Using relative file paths in your SAS programs? Use the new DLGCDIR function to manage your SAS working directory -- even in SAS Enterprise Guide or SAS Studio -- to ensure your programs are working the way they ought to.
We'll take a short break from the Steve Morlidge book serialization, to announce that SAS Research & Development has again provided $10,000 in funding for the SAS/IIF grant program. Both academics and industry practitioners are encouraged to apply and conduct original research for improving the practice of forecasting. SAS/IIF Grants
The Work/Life Center is here to provide support through life transitions. With college semesters in full swing, we're aware that some of you may be facing the transition of "empty nesting". "Empy nesting" occurs after kids leave the home. This transition can occur any time of the year and for
This blog post highlights more SAS Global Forum papers chosen by SAS Press authors.
Note: Following is an eight-part serialization of selected content from Steve Morlidge's The Little (Illustrated) Book of Operational Forecasting. The forecasting challenge It is not possible to forecast any future outcomes precisely. Only the signal is potentially forecastable – noise is unforecastable in principle. And all forecasts assume that the
My buddy Chris recently blogged about accessing the IoT data from an M&M jar being monitored in one of the breakrooms at SAS. Now I'm going to take things a step further and analyze that data with some graphs. Grab a snack, and follow along, as we dig into this
As a third-year intern here at SAS and rising sophomore in college, I’ve been fortunate enough to have completed a few projects in various corners of the tech space. Having gathered my third data point this summer, and in the spirit of SAS #analytics, I’ve started making some data-driven inferences
A frequent topic on SAS discussion forums is how to check the assumptions of an ordinary least squares linear regression model. Some posts indicate misconceptions about the assumptions of linear regression. In particular, I see incorrect statements such as the following: Help! A histogram of my variables shows that they
Note: Following is an eight-part serialization of selected content from Steve Morlidge's The Little (Illustrated) Book of Operational Forecasting. Data Series are different – and it matters to forecasters The nature of demand that is to be forecast, as represented by patterns in the historic data series, that is to
How to count words in SAS with the COUNT functions, and concatenate strings by using the CAT functions. Use these tips to modernize your SAS code!
Jim Harris warns against allowing your data lake to become a poorly managed and ungoverned data dumping ground.
Note: Following is an eight-part serialization of selected content from Steve Morlidge's The Little (Illustrated) Book of Operational Forecasting. Forecasting is not compulsory Operational forecasting is important but it is not mandatory. operational forecasts are used to make sure that a business can respond effectively to customer demand for its
Marginal model plots display the marginal relationship between the response and each predictor. You can use a SAS autocall macro, %Marginal, to display marginal model plots.
Dynamic programming is a powerful technique to implement algorithms, and is often used to solve complex computational problems. This article shows how to use PROC FCMP to implement the "edit distance" algorithm.
When parents decide it is time to move to simpler living, whether it be into a senior community or just into a smaller, more manageable house, the question of what to do with all that stuff steps into our thoughts like a the proverbial elephant in the room.
Showing the most popular jobs in each state is interesting (as I showed in my previous two blogs 1, 2) ... but not that interesting. How about something a little more quirky?!? ... Let's determine the most disproportionately popular job in each state! Their Map I got the idea for
Note: Following is an eight-part serialization of selected content from Steve Morlidge's The Little (Illustrated) Book of Operational Forecasting. The quality of forecasts matters…a lot It is difficult to precisely estimate the business impact of forecast quality partly because it impacts so many variables in ways that are not easy
Three bestselling SAS Press authors feature their favorite papers from SAS Global Forum 2018.
Vitamin D (technically, a hormone) plays a role in just about every aspect of our health. It’s not only important for bone health, it also plays a role in blood glucose regulation, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, brain function, thyroid health and even conditions such as ADHD, Autism and depression. Several
As a fun side project I recently looked into alternative visualization techniques in order to use computers to create art. An interesting approach is pointillism, which, according to Wikipedia is a "technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image." This
A SAS programmer recently asked how to interpret the "standardized regression coefficients" as computed by the STB option on the MODEL statement in PROC REG and other SAS regression procedures. The SAS documentation for the STB option states, "a standardized regression coefficient is computed by dividing a parameter estimate by
Note: Following is an eight-part serialization of selected content from Steve Morlidge's The Little (Illustrated) Book of Operational Forecasting. Different kinds of forecasts This book is focused on operational forecasting – the stuff you do to determine what you need to buy, produce, hold in stock or otherwise give your customers
Note: Following is an eight-part serialization of selected content from Steve Morlidge's The Little (Illustrated) Book of Operational Forecasting. What IS a forecast? First of all, we need to be absolutely clear what a forecast is – and what it isn’t. A forecast is a best estimate of future
When you hear someone refer to an ‘inside baseball’ move, it means they’re playing into the subtleties of the game. Inside baseball requires a high level of awareness, experience, and strategic thought. This typically results in a mix of strategies to get runners on base and manufacture runs rather than
The Little (Illustrated) Book of Operational Forecasting Steve Morlidge's latest work, The Little (Illustrated) Book of Operational Forecasting, is a unique contribution to the field. It is a guide for short term operational forecasting, delivered in a pocket-sized format, through 79 brief (two page) illustrated lessons. As I stated in my
Did you know that the call for content is now open for SAS Global Forum 2019? Get the details and see why next year's Conference Chair MaryAnne DePesquo is excited about the big event in Dallas, Texas, April 28-May 1, 2019.
Using small multiples is a neat way to display a lot of information in a small amount of space. But depending on how deeply you want to analyze and scrutinize the data, you need to be careful in choosing just how small you make your small multiples. Let's look at
No matter who you are, or how much you’ve practiced (or how well rehearsed you are) - an interview is stressful! Being on the other side of the table as the recruiter, I wanted to share some tips to help alleviate that stress. It all comes down to preparation. If
I love data; I’m a real and unabashed data geek. I'm the sci-fi nerd who has fun with data from Star Wars and analyzes World of Warcraft logs using SAS. More importantly, I love what data can do. I love the way it can show people new insights and new ideas,
Video killed the radio star.... We can't rewind, we've gone too far. -- The Buggles (1979) "You kids have it easy," my father used to tell me. "When I was a kid, I didn't have all the conveniences you have today." He's right, and I could say the same
