How to Calculate a Cumulative Sum in SAS (With Example)

You can use the following basic syntax to calculate a cumulative sum in SAS:

data new_data;
    set original_data;
    retain cum_sum;
    cum_sum+sales;
run;

This particular syntax creates a new dataset called new_data that contains a new column called cum_sum that contains the cumulative values of the column called sales.

The following example shows how to use this syntax in practice.

Example: Calculate a Cumulative Sum in SAS

Suppose we have the following dataset in SAS that shows the number of sales made by some store during 10 consecutive days:

/*create dataset*/
data original_data;
    input day sales;
    datalines;
1 7
2 12
3 14
4 12
5 16
6 18
7 11
8 10
9 14
10 17
;
run;

/*view dataset*/
proc print data=original_data;

The following code shows how to create a new dataset that calculates the cumulative sum of values in the sales column:

/*calculate cumulative sum of sales*/
data new_data;
    set original_data;
    retain cum_sum;
    cum_sum+sales;
run;

/*view results*/
proc print data=new_data;

The new column called cum_sum contains the cumulative sum of values in the sales column.

For example:

• Cumulative Sum on Day 1: 7
• Cumulative Sum on Day 2: 7 + 12 = 19
• Cumulative Sum on Day 3: 7 + 12 + 14 = 33

And so on.

Additional Resources

The following tutorials explain how to perform other common tasks in SAS:

How to Calculate the Sum by Group in SAS
How to Calculate the Mean by Group in SAS
How to Calculate a Moving Average in SAS