Which SAS procedure is commonly used to read data from an Excel file?

The correct choice is the procedure commonly known as PROC IMPORT, which is specifically designed to read data from external files, including Excel files, into SAS datasets. This procedure allows users to specify the file location, the sheet name if reading from an Excel file, and options for how to handle the data, such as variable names and formats.

PROC IMPORT is versatile, supporting various file types, and it automatically detects the structure of the input file, making data import much simpler for users. It generates SAS code that can be reviewed or modified, providing further flexibility.

Other procedures mentioned have different functionalities. For example, PROC EXPORT is used for writing data from a SAS dataset to an external file, such as an Excel file, rather than reading it. PROC BIND does not exist as a commonly recognized procedure in SAS, and PROC EXPORTDATA is incorrect as there is no such specific procedure in SAS documentation. Thus, PROC IMPORT is the definite choice for reading Excel data into SAS.