What does the PROC CONTENTS procedure provide?

The PROC CONTENTS procedure is a powerful tool in SAS that provides detailed information about a dataset's structure and contents. When executed, it generates a report that includes essential metadata about the dataset, such as variable names, types (character or numeric), lengths, formats, and labels. This information helps users understand the organization and properties of the dataset, which is crucial for effective data analysis and manipulation.

By using PROC CONTENTS, users can quickly ascertain how the data is structured, what types of variables are present, and any associated metadata needed for processing or analyzing the data effectively. This procedure does not perform statistical analysis, generate graphical representations, or offer data cleaning and formatting options, which aligns with what makes the selected answer the most appropriate choice.