Input SAS Datasets and Formats

Definedoc

Documentation DEFINE.PDF or DEFINE.XML

Selecting Input Data
The input data is selected from the main screen.  The dataset selected will be used in generating the report.  It is derived from an existing library set of data.  If you need to add another library or new dataset, you can select the [...] from the input SAS dataset list of data.

If no data is selected, the report will generate a report for all datasets.

This will list all the datasets in the library that are currently selected.  You can then choose the data that is going to be included in the definition documentation.  The CDISC button is a toggle that will select all datasets that currently match the naming conventions of CDISC standards.  If the data comes from a different library, click on the [...] button next to the library.

The library manager allows you to add libraries which will be retained the next time you log in.  The library that is selected at the point when you click on the "Back" button will function as the current active library.

A library path location can be one of the following types of paths:

• Letter Drive - This is a letter drive on the local machine or a mapped drive.
• Server Path - This can be a UNC path to a server.
• URL - This can be a URL such as http://server/data. 

Only one data library can be selected for one documentation session.  If you were to choose a different library, the list of datasets selected will supersede the list of datasets selected previously.

Defining Key Fields
You can also select keys associated with the list of input datasets by either entering the keys directly or clicking on the [...] button next to the list of "Key Fields" entry.  

This will list all the variables if one dataset is selected or just the variables that are in common if multiple datasets are selected.  You can therefore select any of these to assign as a key field.  Key fields will be displayed first in the documentation and will be documented in the "Role" column within the documentation.

Assigning Code List Library
Code lists contain decoded values that can be used to decode values stored in your current data.  An example is if your data contains a gender sex variable with values: "M" and "F", a sample decoded set of values would be "Male" and "Female".  The code list can be stored in a SAS format catalog or a SAS dataset.  In the format catalog instance, the format is assigned to the final dataset.  In the SAS dataset code list, the structure of the dataset must contain the following:

In the case of the code list dataset, the name column contains a name that matches the name of the variable in your final dataset.  This is how it makes the association between the code list and the specified un-coded variable.

You can make a selection of either SAS format catalog or dataset by selecting the "..." button to the right of the "Codelist Library" entry. 

Upon selection, the selected code list dataset or format catalog will be used to decode your coded values in the final define documentation.

Importing and Exporting Data
You can choose to export files to MS Excel or MS Word and edit them in this format.  Exporting is similar to generating a report.  Rather than generating the report in PDF or XML format, you can choose the output file with .XLS or .RTF formats.  This will perform the export to these file formats.

Once you have updated these files, you can import them by clicking on the import button.

The default file and library are selected before the import has been selected.  You can import the following types of data into the Definedoc.  They must all have the expected structure.

• Excel Spreadsheet - An Excel spreadsheet of the correct format.  It is recommended that this is created from Definedoc either as a DEFINE.XLS or BLANK.XLS.
• _DEFINE Dataset - A SAS dataset that has expected the structure for Definedoc.  
• DEFINE.XML - An XML file with the specified structure standard to the data definition documentation. 

You can optionally undo the last imported task through the use of the Undo button.  This will roll back to the previous version of the data definition.

Variable List
An additional report can be generated at the end of the definition which lists all the variables.  Rather than grouping the variables by their associated dataset, the variable list will display all the variables alphabetized along with which dataset they are associated with.  All the attributes are listed side by side for comparison.  This is optional by selecting the radio button value of "Yes" or "No" at the bottom of the main screen.

The variable list is available for DEFINE.PDF and DEFINE.RTF but it is not available for DEFINE.XML.