Understanding the INPUT statement.
In all the examples so far every time the INPUT statement was executed, SAS read the next record. Every time an INPUT statement is executed, another record is read.
Remember this code from Example 7?

DATA POINTER;  
   INPUT    @1  ID       3.  
            @5  GENDER  $1.  
            @7  AGE      2.  
            @10 HEIGHT   2.  
            @13 DOB      MMDDYY6.  
         /  @5  SBP      3.  
            @9  DBP      3.  
            @13 HR       3.;  
FORMAT DOB MMDDYY8.;  
DATALINES;

The following code would have done exactly the same thing:

DATA POINTER;  
   INPUT    @1  ID       3.  
            @5  GENDER  $1.  
            @7  AGE      2.  
            @10 HEIGHT   2.  
            @13 DOB      MMDDYY6.;  
   INPUT    @5  SBP      3.  
            @9  DBP      3.  
            @13 HR       3.;  
FORMAT DOB MMDDYY8.;  
DATALINES;

Two Input statements mean that two records are read.