Nobel Prize winners and SAS causal econometrics software
In a Q&A with SAS' Udo Sglavo, Xilong Chen of SAS parses the work of 2021 Nobel Prize winners for Economics.
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Enhancing a scatter plot
A scatter plot is my go-to graph! It's what I often start with to get a feel for the data ... and I often end up using just a scatter plot. But some scatter plots are better than others ... In this blog post, I create a scatter plot of
Caslibs and librefs in SAS Viya
When SAS 9 programmers transition to SAS Viya, there are inevitably questions about how new concepts in Cloud Analytic Services (CAS) relate to similar concepts in SAS. This article discusses the question, "What is the difference between a libref and a caslib?" Both are used to access data, but they
Payment scams are spiraling. How can businesses respond?
Fast-changing payment scams are on the rise. Learn how to fight back.
Introducing JupICL: Fast Image Labelling Entirely Within a Jupyter Notebook
SAS' Hamza Ghadyali introduces you to JupICL, a SAS field-tested, easy-to-use, customizable image labelling tool that runs entirely inside a Jupyter notebook.
When the Holiday Season Collides with Whatever Season of Life You Are In
I'm reprising this post I wrote prior to winter break in 2019, about the contrast between the holidays portrayed in commercials and that of real life. This sentiment has only expanded as one might feel whiplash between the uncertainty, grief and injustice observed in the last two years and a
Gestión del talento tecnológico en el contexto post-pandemia
La crisis del Covid-19 ha supuesto un auténtico punto de inflexión en la forma en la que trabajamos. De la noche a la mañana millones de empresas de todo el mundo se vieron obligadas a trasladar sus operaciones al entorno digital, así como la forma de relacionarse con sus empleados,
Trustworthy AI: What it is and why we need it
We as a society should actively involve a divers, non-tech-audience into the discussion in the proper usage of AI – it can not be tech experts only discuss what our everyday life is impacting so much already.
What is a CAS-enabled procedure?
I attended a seminar last week whose purpose was to inform SAS 9 programmers about SAS Viya. I could tell from the programmer's questions that some programmers were confused about three basic topics: What are the computing environments in Viya, and how should a programmer think about them? What procedures
Introducing a new era of SAS Global AI & Analytics Events
For more than 40 years, we’ve experienced countless great moments with our customers. From helping them solve the world’s most critical problems, to celebrating at our annual SAS Global Forum kickback party, we cherish every experience as much as you do. We continually focus on how to better engage with the wide
The order of vertices on a convex polygon
In a previous article, I showed how to use theCVEXHULL function in SAS/IML to compute the convex hull of a finite set of planar points. The convex hull is a convex polygon, which is defined by its vertices. To visualize the polygon, you need to know the vertices in sequential
5 types of fraud and how analytics can help
See how analytics fights back against ever-changing fraud trends.
Two-dimensional convex hulls in SAS
Given a cloud of points in the plane, it can be useful to identify the convex hull of the points. The convex hull is the smallest convex set that contains the observations. For a finite set of points, it is a convex polygon that has some of the points as
The healing art of Tai Chi
I watched my husband practice or "play" tai chi for several years before I was willing to give it a go. "That's too slow for me," I thought. "I won't be able to do it". Tai chi, originally a martial art, provides me with joy and I'm so glad I
Where do Canadians live?
Canada is a geographically large country, but I've heard that much of the population lives in the small southernmost sections (near the US border). I decided to use my mapping skills, and put that to the test. Follow along, and we'll see what that looks like on a map ...
Create a frequency polygon in SAS
I was recently asked how to create a frequency polygon in SAS. A frequency polygon is an alternative to a histogram that shows similar information about the distribution of univariate data. It is the piecewise linear curve formed by connecting the midpoints of the tops of the bins. The graph
Data science for public safety: Preventing gender-based violence
Analytics offers huge potential to transform raw data into operational intelligence. It provides new insights into old or new problems. This is crucial in business – but it is even more important for tackling big societal issues, such as domestic violence or human trafficking. I recently had the opportunity to
Can evidence-based policing change the narrative about public safety?
Multiple burglaries were reported over a three-week span in a specific area of Delaware. Delaware State Police used their institutional knowledge augmented by analytics and were able to bust the burglary ring after matching surveillance footage and public records to an address and photo description. In the past, the only option
SAS opens its code editor interface to Python users
[Editor's note: this post was co-authored by Marinela Profi and Wilbram Hazejager] Data science teams are multidisciplinary, each with different skills and technologies of choice. Some of them use SAS, others may have analytical assets already built in Python or R. Let's just say each team is unique. As part
The normal approximation and random samples of the binomial distribution
Recall that the binomial distribution is the distribution of the number of successes in a set of independent Bernoulli trials, each having the same probability of success. Most introductory statistics textbooks discuss the approximation of the binomial distribution by the normal distribution. The graph to the right shows that the
Add reference lines to a bar chart in SAS
A SAS programmer asked whether it is possible to add reference lines to the categorical axis of a bar chart. The answer is yes. You can use the VBAR statement, but I prefer to use the VBARBASIC (or VBARPARM) statement, which enables you to overlay a wide variety of graphs
Four technology tips for government leaders preparing for flood disasters
“What’s our plan if we get hit by a big flood?” While this question may be plenty familiar to emergency management professionals, city administrators, legislators, and other leaders in coastal regions that are known for their exposure to potentially disastrous weather events, these days it’s being asked in some unexpected
How analytics helps move organizations to a 'new normal'
Industries including sports and entertainment, travel, manufacturing, education and government benefit from analytical insights In the United States and other parts of the world, there are signs. Record automobile traffic. Surging demand for workers. And a continued push to vaccinate. The pandemic and its effects are still very much with
Alternative data may feel risky: Here's why it's not
Some businesses overlook alternative data. That's probably a mistake.
The Weekly Meeting: A stress reducer for partners
In her book, Love More, Fight Less: A relationship workbook for couples, Certified relationship coach and author, Dr. Gina Senarighi recommends couples institute a weekly meeting: "Couples meet once a week to discuss schedules, finances, and shared resources as well as responsibilities and tasks. …Having regular check-ins helps keep any
Fit a mixture of Weibull distributions in SAS
A previous article discusses how to use SAS regression procedures to fit a two-parameter Weibull distribution in SAS. The article shows how to convert the regression output into the more familiar scale and shape parameters for the Weibull probability distribution, which are fit by using PROC UNIVARIATE. Although PROC UNIVARIATE
The last of the BFD
It has been my great pleasure writing this blog for the past 12 years, with over 370 posts. In doing so, I have enjoyed the support of my exceptional SAS managers over this time: From Anne Milley and Renee Nocker way back when it started, to Susan Kahler and David
Where are people moving to/from in the US?
With the 2020 Census numbers starting to come out, it's interesting to look at what states are gaining (or losing) people. In this example, I create a custom map similar to the ones the US Census Bureau likes to use, and plot the 10-year change in population. But before we
Intermittent Demand Forecasting (new book by Boylan and Syntetos)
I've never been much of a fan of forecasting approaches to intermittent demand. In situations like intermittent demand (or other areas where we have little hope of reasonably accurate forecasts), my thinking is "why bother?" If we can't expect to solve the problem with forecasting, we need a different approach.
How wearable technology has improved access to health care
The convergence of digitalization, AI and machine learning that has been integrated into wearable devices has become a boon for many industries, particularly health care. When Fitbit launched its first wearable device in 2009, it clipped on a user’s clothing and utilized an internal motion detector to track the wearer’s