A recent news report shows an unexpected spike in traffic fatalities here in the US in 2015. This got me wondering what the data shows ... for the past 100 years or so... Driving was a lot more dangerous in the early days. If you were in a wreck, you
I was at a family gathering recently. An elderly relative asked my teenage nephew, "So, what do you want to be when you grow up?" My nephew looked over at me hoping I'd rescue him from the situation. I didn't. But I also recognized the pressure a teen can feel
SAS software is used around the world in some of the most sophisticated ways, like ATM fraud detection and cancer research. But recently, I used it for a practical, and much needed, task -- replacing our break room coffee machine. Now, this is no ordinary coffee machine. It also makes
I previously wrote about the best way to suppress output from SAS procedures. Suppressing output is necessary in simulation and bootstrap analyses, and it is useful in other contexts as well. In my previous article, I wrote, "many programmers use ODS _ALL_ CLOSE as a way to suppress output, but
The final figures are in! This year there was a fierce battle for the top spot of the SAS Global Forum 2015 books bestseller list. In a nail biting finish, newcomer, Exchanging Data between SAS and Microsoft Excel: Tips and Techniques to Transfer and Manage Data More Efficiently, beat off
“Phew! That tip alone was a life saver,” said a student in one of my SAS SQL classes. “Before, I would have to read about ten Google search results before I could find that content of the sort you shared in class.” That student was referring to the tip I
In my last post, we examined the growing importance of event stream processing to predictive and prescriptive analytics. In the example we discussed, we looked at how all the event streams from point-of-sale systems from multiple retail locations are absorbed at a centralized point for analysis. Yet the beneficiaries of those
French fries, pommes frites, chips…or just fries…are indisputably one of the most popular foods in America with the average American consuming nearly 29 pounds of fries a year.
I saw an interesting graph on dadaviz.com that claimed Italians had gone from drinking twice as much as Americans in 1970, to less than Americans in recent years. The data analyst in me just had to "independently verify" this factoid ... But before I get into the technical part of this
A proof of concept (POC) is smartest way for customers to evaluate if a product meets the required objectives, and the best way for vendors to demonstrate why they feel they are best placed to resolve the current outstanding problems. However, not all POCs are successful. Let’s explore why. What is
What prompted me to find a co-author and write a new edition of my original book on PROC TABULATE? It’s those inventive developers at SAS. They keep adding new features to make the product even better. There are too many new features and techniques in the book to name, but these are
SAS procedures can produce a lot of output, but you don't always want to see it all. In simulation and bootstrap studies, you might analyze 10,000 samples or resamples. Usually you are not interested in seeing the results of each analysis displayed on your computer screen. Instead, you want to
PharmaSUG 2015 in Orlando was held at the Renaissance had a record breaking attendance of over 650. Weather was great, except for a huge downpour on the evening of the last day. All the popular presenters were in attendance including Art Carpenter, Kirk Lafler, Arthur Li and many others. Presentations
Recently I had the privilege of hearing Nathan Falkenborg, Head of Consulting & Analytics, North Asia at Visa speak at the SAS Executive Forum in Singapore. Nathan has also spoken at SAS Premier Business Leadership Series where he talked about how the analytics guy won over the marketers at Visa.
As we enter the era of “everything connected,” we cannot forget that gathering data is not enough. We need to process that data to gain new knowledge and build our competitive advantage. The Internet of Things is not just a consumer thing – it also makes our businesses more intelligent. Whenever
The cottage industry was based on workers buying raw materials, bringing them home and producing hand-crafted items to sell. The system worked, but was slow, tedious and expensive, producing goods that were affordable only by the rich. The Industrial Revolution changed all that. The factory system brought machines and workers
After acquiring personal IoT data in part 1 and cleaning it up in part 2 of this series, we are now ready to explore the data with SAS Visual Analytics. Let's see which answers we can find with the help of data visualization and analytics! I followed the general exploratory workflow
We have spent a good deal of time at the Analytic Hospitality Executive advocating for the value of big data for hospitality. Just a few months ago, for example, I wrote a two part series on how Big Data was a “big opportunity” for hotels and casinos. Our goal at
.@philsimon says that you shouldn't bring a knife to a gun fight.
Good Old Country-Style Optimization In an odd way, Imre Polik's recent post, How to solve puzzles? Peg solitaire with optimization, reminded me of one more reason why I like to eat at Cracker Barrel, an American chain of country-style restaurants.
If you have programmed with SAS in the last 15 years, you have probably had a reason to share your SAS results in PDF format. The ODS PDF destination, much like a well-designed car, has evolved over the years, offering progressively nicer features like security, enhanced image formatting and embedded
It’s mid-afternoon. You just ate lunch. You were up early with the kids and had 4 back to back meetings today and now you need to mark off a few more items on your “To Do” list before the end of the day, but when you sit down, you’re suddenly
The XLSX libname engine in SAS allows you to read and write Microsoft Excel files in the same way that you can work with other data sets and databases. This article describes the basic (and some limitations) of the XLSX engine.
(Otherwise known as Truncate – Load – Analyze – Repeat!) After you’ve prepared data for analysis and then analyzed it, how do you complete this process again? And again? And again? Most analytical applications are created to truncate the prior data, load new data for analysis, analyze it and repeat
This SAS tip is from Robert Virgile and his book “SAS Macro Language Magic: Discovering Advanced Techniques”. We hope you find this tip useful. You can also read an excerpt from Virgile’s book. When CALL SYMPUT creates a new macro variable, it places that variable in “the closest non-empty symbol
Event stream processing (ESP) and real-time processing (RTP) so often come up in the same conversation that it begs the question if they are one and the same. The short answer is yes and/or no. But since I don’t need the other kind of ESP to know that you won’t
The Two-Bin Inventory Control System So what is a two-bin inventory control system? Whether you realize it or not, you are probably very familiar with the concept. In fact, if you are reading this on a tablet or smartphone, you may be sitting next to one right now (see photo). According to
When I was an undergraduate physic major, my favorite professor would start each class with a joke or pun. One day he began class with a paraphrase of a famous quote from the movie Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (the one with the whales). "Today," my professor said, imitating
As discussed in the last BFD post, sometimes a difficult and expensive problem doesn't have to be solved -- it can simply be avoided. When the teetering boulder threatened the baby below the cliff, we removed the baby and no longer had to worry about propping up the boulder. When it
Mount St. Helens volcano here in the US had a big eruption 35 years ago this week! Do you know exactly where it is located? Perhaps this SAS map can help... As you might have guessed, I'm a big fan of the awesome power of nature (hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, earthquakes, and
