Proc PRINT and ODS : teaching an old PROC new tricks

Abstract

PROC PRINT is one of the oldest living procedures in SAS® and is probably the most widely used procedure of all time. In SAS® 9.3, the internals of PROC PRINT were completely rewritten to update it and make it fully compatible with the Output Delivery System (ODS). This paper presents many of PROC PRINT’s new tricks to help you create more complex reports for multiple destinations, including HTML, PDF, RTF, and (of course) LISTING. Topics include styles, traffic lighting, PROC DOCUMENT to store and replay the output, the new SUMLABEL and BLANKLINE options, #BYVAL and #BYVAR substitutions to customize titles, and the BYID layout. You CAN teach an old PROC new tricks!