PROC MEANS is used mainly to perform which of the following tasks?

PROC MEANS is specifically designed to calculate and display summary statistics for numerical variables in a dataset. When executed, it provides essential statistical metrics such as mean, median, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, and count of non-missing values. This is particularly useful in exploratory data analysis, where understanding the distribution and central tendency of data is crucial.

The functionality of PROC MEANS allows users to gain quick insights into their data, helping in decision-making and further analyses. For instance, if a data analyst wants to understand the average sales figures or the variation among them, PROC MEANS offers a straightforward approach to obtain this information efficiently.

The other tasks mentioned do not align with the primary purpose of PROC MEANS. For example, calculating unique identifiers is more relevant to data management processes, merging datasets relates to combining information from different sources, and importing data is handled by procedures like PROC IMPORT. These actions serve different objectives within data manipulation and analysis, distinct from the statistical summarization capabilities of PROC MEANS.