In SAS, what will the CHAR function return if an out-of-bounds position is specified?

The CHAR function in SAS is designed to return a specific character from a string based on the position provided as an argument. When the specified position is out-of-bounds—meaning the position is greater than the length of the string or a negative value—the function will not produce an error message. Instead, it will return a blank character. This behavior allows for graceful handling of requests for characters from positions that do not exist in the string, providing a consistent and predictable output without disrupting the flow of the program or generating errors. This is particularly useful in scenarios where the length of the string might vary, and the user needs to ensure valid operations without needing extensive error handling for such cases.

Alternatives, like producing an error message or truncation, are not consistent with the function's designed behavior. The option of returning the character at the first position would misrepresent the intended functionality of the CHAR function, which focuses specifically on the provided position. Thus, the correct and expected behavior of returning a blank character at out-of-bound positions makes this answer the right choice.