What is the function of the PROC SORT procedure in SAS?

The PROC SORT procedure in SAS is specifically designed to arrange data in a specified order based on one or more variables. When this procedure is applied, it organizes the observations in the dataset according to the values of the selected variables, either in ascending or descending order. This is essential for various data analysis tasks where the order of data matters, such as preparing data for reporting, visualizations, or further analysis that requires sorted data.

For instance, if you have a dataset containing customer information and you wish to analyze it based on the customers' last names, using PROC SORT would enable you to list all entries alphabetically by last name. The ability to sort by multiple variables allows for more complex arrangements, such as sorting first by date and then by customer name, ensuring that the data is structured in the most useful format for analysis.