title: SAS LENGTH statement: what is a byte?
body: <p>How would you explain to someone how much a "byte" is in the <code>LENGTH</code> statement? I always thought 1 byte equaled 1 character or 1 number, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Also, why is the syntax for it different than the syntax for the <code>FORMAT</code> statement? i.e.:</p>
  
  <pre><code>/*FORMAT Statement Syntax*/
  FORMAT variable_name $8.;
  
  /*LENGTH Statement*/
  LENGTH variable_name $ 8
  </code></pre>