Recently on the SAS Training & Certification LinkedIn Group, Crystal posted this question about wanting to become a SAS BI developer:
“I am a Certified SAS Professional that is interested in broadening my skill set and knowledge by moving into the SAS BI developer realm. What are good courses or literature that would help me on my learning path?”
Four fellow SAS programmers reached out to help Crystal and provide some excellent advice and resources that I thought would be worth sharing on this blog.
Andrew shared this analogy:
“Even the best car mechanic (SAS programmer) is not necessarily the best car driver (developer/consumer of SAS BI).
As someone certified in Base, Advanced, BI, DI & Platform Admin, my main suggestion for your shift to BI is – ‘Learn to not depend on the code.’ SAS BI does not require a SAS programming mindset. Because of the broad BI interfaces - EG, InfoMaps, Portal, Dashboards, OLAP, Office plug-in, etc - the SAS code (as Stored Processes) now becomes the “mortar” that fills the gaps or further enhances the BI process.
Yes, I fully acknowledge that if you peel away enough layers, it is actually SAS code being executed on SAS servers, but that does not mandate SAS programming as a prerequisite to SAS BI. It is possible to be a very successful SAS BI developer/user with minimal SAS programming knowledge. To be successful in both, you must be able to differentiate between both.”
To help Crystal succeed in her quest to become a BI developer, Brooke Fortson of SAS Education provided links to the SAS Training learning path for a BI Content Developer as well as the certification exam.
Two book recommendations were also mentioned in the conversation:
One participant recommended the books of W. H. Inmon which provide a vision of all DW/BI areas. Another participant suggested Business Intelligence, A Managerial Approach by Efraim Turban, which is used as a textbook in some graduate level classes and provides an overview of the various BI segments.
We also recommend Web Development with SAS by Example, Third Edition by Frederick Pratter and Business Analytics for Sales and Marketing Managers: How to Compete in the Information Age by Gert Laursen.
Are you a BI developer? What are your additional recommendations or advice for Crystal?
2 Comments
Another perspective is to remember the level or scope of the problem you're focusing on, versus what can (or should) be abstracted away.
A car mechanic focuses on ensuring the vehicle is operating properly. The driver assumes the mehanic's thoroughness, and focuses on applying the car to the task of transportation.
Likewise, relatively few developers these days work at the assembly language or machine code level - they focus on implementing their specifications in a high-level language and let the compiler worry about machine code.
It seems that a similar shift in perspective is appropriate here - abstracting away the details of SAS coding, and focusing instead on requirements more closely related to solving a business problem.
Lastly - the car mechanic in me couldn't help but notice the car in the photo is a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport - a very desirable collector car.
I often use the analogy of Roy Underhill and Norm Abrams. Roy hosts The Woodwright's Shop, where he uses 19th century woodworking tools to complete beautiful projects. Norm hosts The New Yankee Workshop, where he has every modern power tool Known to Man to complete his projects.
There is no question that both Roy and Norm are master craftsmen. But at the end of a single episode, Roy might have completed a chair or a stool (after taking short breaks to dress the slight wounds he incurs while working by hand). Whereas Norm might have completed something a bit larger, such as a bedroom suite or dining room set.
Knowing your craft is essential, but leveraging the most modern tools makes you more productive and thus more valuable.