Which statement correctly describes the OUTPUT OUT= option in SAS?

The OUTPUT OUT= option in SAS is specifically used to save summary statistics generated by procedures into a specified SAS data set. When this option is included in your procedure step, it allows you to capture various analyses such as means, medians, standard deviations, and other statistical measures directly into a new data set. This is particularly useful for further analysis or reporting, as it enables users to manipulate or view the summarized results outside of the normal output tables.

This option is a powerful feature that enhances data management and reporting capabilities by allowing analysts to organize their results in a structured manner for subsequent use. It improves the workflow by making further statistical analysis or visualization possible directly from the output data set, thus streamlining the data processing in SAS.

The other choices relate to different functionalities within SAS. For instance, while generating graphic output is part of some procedures, it does not pertain to the OUTPUT OUT= option specifically. Similarly, establishing missing value criteria and defining variables for examination are not the direct purposes of this feature; rather, they involve data handling and preparatory steps in the analysis process.