In SAS, what does the OUTPUT statement accomplish in the MEANS procedure?

The OUTPUT statement in the MEANS procedure is a powerful feature that allows users to save summary results directly to a specified data set. When using the OUTPUT statement, you can create a new data set that contains the computed summary statistics (such as means, standard deviations, and other relevant metrics) for the variables of interest. This is particularly useful for subsequent analyses, reporting, or data manipulation since it captures the results in a structured format that can be easily accessed and processed later.

For example, if you're analyzing a dataset and want to record the means and standard deviations for several variables, the OUTPUT statement can efficiently create a new dataset that stores these statistics. You can also customize the OUTPUT statement to specify which statistics to include and how to name the resulting variables in the new dataset. Thus, the correct answer highlights the utility of the OUTPUT statement in summarizing and storing analysis results rather than merely controlling display, conducting detailed variable analysis, or defining processing orders.