A Beginners Guide to SAS Date and Time Handling

Abstract
The SAS system provides a plethora of methods to handle date and time values. Correct date
computation became a very important subject when the world became aware of the Year 2000 issue.
Computer users now realize most applications contain date and time variables. This beginning
tutorial describes how the SAS system 1) stores dates, datetimes, and times; 2) reads date/time
variables from "Raw Data Files" and from SAS data sets. It covers when and where to use SAS
Informats and formats. Next it describes the easy methods to perform date/time arithmetic via
date/time SAS functions. The paper shows how SAS date Formats can be used in SAS Procedures such as PRINT, FREQ,
and CHART.Finally the tutorial will discuss Year 2000 issues and how SAS software helps you maintain correct date
integrity and prevent future Y2k problems in the new millennium.