I've written a letter to the SAS CEO about these problems so whoever is responsible for this book might want to get busy on fixes.In chapter 2 I'm finding the same problems in the sample code- tables not created and libraries that don't exist. If this continues I will rate this as the worst computer book I have bought during 25+ years in software. The upside is that by solving these problems I am learning a lot.

I used this book in conjunction with other study material and passed the exam on my first take. I bought the kindle version and I loved it. The codes were easy to read, and the material was well presented (I typed the codes instead of copying and pasting). I do not think you can pass the exam without this book. In fact, I do not remember any of the questions in the exam not covered in the book.However, the end of chapter quizzes were not a true representation of the questions in the exam. I felt the questions in the book are more about knowing definitions and applying the concepts in a basic way. You need to look at other resources, like some of the papers from SAS and NCSU. In addition, I used learning SAS by example as a secondary study material (I really like the end of chapter projects). You will not pass the exam by only reading you must do a lot of practice in SAS.

I read the book cover to cover and took an extensive amount of notes. It gave me a lot of confidence to understand how the SAS language works. The Q & A at the end of each chapter was highly helpful. Unfortunately, the book is not enough to help you to pass the exam. I took the exam and passed it on 1st try not only because of the book although it did help me to understand SAS well enough but one other invaluable source of information. I made a YouTube video of how I did it, so google for "How to Pass the SAS Base Programming Exam for SAS 9 Mr. Math Expert" as I explain my experience with the exam in more depth and think you will find it invaluable. All in all, yes, you must get the book, but don't stop there because if you do, you are more likely to fail the exam.

Poorly edited and full of spelling and programming errors. Learning SAS from this book is somewhat impeded by the fact that incomprehensible code is sometimes due to your own lack of understanding and sometimes due to errors within the book. The SAS exam also requires prior knowledge of text functions such as 'contains' and 'like' that are not touched upon on this book, but are found at the start of the Advanced programming book. That said it is entirely possible to become certified with this book alone. The examples are thorough and the pace is manageable. The book is fit for purpose in that regard.

If you are serious in developing SAS programming skills this book is a must. But it is not a standard self-study book. If you are new to SAS, you better buy and study "The Little SAS book" first. If you happen to understand the Dutch language the book "Werken met SAS" is a good starting point. Once you have studied these books, the Certification Prep Guide gives you additional details and examples of questions you may expect during the Certification exam.

Seems like a great comprehensive revision guide, though only just started going through it, so full value will be known once I have taken my exam in August

Good book. Very clear and easy to understand.

First an in time delivery by amazon.This book is very useful for preparation of Base SAS Certification. All the concepts are covered very clearly. The sample question at the end of each chapter tests your understanding of that chapter. I would Definitely recommend to use this book before you appear for SAS Certification Exam.