What does the ODS statement accomplish in SAS?

The ODS (Output Delivery System) statement in SAS is primarily designed to control the output formatting and destinations of output created during the execution of SAS procedures. It allows users to specify various output formats, such as HTML, RTF, PDF, and more. This flexibility helps in generating reports and presentations in the desired style and format.

By using the ODS statement, users can direct the output to different destinations, enabling easier viewing or saving of results. For example, output can be routed to a specific file, displayed in the Results Viewer, or formatted in a style suitable for documents and presentations. The ability to customize the output not only enhances the appearance of reports but also improves the overall efficiency of reporting in SAS.

In contrast, other aspects like creating new datasets, assisting in data input procedures, or generating global variables do not fall under the responsibilities of the ODS statement, as they involve different functionalities within the SAS programming environment.