What is the main function of the PROC PRINT procedure?

The PROC PRINT procedure is primarily designed to output a printed report of the contents of a dataset. When you execute PROC PRINT, it reads the specified dataset and generates a table that displays each observation and the corresponding values for its variables. This allows users to visually inspect the data in its entirety or in part, facilitating data verification and exploration.

The PROC PRINT procedure can also include options to customize the report, such as controlling which variables to display, applying formatting, and adding titles. This versatility makes it an essential tool in data analysis using SAS, as it provides a straightforward way to review data before further processing or analysis.

While other procedures may generate reports, compute statistics, or create new datasets, PROC PRINT is specifically focused on displaying the current state and content of the dataset efficiently.