Walk into any Southeast SAS User Group (SESUG) event and you’ll quickly realize it’s not just about the software. Yes, there are technical sessions, coding workshops and deep dives into data visualization. But what makes the conference resonate year after year isn’t simply the tools, it’s the people and the
Reinforcement learning is a framework that allows AI systems to learn from experience and make decisions in dynamic environments. One way to explore its potential is by training an AI agent to play a video game in real time. This controlled environment demonstrates principles that apply to everyday business challenges.
Globally, health care is undergoing a transformation driven by the rapid aging of populations. By 2034, one in five Americans will be aged 65 or older, surpassing the number of children for the first time in U.S. history. This demographic shift brings new opportunities and new challenges for our health
In high-risk industries like construction and manufacturing, worker safety isn’t just a priority; it’s a constant challenge. Fast-moving environments, heavy machinery, and human unpredictability make it incredibly tough to monitor compliance and catch dangerous behavior before it leads to injury. As data scientists, we wanted to tackle that challenge head-on.
Iowa’s Pleasant Valley School District faced a challenge familiar to many educators: mountains of student data, but limited insight into what it all meant. Ranked in the top 15% of districts statewide, Pleasant Valley knew it was succeeding – but it wanted to understand exactly why and how to do
The human body functions like a finely tuned system, where even the smallest components can have outsized effects. One of those small but mighty components is the gut microbiome – an ecosystem of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites living inside your intestines. These microscopic powerhouses influence how food is digested and absorbed,
Leading brands like Macy’s prioritize creating meaningful, personalized customer experiences driven by data and thoughtfully orchestrated marketing decisions. Macy’s focus centers on customer obsession, which fuels its drive for customer loyalty and sustainable growth. Marketing analytics and AI serve as the foundation for a successful marketing decisioning journey underpinned by
Hoy en dia, donde la inteligencia artificial (IA) se ha convertido en una aliada cotidiana para desarrolladores y programadores, resulta tentador delegar gran parte del trabajo técnico a estas herramientas. Plataformas como GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, y asistentes de código automatizado prometen acelerar el desarrollo, generar soluciones en segundos y hasta
Leaders are increasingly preparing their organizations for the latest AI technology. The problem? They aren’t ready and struggle to implement and show ROI. Despite widespread recognition of AI’s potential, a critical trust gap has emerged in the enterprise landscape. A report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) reveals that 74%
The new school year had barely started when I got a call from a friend who is an elementary school principal. She told me that every morning she announces the names of students who are celebrating a birthday. "One student noticed that we've already had two days on which no
Learn how parametric insurance works and why synthetic data could make models more accurate.
Generative AI is everywhere in the headlines, but for most organizations, the real challenge is making it work with their own knowledge base. That’s the focus for SAS and its long-time partner Pinnacle, who are applying retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to put company data directly in the hands of employees, made
Evidence-based policing shifts the dynamic from intuitive assumptions to confident, accountable decision making.
Clinical trials are the engine behind every new treatment we see – from life-saving cancer drugs to vaccines that help us fight global pandemics. But behind the scenes, running these trials involves juggling massive amounts of complex, sensitive data. For pharmaceutical companies, outdated technology systems can slow everything down, delaying
For small to medium businesses, the pressure to innovate is real, but so are the constraints. Teams are expected to deliver more with the same resources, manual processes and limited budgets. Modernizing analytic workflows often feels out of reach, especially without enterprise-level staff or funding. But change is coming fast.
In probability and statistics, special numbers are used to compute probabilities by counting the number of ways certain events can occur. The most famous are combinations and permutations. Both are used to count the ways to arrange or select items from a set. If a set contains n elements: A
If you’ve ever heard someone mention a “SAS User Group” and thought, “What does that actually mean?” you’re not alone. These groups are a cornerstone of the SAS ecosystem – but unless you’ve attended a meeting or conference and seen them in action, they can feel a little mysterious. Let’s break
The banking industry is at a crossroads. With rising customer expectations, intense competition, ever-evolving regulations and mounting cost pressures, financial institutions must transform – or risk falling behind. Enter agentic AI, an advancement in artificial intelligence that’s poised to redefine how banks operate, serve, and grow. What is agentic AI?
Imagine you're embarking on a road trip to your favorite vacation destination. Like most travelers today, you rely on a GPS to guide you. But not all GPS systems work the same way. Some provide a rigid, pre-planned route that doesn’t account for real-time changes. Others dynamically adapt and reroute
Every year, millions roll up their sleeves for the flu shot—but how can we ensure those vaccinations pack the strongest punch? While vaccine effectiveness varies by season and circulating strain (which we can’t control), lifestyle factors can actively enhance the body’s immune response to the flu vaccine.
“What’s in the box?” This question can come from a joyous child tearing into a nondescript package – or it can come from Brad Pitt’s infamous line in the crime thriller Seven. Most of the time, what’s in the box ends with smiles and laughter. In banking, though, the “box”
This is the third in a five-part blog post series that delves into modernizing marketing strategies through the integration of advanced marketing platforms. I had the pleasure of interviewing Shaun Memon of Munvo for this series, where we discuss a wide range of topics, from fragmented MarTech stacks, first-party data
When it comes to exceeding “average,” school districts know it’s no easy feat. Improving student academic growth and achievement takes hard work, careful planning and a clear vision. Leaders like Kim Buryanek – the superintendent for Iowa’s Denison Community School district – and Nick Bradley, assistant principal at Denison Middle
Generative AI (GenAI) has moved past its experimental phase. It is now deeply embedded in core business workflows, from sophisticated financial modeling and predictive analytics to dynamic content creation and strategic decision-making. This means the very definition of a “job-ready” professional has dramatically changed. Global surveys reveal the same trend:
With AI emerging as an increasing priority for organizations across all industries, it is critical for business and technology leaders to ensure AI is adding transformational value. That was the central theme in a recent conversation SAS CTO Bryan Harris had with streaming news channel Ticker. Harris shared his perspective
I've often wondered about the logic that the SGPLOT procedure in SAS uses to determine whether a set of graphical overlays will receive identical attributes or different attributes. (Recall that color, size, line style, and marker symbol are all examples of attributes.) I know that when you plot grouped data
Authors: Subbu Pazhani and Rob Pratt Large-scale real-world optimization problems with advanced business rules are often difficult to solve with standalone traditional optimization algorithms. Metaheuristic algorithms often complement these traditional optimization techniques. These are a class of powerful and flexible algorithms designed to address complex optimization problems, which traditional methods
A new report from MIT estimates 95% of AI projects will fail. That’s staggering. Corporate GenAI pilots are failing to deliver significant revenue growth or measurable impact. The primary issues are not the quality of AI models, but a “learning gap” and flawed enterprise integration. Recent findings from the SAS
With AI, insurance underwriting evolves – and insurers can choose to manage the decisions of their AI agents.
With strong governance, data quality and thoughtful integration, agentic AI can transform insurance underwriting.
