And it (TPL) is still in use here at BLS.

Robert Abelson Bureau of Labor Statistics abelson_r@bls.gov "Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine." - P.J.O'Rourke

-----Original Message----- From: Dianne Rhodes [mailto:RHODESD1@WESTAT.COM] Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2001 10:54 AM To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU Subject: Tabulate vs. TPL

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According to the SAS Users Guide published in 1982:

Tabulate was written to use a similar syntax to Table Producing Language and Print Control Language (TPL and PCL). These software products were the brainchild of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and in the '70's and '80's were used to produce virtually all of the Vital Statistics Tabulations published by the US Government. I know, that was one of my first jobs and I took the training at BLS. The writers later left BLS and started an independent shop (1984). And here they are today

http://www.qqqsoft.com/

TPL Tables The Professional Cross Tabulation System

You need to pull the data and make reports...many tables. Getting the analysis you need is the first step. The second is the format. Oh, how you hate to format a table!

So its not true that it was written by Klingons!

Dianne Louise Rhodes Sr. Systems Analyst Westat