What does the general form of the INPUT statement include?

The general form of the INPUT statement encompasses various components that enable the effective reading of data into SAS datasets. It can include variable names alongside their formats, which define how data values should be treated and displayed. For example, formats can signify whether a value is to be treated as a date, currency, or other specific type.

Additionally, the INPUT statement can incorporate control characters and variable lengths. Control characters allow for precise manipulation of how input data is processed, such as skipping certain characters or lines. Specifying variable lengths ensures that SAS correctly allocates space for each variable, which is vital when different variables may have varying lengths of data.

Pointer control instructions provide further guidance within the INPUT statement about where to read data from in the input file. These instructions are essential for navigating through the data in a flexible way, especially when dealing with formatted input.

Lastly, different data types are essential to the INPUT statement as they determine the nature of the data being read (e.g., numeric vs. character). This ensures the data is appropriately interpreted and assigned to the right variables in the dataset.

Thus, encompassing variable names, formats, control characters, variable lengths, pointer controls, and data types forms a comprehensive structure of the INPUT statement, which enables robust and effective