Book excerpt: How SAS Works is a textbook designed to span the gap between the SAS Institute's "Introductory Guide", which is a very basic introduction to the SAS system, and the "User's Guide", which is a reference tool for those already well versed in SAS. How SAS Works is based on lectures and includes an introductory chapter which fills in many of the generalities about SAS. It provides the information a beginner needs to use the SAS system for small-to-medium sized jobs and helps develop a model of the SAS system in a step-by-step manner. The book is friendly and well-written, using a good flow of arguments and addressing questions an end-user might ask. It goes beyond the basic introduction, helping readers to get results from the SAS system and to make the most of other SAS Institute reference tools.