While 9.4M7 was a stable release, M8 offers better long-term support and compliance for new infrastructure deployments. It's important to note that SAS has since released 9.4M9 (2024), which continues the focus on modernization. Updated (JRE) Security High (FIPS focus) Support Ends earlier Ends Feb 1, 2028 R 4.0 Compatibility issues Deployment and Administration Tips
While maintenance releases rarely overhaul the language, M8 includes quality-of-life improvements for coders. sas 9.4m8
/* SQL query plan */ proc sql _method _tree; create table test as select * from a inner join b on a.id=b.id; quit; While 9
Admins should be aware that upgrading to 9.4M8 involves updating the SAS Deployment Manager . SAS 9.4 & Earlier Releases - Technical Support While 9.4M7 was a stable release