SAS/OR 14.1, which became available on July 14, delivers a number of new and enhanced features in optimization and simulation. These changes are designed to make SAS/OR even easier to use and to enable you to model and solve larger, more complex problems more efficiently. If you're using SAS/OR now,
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
As Gerry Nelson pointed out in an earlier post on 9.4M3, a new interface to the SAS Backup and Recovery Tool is available from the Administration application in SAS Environment Manager. This new SAS Backup Manager interface makes scheduling regular backups and executing ad hoc backups extremely easy to do
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
Often when the data includes some extreme difference in measures or some outliers, the plot of the data points can get skewed due to the need to accommodate the extreme outliers. The bulk of the observations get squeezed into a smaller region of the plot. While this may be useful
While I was in college, perhaps the lecture that stood out most to me was on proper running form from a Strength & Conditioning class. It wasn’t something I ever really thought about before. My only focus had been getting through my runs without dying! However, whether you are a serious marathon
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.
New in the 7.3 release, SAS Visual Analytics now provides sample objects. During installation, the SAS Deployment Wizard prompts you to include sample reports by default. In addition to eight reports, an exploration and ten sample datasets are also included in the samples. These sample reports and datasets are available by industry
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
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
The school year has begun, and, as parents, we are intensely curious about what is going on in the minds, hearts, and lives of our children during those hours they are away from us. We try to act nonchalant as we query, "How was your day?", but we are anything
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
With all of the classes and presentations offered at this year’s Western Users of SAS Software conference, planning your activities can easily become overwhelming. Have no fear – we are here to help! Below are five “can’t miss” happenings at WUSS 2015! 1. Jennifer Waller’s Keynote Address - Wednesday, September 9
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
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
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
Note: This blog post is cross-posted from the Key Happenings blog. Going forward, posts about changes to support.sas.com will appear here, in the SAS User's blog. Enjoy! Five things a SAS users should know this week... 5 -- SAS 9.4 M3 and 14.1 are available 4 -- Communities will go
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
If you have, or are considering, SAS Grid Manager, you’ll be excited to hear about two new changes to the product that make it even better for managing and processing in your analytics environment. The two changes were made in conjunction with the release of SAS 9.4M3 in July, and
As of April 15, 2015, Oracle is no longer providing public updates of the Java 7 runtime environment (JRE) or software development kit (JDK). SAS 9.3 and SAS 9.4, however, continue to rely on Java 7 for support of business production. SAS has therefore contracted with Oracle to continue receiving
While not on the same level of Rush, I do fancy myself a fan of The Who. I'm particularly fond of the band's 1973 epic, Quadrophenia. From the track "5:15": Inside outside, leave me alone Inside outside, nowhere is home Inside outside, where have I been? The inside-outside distinction is rather apropos
The foods we eat play a huge role in how well our body functions, positively or negatively. If you are training for a sports event or competition, you want to make sure your body is functioning at its peak! This could be a 5K, 10K, Triathlon, Spartan Race, or any
