How can you explicitly manage missing values in SAS?

One of the most effective ways to explicitly manage missing values in SAS is through the use of conditional statements and functions. This approach allows programmers to assess whether a value is missing and to implement specific actions or adjustments based on that assessment.

For instance, conditional statements like IF-THEN/ELSE can be utilized to check for missing values and apply appropriate logic. Functions such as NMISS, CMISS, or even custom calculations using IF statements can help in identifying and handling missing data. By leveraging these tools, you can make decisions such as replacing missing values with a default value or eliminating records with missing data that do not meet analysis requirements.

Using this method not only gives you the flexibility to handle missing data according to the needs of your analysis but also ensures that the integrity of your datasets is maintained, facilitating more accurate results.

Other methods mentioned, such as ignoring missing values during import or solely relying on formats, do not provide the granularity or control needed for effective analysis and data management. Additionally, the notion that there is no way to manage missing values is inaccurate, as SAS provides robust tools and methods to do so effectively.