The purpose of this appendix is to give readers who choose to use SAS/ASSIST in conjunction with this book an introduction to the package. However, this appendix does not intend to be, nor can it be, a substitute for a manual (SAS Institute Inc. 1991,1992). Readers should also be aware that the specific set-up in their machine may differ from the one illustrated in this book. For example, the tasks performed by function keys may differ, or the tasks available in menus may differ. Another aspect not covered here is how to create permanent SAS libraries, a place in the computer's memory where data or programs are stored permanently. It is assumed here that the user knows how to start SAS, and how to get to SAS/ASSIST.

The reason SAS/ASSIST was used to illustrate computer statistical calculations in this book is that it is an extremely user-friendly, menu-driven application. The user does not have to write any programs, but simply enters a data set, and requests the statistical analysis from menus. When used in the textbook, SAS/ASSIST was illustrated by explaining how the data were entered, and by listing the menu tasks which were chosen. Because SAS/ASSIST is so easy to learn to use, the fact that the readers' set-up may differ slightly from the one illustrated in the book is not a major problem. The user is encouraged to navigate throughout, and experience the various menus for a while.