Over my career, I've attended many events where the audience was blasted with the value of analytics -- and the pitch usually fell on deaf ears. The 2015 SAS Energy Analytics Forum (which doubled in size from last year) was vastly different. The attendees had more questions and more urgency to take
In my prior two posts, I explored some of the issues associated with data integration for big data and particularly, the conceptual data lake in which source data sets are accumulated and stored, awaiting access from interested data consumers. One of the distinctive features of this approach is the transition
Statistical programmers often have to use the results from one SAS procedure as the input to another SAS procedure. Because ODS enables you to you to create a SAS data set from any ODS table or graph, it is easy to obtain a data set that contains the value of
I realized a little while ago that I may have more loyalty cards and memberships than the average person. (And that I more actively prove my loyalty than the average person). But as anybody who has ever signed up to a mailing list or for a store card knows, having
Along with the data scientist hype, analytics and the people who make them work have found themselves in the spotlight. The trend has also put an emphasis on the "science" aspects of analysis, such as a data focus, statistical rigor, controlled experiments and the like. Now, I’m not at all against adding more
Since our last VirtualOil update in May, oil prices have continued to take a beating. As the chart of the rolling five-year portfolio shows, much of our strip of options is now out-of-the-money and the average value per barrel of that optionality has sunk below $7. No surprise then that
with Natalie Osborn, Senior Industry Consultant, Hospitality and Gaming Practice, SAS. It’s back to school time, and back to school reminds me of getting back to the basics. So, we thought we’d start the fall with a “back to the basics” refresher series on analytics. To accomplish this, Natalie and
Suppose you wish to select a random sample from a large SAS dataset. No problem. The PROC SURVEYSELECT step below randomly selects a 2 percent sample: proc surveyselect data=large out=sample method=srs /* simple random sample */ n=1000000; /* sample size */ run; Do you have a SAS/STAT license? If not,
In my previous blog post, I showed how you can use SAS to program a "weaving" algorithm that takes an image, cuts it into strips, and weaves the strips together to create mathematical art. I used matrices and heat maps for the computations and visualization. At the end of the
I think everyone can agree that being able to debug programs is an important skill for SAS programmers. That’s why Susan Slaughter and I devoted a whole chapter to it in The Little SAS® Book. I don’t know about you, but I think figuring out what’s wrong with my program
I have been working on streaming analytics in conjunction with a project at Duke Energy, so a few months ago I was contacted by a colleague who wanted to look at the feasibility of applying what I’ve learned to our Internet of Things (IoT) initiative. In particular, we wanted to see if
This is my final entry in the Education Meets Big Data blog series. Let’s review what we've covered so far… In my first post, I explained that statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) track student data from preschool through college and workforce across the state. SLDSs can be used to see one
Big Data has become a technology buzzword. But how is Big Data changing insurance? Historically, insurance companies have used SMALL data to make BIG decisions. Today, insurers are using BIG data for SMALL decisions. What does this mean? Traditionally, insurance companies have aggregated data to group risks into broad categories
The digital disruption phenomenon is redrawing the market map. New players, products and services are gaining competitive advantage, while traditional business and revenue models are being questioned. Gartner believes that by 2020, thanks to the Internet of Things, information will be used to reinvent, digitalize or eliminate 80% of business
With presidential candidates targeting alternate energy development, the Clean Power Plan officially in place last month, and the rapid evolution of connected devices and the Internet of Things -- life in the energy sector is even more interesting than usual. To catch up on the latest developments, I sat down with one of
Integrating big data into existing data management processes and programs has become something of a siren call for organizations on the odyssey to become 21st century data-driven enterprises. To help save some lost time, this post offers a few tips for successful big data integration.
The 2015 United States Tennis Open tournament is now underway, and like most tennis fans, I’ve got my eyes on women’s tennis great Serena Williams, as she attempts to make history by winning the tournament and achieving a calendar Grand Slam. What are her chances of reaching the milestone? Most
An artist friend of mine recently created a beautiful abstract image and described the process on her blog. She says that "after painting my initial square, I cut it into strips and split them down the middle, then wove them together.... I had no idea when I started piecing these
“Back-to-school” is a common theme this time of year, but learning isn’t something that is relegated to a certain point on the calendar or even a particular point in life – it’s a lifelong journey. Whether you are in early education using mobile technology for learning, a student or adult
When I ask people what they know about Denmark they often mention Hans Christian Andersen. He was born in Denmark in 1805 and is one of the most adored children’s authors of all time. Many of his fairy tales are known worldwide as they have been translated into more than
Will the Internet of Things (IoT) create a web of connected devices that make our lives better or an infinite infestation of annoying devices invading our privacy for no good reason? I don't know. I do know that the answer is going to depend less on the technology and more
This post is the third and final in a series that illustrates three different solutions to "flattening" hierarchical data. Don't forget to catch up with Part 1 and Part 2. Solution 2, from my previous post, created one observation per header record, with detail data in a wide format, like
There is a time and a place for everything, but the time and place for data quality (DQ) in data integration (DI) efforts always seems like a thing everyone’s not quite sure about. I have previously blogged about the dangers of waiting until the middle of DI to consider, or become forced
From the public debate over Amazon’s workplace culture to the Security and Exchange Commission’s approval of the CEO-to-worker rule, it’s been an interesting few weeks for those of us who care about sustainable organizations. Clearly people have strong feelings about what companies owe society and how front-line workers should be
The title of this blog post might seem strange, but I occasionally need to compute the number of digits in a number, usually because I am trying to stuff an integer value into a string. Each time, I have to derive the formula from scratch, so I am writing this
How long have you been reading SAS blogs? And do you have thoughts on how we can improve them? In 2007, we launched the SAS blog program with just one blog and a handful of bloggers. Today, we have more than 30 blogs and hundreds of active bloggers. As we
I was recently asked why I would recommend my new class, Explaining Analytics to Decision Makers: Insights to Action. The answer goes back to some great advice, a lunch of eggplant parmesan and in another more twisted way, to what was ironically affectionately known as the “bomb plant.” Early in
You may not be in London on October 7 to take advantage of the Lancaster Centre for Forecasting's free workshop on promotional forecasting. However, there are still plenty of forecasting educational opportunities coming up this fall: SAS Business Knowledge Series Best Practices in Demand-Driven Forecasting (Chicago, September 24-25) My colleague
In a little more than two weeks, I will be in one of my favorite places, San Diego, California, recruiting potential SAS Press authors at the JMP Discovery Summit, which will be held at the beautiful Paradise Point Resort and Spa from 14 September to 17 September 2015. I’m especially
This post is the second in a series that illustrates three different solutions to "flattening" hierarchical data. Solution 1, from my previous post, created one observation per header record, summarizing the detail data with a COUNT variable, like this: Summary Approach: One observation per header record Obs Family Count
