Statistical Analysis System (SAS) Programming Certification Practice Exam

How would you calculate the total number of days in a billing cycle using SAS date values?

1. TotDays=lastday-firstday;

2. TotDays=lastday-firstday+1;

3. TotDays=lastday/firstday;

4. You cannot use date values in calculations.

The correct answer is: TotDays=lastday-firstday+1;

Calculating the total number of days in a billing cycle using SAS date values requires an understanding of how SAS handles date arithmetic. SAS date values represent the number of days from a fixed date (January 1, 1960) and can be manipulated directly through basic arithmetic operations. The correct approach involves using the difference between two date values. When calculating the number of days in a billing cycle, if you subtract the start date from the end date, you'll receive the number of days between these two dates. However, this calculation does not include the first day of the billing cycle. To include that day, you need to add one to the result. Therefore, the total number of days in the billing cycle can be found using: Total Days = Last Day - First Day + 1. This ensures that both the first day and the last day are counted in the total, providing an accurate representation of the billing cycle's length. Thus, calculating it this way confirms that the total number of days encompasses the entire range from the starting date to the ending date, which is why this method is the correct choice.