Statistical Analysis System (SAS) Programming Certification 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The correct answer effectively defines a library that will contain user-defined formats and ensures these formats are stored in a specified permanent catalog. In the first step, the LIBNAME statement assigns a library reference name (`formtlib`) to a directory path on the filesystem where formats will be saved. This allows for easy access and manageable storage of formats across SAS sessions.

The subsequent statement, `proc format lib=formtlib ...;`, is utilized to create or modify formats within this library reference. Specifying `lib=formtlib` indicates to SAS that the formats you are defining should be stored in the designated library created earlier. This ensures that the formats can be reused in future programs without needing to redefine them, thus promoting efficiency and consistency in data analysis processes.

This combination of defining a library with the LIBNAME statement and subsequently using PROC FORMAT to store formats within that library is the correct approach to creating a permanent catalog for formats in SAS.