Introduction to SAS

The SAS System known well as Statistical Analysis System, is one of the most widely used, flexible data processing, reporting and analyses tools.

SAS is a set of solutions for enterprise-wide business users as well as a powerful fourth-generation programming language for performing tasks or analyses in a variety of realms such as these:

Analytic Intelligence

General
Data Mining and Statistical Analysis
Forecasting & Econometrics
Operations Research
Quality Improvement

Business Intelligence 
General
Applications Development
Content Delivery
Query and Reporting

Data Warehousing 

General
ETL & Data Quality
Warehouse Management

The core of the SAS System is Base SAS software, which consists of the following:

• SAS language a programming language that you use to manage your data.
• SAS procedures software tools for data analysis and reporting.
• macro facility a tool for extending and customizing SAS software programs and for reducing text in your programs.
• DATA step debugger a programming tool that helps you find logic problems in DATA step programs.
• Output Delivery System (ODS) a system that delivers output in a variety of easy-to-access formats, such as SAS data sets, listing files, or Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).
• SAS windowing environment an interactive, graphical user interface that enables you to easily run and test your SAS programs.

(Source: SAS.Com)

With Base SAS software as the foundation, you can integrate with SAS many SAS business solutions that enable you to perform large scale business functions, such as data warehousing and data mining, human resources management and decision support, financial management and decision support, and others.