[R] SAS or R software

[BXC (Bendix Carstensen)]

Two major advantages of SAS that seems to have been overlooked in
the previous replies are:

1) The data-set language is SAS for data manipulation is more
   human-readable than R-code in general. 
   R is not a definite write-only laguage as APL, but in particular
   in datamanipulation it is easy to write code that is impossible
   to decipher after few weeks. 
   You can also produce unreadable code in SAS, but it generally takes 
   more of an effort.

   Thus: Data manupulation is easier to document in SAS than in R.

2) proc tabulate.
   This procedure enables you to do extensive sensible tabulation
   of your data if you are prepared to read the manual.
   (This is not a product of the complexity of the software,
    but of the complexity of the tabulation features).
   Compared to this only rudimentay tools exist in R (afaik).

So if you want to do well documented data manipulation and clear
and compact tables go for SAS.

If you want to do statistical analyses and graphics (in finite time)
go for R.

Bendix Carstensen
----------------------
Bendix Carstensen
Senior Statistician
Steno Diabetes Center
Niels Steensens Vej 2
DK-2820 Gentofte
Denmark
tel: +45 44 43 87 38
mob: +45 30 75 87 38
fax: +45 44 43 07 06
bxc at steno.dk
www.biostat.ku.dk/~bxc
----------------------

> -----Original Message-----
> From: r-help-bounces at stat.math.ethz.ch 
> [mailto:r-help-bounces at stat.math.ethz.ch] On Behalf Of neela v
> Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2004 9:18 AM
> To: r-help at stat.math.ethz.ch
> Subject: [R] SAS or R software
> 
> 
> Hi all there
>  
> Can some one clarify me on this issue, features wise which is 
> better R or SAS, leaving the commerical aspect associated 
> with it. I suppose there are few people who have worked on 
> both R and SAS and wish they would be able to help me in 
> deciding on this.
>  
> THank you for the help
> 
> 		
> ---------------------------------
> 
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