Which procedure is typically used for generating frequency distributions in SAS?

The procedure that is typically used for generating frequency distributions in SAS is PROC FREQ. This procedure is specifically designed to count the occurrences of each distinct value in a specified variable, making it ideal for generating frequency distributions. When using PROC FREQ, you can obtain valuable insights into the distribution of categorical data, as it provides not only the counts of each category but also the corresponding cumulative frequencies and percentages. This functionality is particularly useful in data analysis and reporting, where understanding the distribution of data points is key to interpreting results.

The other procedures listed serve different purposes. PROC SUMMARY, for instance, is utilized for creating summary statistics such as means, standard deviations, and counts, but it does not provide the detailed breakdown that PROC FREQ does. PROC CONTENTS is focused on providing information about the data set structure, such as variable names and types, rather than analyzing frequency distributions. PROC TRANSPOSE is used to convert data from a wide format to a long format or vice versa, and is not designed for frequency analysis. Therefore, PROC FREQ stands out as the appropriate choice for generating frequency distributions in SAS.