In SAS, what is typically the purpose of the DROP statement?

The DROP statement in SAS is specifically designed to exclude specified variables from the output data set. When you use the DROP statement, you can list one or more variable names that you want to be removed from the final data set that is created by the DATA step. This is particularly useful when you want to simplify the data set or focus only on relevant variables for subsequent analysis.

For example, if your data set contains many variables but only a few are needed for your analysis, you can use the DROP statement to streamline your output. This allows you to keep your data sets clean and manageable, without unwanted variables cluttering the results.

Using the DROP statement does not affect the original data set; it only alters the output version being created in that specific DATA step context. This makes it an efficient way to customize your data output based on your analytical needs.