What does the CATT function do in SAS?

The CATT function in SAS is designed to concatenate strings while also trimming trailing blanks from the resulting string. This function effectively combines multiple strings into a single string without leaving unwanted spaces at the end, ensuring that the result is clean and compact.

The operation of CATT is particularly useful in data manipulation, as it preserves the necessary information while eliminating extraneous whitespace that can lead to discrepancies when processing or analyzing data further. The functionality resembles that of the CATX function, which concatenates strings and inserts a specified delimiter between them, but specifically focuses on the removal of any trailing blanks rather than leading blanks or intermediary spaces.

Understanding this distinct feature helps users to effectively manage string data without worrying about the extra spaces that could create potential issues in data accuracy or reporting.