Finding the root (or zero) of a function is an important computational task because it enables you to solve nonlinear equations. I have previously blogged about using Newton's method to find a root for a function of several variables. I have also blogged about how to use the bisection method
A few years ago, I was presenting a morning course on master data management in which I shared some thoughts about some of the barriers to success in transitioning the use of a developed master data management index and repository into production systems. During the coffee break, an attendee mentioned
Acronyms are funny things. Need an example? Try decoding this sentence: How is event stream processing (ESP), applied to electrical submersible pumps (ESP) in the oil and gas industry, like extrasensory perception (ESP)? Even if you had extrasensory perception you would still need some clarification if that sentence contained acronyms only.
Last week I showed three ways to sample with replacement in SAS. You can use the SAMPLE function in SAS/IML 12.1 to sample from a finite set or you can use the DATA step or PROC SURVEYSELECT to extract a random sample from a SAS data set. Sampling without replacement
Gewinnen Sie eines von drei SAS-Trikots für den SAS Halbmarathon 2014. Dazu müssen Sie einfach den entsprechenden Beitrag auf unserer Facebook Fanpage liken oder kommentieren. Die Gewinner werden unter den akzeptieren Teilnehmern ausgelost bis 30. April 2014, der Rechtsweg ist ausgeschlossen und sie werden von uns schriftlich benachrichtigt. Die Daten
Interest in "data" is at an all-time high. The popularity of search terms like "big data," "Hadoop" and the "Internet of Things" spiked dramatically in the past year. The fact is, organizations are more interested in the potential of big data platforms and data management solutions than ever before. That’s
If the latest raft of retail trading updates are anything to go on, it’s pretty clear who the winners were this Christmas: the consumers. A period of heavy discounting – aimed at bolstering weak sales and protecting elusive customer loyalty – was good news for cash-conscious customers, but left many
Your cross-divisional analytics team may be called many things, including a business analytics center of excellence or a business intelligence competency center. Regardless of what it is named, you will need to pick up your PACE (predictive analytics center of excellence) or be left behind. To really see the benefits of
Need to read or update a ZIP file within your SAS program? In SAS 9.4, you can use the FILENAME ZIP access method to do the job. Explanation and examples here!
Where is global warming when you need it? Throughout much of the southeast, life has been at a standstill since midday yesterday, when 2" of snow and 20oF temperatures brought civilization to its knees. If your life, or at least your forecasting career, is at a similar standstill, make plans to
Randomly choosing a subset of elements is a fundamental operation in statistics and probability. Simple random sampling with replacement is used in bootstrap methods (where the technique is called resampling), permutation tests and simulation. Last week I showed how to use the SAMPLE function in SAS/IML software to sample with
SAS users are big data consumers and big data creators. Often, we have to deal in large data files (or many smaller files) -- and that means ZIP compression. ZIP compression tools such as gzip, 7-Zip, and WinZip are ubiquitous, but they aren't always convenient to use from within a
This year the Super Bowl will take place in East Rutherford, New Jersey at MetLife Stadium just outside New York City. For the first time in this event’s 48-year history, the game will take place outdoors in a cold-weather environment, potentially subjecting players and fans to sub-freezing temperatures. The fans
As I embark on 2014, I reflect upon the many competing, yet interdependent, tensions discussed in education circles in 2013. In conferences, classrooms and statehouses, adults who care about kids debated the best ways to implement: New academic standards (Common Core State Standards or other College and Career Ready Standards)
It’s Super Bowl week and the players, coaches, media and fans are converging on New York City and northern New Jersey for a week of practices, interviews and events - all leading up to the big game. I, too, am making preparations for Super Bowl XLVIII, even though I’m not traveling
Prime numbers are strange beasts. They exhibit properties of both randomness and regularity. Recently I watched an excellent nine-minute video on the Numberphile video blog that shows that if you write the natural numbers in a spiral pattern (called the Ulam spiral), then there are certain lines in the pattern
This week's SAS tip is from Applied Data Mining for Forecasting Using SAS by Tim Rey, Arthur Kordon, and Chip Wells. Whether you're a forecasting practitioner, engineer, statistician, or economist, you'll appreciate the many real-world examples in the book. And hopefully this free excerpt. The following excerpt is from SAS Press
Performance management systems are becoming more important to local governments across the country. This is true for several reasons. Citizens are calling for a more accurate accounting of how their tax monies are being spent. Local government revenues have not been growing as much as in the past and, in
Even though I’ve worked as software technology marketer over the years, I have to admit that on a personal level I’ve probably related more to TV programming than software programming. When it comes to writing, I’ve always gravitated more toward crafting marketing communications than code. And when it comes to
With each release of SAS/IML software, the language provides simple ways to carry out tasks that previously required more effort. In 2010 I blogged about a SAS/IML module that appeared in my book Statistical Programming with SAS/IML Software, which was written by using the SAS/IML 9.2. The blog post showed
In a previous post, I showed you how to send graphs with charttips & drilldowns in an email ... but what if you also need to send the graphs that you're drilling-down to? You guessed it - SAS also has a slick trick for doing that! When you create SAS graphs
As more and more data is being collected and analyzed, it becomes even more important to have a strategy in place that will allow you to get value out of your data. Since it's humanly impossible for your brain alone to process fast streaming data, an event stream processing (ESP) engine
In this quarter's installment of the SAS/Foresight Webinar Series, Martin Joseph and Alec Finney of Rivershill Consultancy discuss "The Forecasting Mantra." Based on their article in the Winter 2009 issue of Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting, the webinar provides a template that identifies all the elements required to achieve sustained, world-class forecasting
Los mexicanos han adoptado el uso de los dispositivos móviles como parte la vida cotidiana, navegar en la red es más conveniente a través de un smartphone que en una computadora, aún con las limitaciones de conectividad. Las tendencias de los consumidores de telefonía móvil evolucionan, sobre todo porque hoy
El papel del CEO en las grandes empresas ha venido transformándose a la velocidad con que la tecnología dispone para él la información crítica de su negocio. Y ahora que puede tenerla casi al instante, su protagonismo y responsabilidad son mayores. Para gerentes de vanguardia. Los tiempos en que el
Bogotá, octubre de 2013 - La gestión de riesgos empresariales se ha convertido en una de las mayores preocupaciones para las organizaciones en la actualidad. Se trata de un tema que va más allá del cumplimiento de reglamentaciones y que en un país como Colombia tiene su máximo grado de
High in the mountains of Colorado, Foresight editor-in-chief Len Tashman previews the new issue: What proficiencies are essential for today’s business forecasters and planners? Sujit Singh offers a detailed and quite formidable list in Critical Skills for the Business Forecaster, our feature article in this 32nd issue of Foresight. While
I began 2014 by compiling a list of 13 popular articles from my blog in 2013. Although this "People's Choice" list contains many articles that I am proud of, it did not include all of my favorites, so I decided to compile an "Editor's Choice" list. The blog posts on
Recency, Frequency, and Monetary Analysis (or RFM) is a popular customer segmentation technique employed by database marketers everywhere. Marketers use RFM to identify which customers are most likely to respond to a direct marketing campaign. The model takes into account three simple metrics: How recently did the customer buy from
SHA256 and other hash functions are supported in SAS 9.4 and SAS Viya. It's better than MD5 as a cryptographic hash!
