What does the SCAN function require as its third argument?

The SCAN function in SAS is used to extract words from a string based on specified delimiters. The third argument of the SCAN function is essential for defining the delimiters that separate the words within the string. By providing delimiter(s) as the third argument, you indicate to SAS which characters it should identify as word separators.

For example, if you have a string of words separated by spaces and commas, you can specify these characters as delimiters. This enables the SCAN function to accurately determine the starting and ending points of each word when extracting them. Without specifying the correct delimiters, the function would not perform as intended, potentially leading to inaccurate results.

Other options such as "Length of string," "Case sensitivity," and "Starting position" do not apply to the SCAN function's third argument. The function does not require information about how long the string is, whether it is case-sensitive, or where to start scanning within the string for this particular argument, making the specification of delimiters critical to its functioning.