SAS (Statistical Analysis System) is a statistical software suite that is extensively used for data management and advanced analytics. The need to import SAS files into R is quite common in data science, as it helps leverage the flexibility of R with the robust data handling capabilities of SAS.
In this guide, we will explore three main methods to import SAS files into R: using the haven, sas7bdat, and foreign packages. Each method has its unique strengths and use-cases.
1. Importing SAS files using haven package
The haven package is part of the tidyverse set of packages, which are designed to provide a cohesive and efficient approach to data science tasks in R. The haven package was specifically designed to facilitate the transfer of data between R and other statistical software such as SAS.
Step 1: Installing the haven package
If you haven’t already installed the haven package, you can do so using the install.packages() function:
install.packages("haven")Step 2: Loading the haven package
After installing the package, load it into your R environment using the library() function:
library(haven)Step 3: Reading the SAS file
The haven package offers the read_sas() function, which allows you to import SAS datasets saved as .sas7bdat files.
data <- read_sas("path_to_your_file/myfile.sas7bdat")Here, “path_to_your_file” should be replaced with the path to the SAS file you want to import.
Step 4: Verifying the data
You can use the head() function to verify the imported data:
head(data)2. Importing SAS files using sas7bdat package
The sas7bdat package is another excellent resource for reading SAS datasets into R. This package provides the read.sas7bdat() function for this purpose.
Step 1: Installing the sas7bdat package
You can install the sas7bdat package using the install.packages() function:
install.packages("sas7bdat")Step 2: Loading the sas7bdat package
After the package is installed, load it into your R environment:
library(sas7bdat)Step 3: Reading the SAS file
You can read the SAS file using the read.sas7bdat() function:
data <- read.sas7bdat("path_to_your_file/myfile.sas7bdat")Step 4: Verifying the data
You can verify the data using the head() function:
head(data)3. Importing SAS files using foreign package
The foreign package provides functions for reading and writing data stored by statistical software like SAS, SPSS, and Stata. It’s a bit older and less efficient than the haven and sas7bdat packages, but it can handle .xpt files, which are SAS transport files.
Step 1: Installing the foreign package
You can install the foreign package using the install.packages() function:
install.packages("foreign")Step 2: Loading the foreign package
After the package is installed, load it into your R environment:
library(foreign)Step 3: Reading the SAS file
To read a SAS transport file, you can use the read.xport() function:
data <- read.xport("path_to_your_file/myfile.xpt")Step 4: Verifying the data
You can verify the data using the head() function:
head(data)Conclusion
In this comprehensive guide, we discussed three different methods to import SAS data into R using the haven, sas7bdat, and foreign packages. The haven and sas7bdat packages offer efficient methods to import .sas7bdat files, while the foreign package can handle SAS transport files.