Reflecting on Missing Values in SAS Output

How can we create output displaying all observations with missing LName values in SAS?

Which WHERE statement would accomplish this?

The correct WHERE statement to create output displaying all observations with missing LName values would be:

D. where lname = blank

The WHERE statement plays a crucial role in filtering data in SAS based on specific conditions. In this scenario, the objective is to retrieve all observations with missing values in the LName column. Using the WHERE statement option D, where lname = blank, achieves this effectively.

It's important to understand that in SAS, a missing value is represented by a period (.) and can be referred to as "blank" in SAS syntax. Option A, where lname = ' ', would only capture observations where the LName value is a space character, not missing values. Option B, where lname='.', would only capture observations where the LName value is a period character, not missing values. Option C, where LName = blank, is not a valid syntax as SAS is case-sensitive and LName is not the same as lname.

By utilizing option D, the output will include all observations where the LName value is missing, regardless of the original value it may have had. This ensures that all relevant data points are captured accurately for further analysis and decision-making.