PROC SQL by Example: Using SQL within SAS

After 40 hours of using this manual, I was a pretty decent SAS proc sql programmer. Great examples! You can directly apply most of them to many different but similar situations. When you're dealing with a blackbox of hundreds of millions of records, how different can the analytic situations be, anyway?

I have completed the first three chapters. There are no practice examples at the end of each chapter.I have been following along by doing the examples with my own computer. All the examples use sashelp.class. I used to work as a SAS programmer 20 years ago. This book is not too advanced. The author solves most problems using both proc SQL and the data step method.

Great book. Easy read.

About three times as much content as should be necessary. Really. Hard to find deviation from the expected. (such as recursion, time, dummy).Good enough though. Should come with a mini-booklet for reference ?

SAS has 3 books out on SQL (this and  Proc SQL: Beyond the Basics Using SAS  or  The Essential PROC SQL Handbook for SAS Users ). This one is the most advanced and I think the most useful. I like it the best because it covers a wide range of SQL applications, from the basics, like picking one variable from one table of data, out to very advanced topics like nested sub-queries. The writing is clear and the examples are plentiful.If you know SQL and need to see how it is implemented in SAS get this one.This book should be understandable to someone who has no SQL experience but one of the other two would probably be a good idea (as well as this one).

I used this book to learn how to merge databases in SAS. In my opinion you are better off saving your money and refering to one of the free online training manuals for proc sql. I didn't really realize an incremental benefit from purchasing this book.

Good

I must say that I am extremely impressed with this book. I wanted a book to teach me the basics of SQL easily and this book has achieved this.The examples are using the SASHELP.CLASS data set, a data set that is generally installed with SAS, so you can try the examples yourself without having to download extra data sets.If you are already familiar with SAS steps, such as the data step and procedures such as PRINT, MEANS and SUMMARY then you will be able to understand the examples better as they are constructed to compare with these SAS steps. The examples also build up, so you can see them growing after adding clauses as you go.The book also seems to use the most up to date version of SAS (SAS9.2).

Of the 3 PROC SQL books published by SAS Press I find this the best because (1) he compares equivalent SAS data step functionality for each PROC SQL concept (2) he explains concepts like reflexive joins and COALESCE function very well (3) the organisation is very good - the first 6 chapters are all you need for processing data, after that you can read the remaining chapters on a need-to basis.Could do with an update for version 9.4, but you can find out what's new in 9.4 elsewhere.