Following is a brief discussion of three topics about which questions are frequently asked. SAS variable names are eight characters or less in length. The other characters may be a letter A through Z, a number 0 through 9, or an underscore. Blanks or other special characters are not allowed in SAS variable names. If it is omitted, SAS reads the next line as part of the current statement.
Reading continues until a semicolon is encountered.
Spacing is usually not important in SAS programming. Statements may begin in column one or may be indented to indicate the relative importance of the programming statements. The choice is given to the user, and the decision is usually based upon style. Spacing within a statement may also be varied. In general, where one space is allowed, two or more spaces are also permitted.