What is included within a step in SAS?

In SAS, a step consists of one or more statements that perform specific tasks within a program. This is the crux of defining a step: it encapsulates the operational instructions that SAS will execute sequentially. The statements within a step can range from data manipulation commands to procedure calls that produce reports or analyses based on the provided data. Each statement defines an action, such as creating a data set, modifying data, or performing calculations.

While global statements, data validation commands, and format definitions are important components in a SAS program, they do not necessarily constitute a 'step.' Global statements typically set options or define environment settings for the entire session rather than for a single step. Data validation commands might be included within a step but are not typically what constitutes the overall structure of a step itself. Format definitions, while crucial for data presentation, are also not part of the core definition of what a step is in SAS. They can be utilized within steps but do not define the step as a concept.

Thus, recognizing that a step is fundamentally composed of one or more statements is key to understanding the structure and functionality of SAS programming.