Final answer:
In SAS, user-defined format names for character variables must begin with a dollar sign ($). This distinguishes them from numeric formats, and the other provided statements about naming conventions are incorrect.
Step-by-step explanation:
When working with SAS, it is important to understand the conventions for naming user-defined formats. The correct statement regarding user-defined format names is: a) A user-defined format name must begin with a dollar sign ($) when assigned to character variables. This is because SAS uses the dollar sign to distinguish between character and numeric formats.
Let's clarify the incorrect options:
- b) User-defined format names should always begin with a numeric digit. - This is incorrect because format names must start with a letter or an underscore.
- c) User-defined format names cannot end with a number. - This is not true; user-defined format names can end with a number.
- d) Format names in SAS are automatically generated and cannot be defined by the user. - SAS actually allows users to create custom formats using the FORMAT procedure.