What is a common use case for PROC FEDSQL in data management?

PROC FEDSQL is specifically designed to facilitate efficient data retrieval from a variety of database systems. This procedure provides users with the ability to run SQL queries to access data stored in both SAS datasets and databases such as relational databases, making it a powerful tool for extracting valuable insights from large datasets.

In particular, PROC FEDSQL supports the SQL syntax which can work with data stored in different formats, allowing users to create complex queries, join multiple tables, and filter results based on specific criteria. This capability makes PROC FEDSQL especially useful in situations where users need to gather data from various sources into a coherent output that can be further analyzed or reported on.

It is worth noting that while PROC FEDSQL may have functionalities that overlap with data cleaning or transformation indirectly during the retrieval or preparation of data for analysis, its primary and most common use case is focused on efficiently retrieving data from databases. This differentiates it from the functions more directly associated with other specific data manipulation tasks such as data entry, validation, or warehousing practices.