What will be the output of running a DATA _NULL_ step with a FILE statement?

When running a DATA NULL step with a FILE statement, the output is directed to a specified external file. The DATA NULL step is typically used for executing computations or creating reports without actually creating a dataset to store the results. By using the FILE statement within this step, you can instruct SAS to send output to an external file rather than keeping it within the SAS environment.

This functionality is especially useful for generating reports or logs that you want to store outside of SAS. For example, if you wanted to create a text report consisting of results or messages, you could specify a file location in the FILE statement, and SAS would write the output directly to that file instead of to the SAS log or the results window.

In contrast, the other options refer to outputs that occur in different contexts. The results window displays results from procedures or explicit outputs, the log window shows messages and warnings related to the code execution, and a temporary dataset would require saving output into a dataset which is not the intent of a DATA NULL step with a FILE statement.