What occurs if the width specified is smaller than the formatted width in SAS?

When the width specified for a variable in SAS is smaller than the formatted width, the values are truncated. This happens because SAS respects the specified width when outputting data, and if that width is not sufficient to accommodate the entire formatted value, it will cut off any extra characters beyond the defined width.

For example, if a character variable is defined with a width of 5 but the values being stored are longer than 5 characters, SAS will display only the first 5 characters, effectively omitting the rest. This behavior ensures that the output fits within the allocated space, but it may lead to loss of information if the original data is longer than what can be displayed.

The other choices do not accurately describe the behavior in this scenario. Values cannot be displayed as-is when the width is inadequate, nor can they be expanded. Additionally, the notion that no change occurs contradicts the inherent functionality of SAS in managing data width.