Which statement describes the use of 'IF-THEN' in a DATA step?

The statement that describes the use of 'IF-THEN' in a DATA step is that it directs SAS to execute a certain statement when a condition is true. This is a fundamental part of the DATA step programming in SAS. The IF-THEN statement allows programmers to create conditional logic, meaning actions can be taken only when specific criteria are met. For example, you might have a condition to check if a variable meets a certain threshold and, based on that, perform calculations or create new variables only for those records that satisfy that condition. This tailored approach enhances data manipulation and analysis, making the process much more efficient and targeted.

In contrast, other statements are not applicable to the functionality of IF-THEN as it pertains to data steps. The assertion that it can only be used for numeric conditions is incorrect since IF-THEN can evaluate both numeric and character expressions. The claim that it is only applicable in PROC steps misunderstands its primary purpose, as the IF-THEN logic is a core component of DATA steps rather than PROC steps. Lastly, saying that it applies to all observations in the dataset regardless of the condition misrepresents how conditional statements function; IF-THEN is designed specifically to execute actions based on whether certain conditions