PROC MEANS & PROC FREQ: Continuous vs. Categorical Clinical Analysis

Why Dual Statistical Procedures (MEANS & FREQ) Matter in Regulatory TLF Delivery

90% of all summary tables in a Clinical Study Report (CSR) rely on outputs produced by PROC MEANS and PROC FREQ. Mastering output dataset structuring (OUT= options) enables automated reporting pipelines.

Standard Syntax, Derivation & Framework Pattern

/* Continuous Summary with PROC MEANS */
PROC MEANS DATA=adam.advs NOPRINT;
    WHERE PARAMCD = 'SYSBP' AND VISITNUM = 1;
    CLASS TRT01PN;
    VAR AVAL;
    OUTPUT OUT=work.sbp_stats
        N=n MEAN=mean STD=std MEDIAN=median MIN=min MAX=max;
RUN;

/* Categorical Frequency with PROC FREQ */
PROC FREQ DATA=adam.adsl NOPRINT;
    TABLES TRT01PN * ETHNIC / OUT=work.ethnic_counts OUTPCT;
RUN;

Core Rules & Certification Takeaways

• PROC MEANS is used for continuous numeric variables (distribution, central tendency, variance).
• PROC FREQ is used for categorical and discrete variables (cross-tabulations, frequencies, chi-square).
• The NOPRINT option suppresses default output display when routing summaries directly to analysis datasets for PROC REPORT.
• Use the CLASS statement in PROC MEANS to partition calculations across treatment groups.

🔗 Related Architectural Concepts & Next Steps

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)