How is a PROC REPORT different from PROC PRINT?

PROC REPORT is designed to provide more flexibility and advanced features compared to PROC PRINT, making it particularly suitable for creating detailed reports. One of the key advantages of PROC REPORT is its ability to offer extensive formatting options; users can customize the presentation of their data significantly. This includes the capability to define the layout, control the entry and appearance of each column, and apply styles to make the report visually appealing.

Another important feature of PROC REPORT is the ability to perform calculations on data within the columns. Users can aggregate values, such as sums or averages, and display these calculations directly within the report. This functionality allows for dynamic data presentation, enabling a comprehensive analysis of the data in the report format.

In contrast, while PROC PRINT is effective for displaying datasets and allows for basic formatting options, it lacks the advanced formatting capabilities and built-in options for column calculations found in PROC REPORT. Therefore, using PROC REPORT is more advantageous when detailed reporting, customized layouts, and in-report summaries or calculations are required.