What is the purpose of the MAXDEC= option in SAS procedures?

The purpose of the MAXDEC= option in SAS procedures is to control the number of decimal places displayed in summary statistics. This option allows users to specify how many decimal places should appear in the output for numeric variables, particularly in summary statistics such as means, standard deviations, and other calculated values in procedures like PROC MEANS or PROC SUMMARY. By using MAXDEC=, users can enhance the readability of their output, ensuring that the statistical results are presented to a precision that suits their analytical needs or reporting standards.

Options that refer to changing the format of the dataset, limiting the number of observations in the output, or specifying which variables are analyzed do not align with the purpose of the MAXDEC= option. While formatting changes might be handled through different formatting options, and limiting observations or analyzing specific variables corresponds to distinct options or procedures, MAXDEC= specifically addresses the precision of numeric results in output, making option C the correct choice.