What does the SOLVE statement do in PROC SQL?

The SOLVE statement in PROC SQL is primarily designed to execute a SQL query and produce a result set. This means that when you include a SOLVE statement in your PROC SQL code, it processes the SQL commands you have specified, such as SELECT, FROM, WHERE, and so forth, and then returns the resulting data in the form of a table or dataset. This is fundamental to leveraging SQL within SAS, as the primary purpose of writing SQL code is to retrieve and manipulate data.

The emphasis on executing a query highlights the core function of PROC SQL, which centers on querying databases for specific data needs, thus allowing for flexibility in data handling and analysis. The ability to produce a result set is essential for any statistical analysis or reporting tasks in SAS, ensuring users can extract valuable insights from their datasets.