With accessing and exploring data behind us, now we're ready for probably the most complex part of the SAS programming process, preparing the data. Now is our opportunity to resolve the issues we found when validating the data and create new columns or tables that can be used in the next phase, analyzing and reporting on the data. The two main tools that we use to prepare data are the DATA step and the SQL procedure. From a practical standpoint, it's incredibly valuable to know both steps and when it's easier or more efficient to use one or the other. We focused primarily on the DATA step in the previous courses, but we did introduce PROC SQL, and I hope you'll continue to learn more about it. On the certification exam, you will not be asked any questions specifically about PROC SQL. However, you are welcome to use SQL when it may be appropriate in any of the programming questions if you choose. Let's review how we can use the DATA step to read an existing structured table and create a new table. I want to create a new table named Profit that is based on the Orders table we imported and explored previously. Recall we had some issues with the data, including case inconsistencies and some invalid values. First, let's deal with cleaning the data, and then we'll move on to more interesting questions about our orders. So let's start writing some code.