What will happen if an invalid date format is used in a DATA step?

When an invalid date format is used in a DATA step, the variable will be created, but it will be assigned missing values. SAS processes the input data, and if it encounters a value that it cannot interpret as a valid date due to formatting issues, the resulting variable for that date will contain a missing value, which is represented by a dot in SAS.

This behavior allows the DATA step to complete its execution even if some of the date values are invalid. As a result, you can still examine other variables and the overall dataset created, though the specific variable that failed to process correctly will not contain any useful data.

The alternative choices imply outcomes that do not align with SAS behavior in this context. For instance, the statement that the DATA step will not compile is inaccurate since the step can compile but produce missing values for any invalid date formats instead. Additionally, while it's true that only numeric variables would normally be affected by operations specific to numeric values, dates in SAS are stored as numeric values; therefore, the impact regarding invalid formats pertains to the invalid dates being assigned missing values rather than solely affecting numeric variables. Finally, while warnings can be generated in some cases, the critical outcome remains that the procedure will execute, and any invalid entries will still