What is the result of using the IF-THEN statement in a DATA step?

The use of the IF-THEN statement in a DATA step is specifically designed to conditionally execute specific code blocks based on the evaluation of a given condition. When a particular condition is met, the code following the THEN keyword is executed. This allows for dynamic data manipulation within the DATA step, enabling different processing paths based on the values being evaluated.

For example, if you want to create a new variable or modify an existing one only when certain criteria are met (such as a variable exceeding a certain threshold), the IF-THEN statement is used to define that logic clearly and efficiently. This flexibility is essential for data processing tasks where specific actions depend on the values within the dataset.

The other options relate to different functionalities within SAS. Reading data from multiple sources typically involves using an INPUT statement or accessing external files, which is unrelated to the conditional logic of IF-THEN. Similarly, automatically generating output variables might occur through other SAS operations, such as using assignments or other procedures. Lastly, merging different datasets is handled through the MERGE statement or SQL procedures within SAS, rather than through conditional execution of code. Thus, the primary purpose of the IF-THEN statement stands out as focused on conditional execution in data processing.