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Exam Information
Official specifications published by SAS Institute
Exam Format
135 min
40-45
725
Specialist
Registration
$180 USD
Pearson VUE or online proctoring
Validity
No expiration
Certification does not expire; Can pursue Advanced Programming Professional certification
A00-231 Exam Topics and Domains
A00-231 is organized into 4 weighted domains. Expect to work with SAS log, Assignment statements, Base SAS, BY statement, and more.
1
Access and Create Data Structures
22.5%
Create SAS Data Sets
Use DATA step to create SAS data setsCreate temporary and permanent SAS data sets
- Create SAS data sets from existing data sets
- Understand temporary vs permanent storage
- Apply proper naming conventions
Investigate SAS Data Libraries
Use LIBNAME statementsUse PROC CONTENTS
- Assign library reference names to SAS libraries
- Investigate library contents programmatically
- Understand data set metadata
Access External Data
Use PROC IMPORTAccess non-SAS data sources
- Import data from various external sources
- Handle different file formats
- Apply appropriate import options
Combine SAS Data Sets
Concatenate data setsMerge data sets
- Combine data sets through concatenation
- Perform various types of merges
- Understand combination requirements and results
2
Manage Data
37.5%
Create and Manipulate SAS Date Values
SAS date values and functions
- Understand SAS date storage
- Apply date functions effectively
- Convert between date representations
Control Data Processing
Control observations and variables
- Filter data effectively
- Control variable selection
- Apply conditional logic
Sort Observations
Use PROC SORT
- Sort data sets by one or more variables
- Remove duplicate observations
- Understand sorting requirements for procedures
Conditionally Execute Statements
IF-THEN/ELSE logic
- Implement conditional processing
- Use appropriate conditional structures
- Handle complex logical conditions
Use Assignment Statements
Create and modify variables
- Create new variables in DATA step
- Modify variable values
- Set variable attributes
Accumulate Values
Create running totals and subtotals
- Create accumulator variables
- Implement BY-group processing
- Calculate subtotals and grand totals
Use SAS Functions
Character functionsNumeric functionsConversion functions
- Apply character manipulation functions
- Use numeric and statistical functions
- Convert between data types
Process Data with DO LOOPS
Iterative DO loops
- Construct various types of DO loops
- Control loop execution
- Generate data with loops
Restructure Data
Use PROC TRANSPOSE
- Restructure data from wide to long format
- Restructure data from long to wide format
- Apply PROC TRANSPOSE effectively
Use Macro Variables
Basic macro variables
- Create and use macro variables
- Simplify program maintenance
- Understand macro variable scope
3
Error Handling
17.5%
Identify and Resolve Programming Logic Errors
Logic error detection
- Identify programming logic errors
- Use debugging techniques
- Resolve unexpected results
Recognize and Correct Syntax Errors
Syntax error identification
- Recognize syntax errors in SAS log
- Interpret error messages
- Correct common syntax mistakes
Examine and Resolve Data Errors
Data error handling
- Identify data errors
- Apply data validation techniques
- Clean and correct data issues
4
Generate Reports and Output
17.5%
Generate List Reports
Use PROC PRINT
- Create detailed list reports
- Customize report appearance
- Add summaries to reports
Generate Summary Reports
Use PROC FREQUse PROC MEANSUse PROC UNIVARIATE
- Create frequency tables
- Calculate summary statistics
- Analyze data distributions
Enhance Reports
Use PROC FORMATAdd titles and footnotes
- Create and apply custom formats
- Enhance report readability
- Customize output appearance
Generate Output with ODS
Use ODS statements
- Generate reports in multiple formats
- Use ODS for output management
- Create professional reports
Export Data
Use PROC EXPORTCreate raw data files
- Export data to external formats
- Create raw data files
- Control export specifications
How do I earn this certification?
Passing A00-231 earns the SAS Certified Specialist: Base Programming Using SAS 9.4 certification. It sits in the SAS Programming track.
Current Level Exams
A00-215 - SAS Certified Associate: Programming Fundamentals Using SAS 9.4
Next Level Options
- A00-232 - SAS Certified Professional: Advanced Programming Using SAS 9.4Requires A00-231 as prerequisite
- A00-233 - SAS 9.4 Advanced Programming - Delta Exam For those holding A00-211 certification
Alternative Paths
- A00-250 - SAS Platform Administration Systems administration focus
- A00-255 - SAS Predictive Modeling Using SAS Enterprise Miner Data mining and predictive analytics
- A00-260 - SAS Data Integration Development ETL and data integration focus
- A00-270 - SAS BI Content Development Reporting and BI development
Practice with Precision
The PlanetCert Simulator mirrors the real exam environment with authentic questions and timed pressure.
How to study for this exam?
The most effective way to prepare for A00-231 is by using the PlanetCert Simulator to practice questions and review detailed explanations.
What's changed on this exam?
Current Status
- ACTIVE
- Last content update: 2023-11-01
- Announcement date: 2019-06-01
Updates
- SAS Studio 3.8 Interface updates may affect performance-based exam experience • Release date: 2024-06-01
- PROC PYTHON SAS 9.4 M6 Python integration not yet included in A00-231 but may be added in future updates • Release date: 2024-03-01
- Git Integration SAS Studio 3.8 Version control concepts may be added to future exam updates • Release date: 2024-01-15
Who should take this exam?
This exam is typically taken by Entry-level SAS programmers and Data analysts.
- 6+ months of programming experience with SAS
- Experience with SAS DATA step and procedures
- Understanding of data manipulation concepts
- Basic statistical knowledge