The case against automating data management
Phil Simon flip-flops from his last post.
English
How to fix common problems in output from ODS Graphics procedures
A few examples to demonstrate some of the common output-related problems with ODS Graphics Procedures. If your graphical output does not appear as you wanted, consider the options that you are using and make sure that you are using the correct option.
Harnessing data to deepen the relationships to your customers
In a world of fast, convenient, personalized service, customers expect businesses to go the extra mile to meet their expectations. How can organizations establish closer relationships, especially in crowded markets? With industry disruptors nipping at their heels, established companies are looking for fresh ways to strengthen relationships with new and
Our Storytellers: Selena Mau
You know those movies where the two friends learn only years later that the perfect relationship they were looking for was right in front of them the whole time? It’s been kind of the same for me during my time here at SAS... well, minus the romance. When I joined
Where can you own a pet kangaroo in the US?
I saw an interesting kangaroo map on reddit, and although the data was deemed "not entirely reliable" it seemed like a fun topic. And also a good exercise to try out the map labeling capabilities in the new Proc SGmap choropleth maps in SAS! For those of you not really
The power of AI is undeniable, but can they replace call centres?
When we hear the words AI and call centres, we immediately imagine dialling a number, only to be greeted by a semirobotic voice (think Siri or Google). While it’s true that AI can be more efficient than humans (at some things), does it really mean that human call centre agents
Boost your bank’s operational efficiency
Combining analytical resources and expertise from across the organisation is a prerequisite for effective, well-informed decisioning. How can your bank break down analytics silos and inspire a culture of collaboration? Organisational silos are holding banks back from driving innovation and meeting customer demands. When your customers expect convenient, personalised and
Top 10 Healthy Living Tips for College Students
What comes to mind when you think of college living? Pulling an all-nighter in the library with a bag of chips and an energy drink? Late night pizza runs? Partying until the wee hours of the morning on any given night of the week? Living off cheap and easy microwavable
Short-circuit evaluation and logical ligatures in SAS
Many programmers are familiar with "short-circuit" evaluation in an IF-THEN statement. Short circuit means that a program does not evaluate the remainder of a logical expression if the value of the expression is already logically determined. The SAS DATA step supports short-circuiting for simple logical expressions in IF-THEN statements and
Five considerations for your cloud-first strategy
Across all industries, organizations are adopting a cloud-first strategy. What does it mean to be cloud-first? Broadly speaking, cloud first means using shared infrastructure instead of building and hosting your own private storage facility, systems, etc. Benefits of adopting a cloud-first strategy include cost savings and productivity improvements. However, what
Strategies for Busy Families
This month I have been holding a series of "coffee breaks" on campus to meet with parents and discuss strategies for busy families. The following is a list of tips I pulled together. Daily Organization ☐ Basket by door for each family member to keep things that need to go
My personal impact of AI
Artificial intelligence has great potential to improve the lives of so many people, especially in the health sector. In Holland, for example, the Amsterdam Medical Center uses computer vision to process patient data, and particularly images. With SAS’ help, it is moving closer to a position where it can deliver
SAS Intelligent Decisioning: Intro and Update
SAS Intelligent Decisioning enables users to create, test, control versioning and trace analytically driven decisions all in one solution.
How data can change your business – if you let it
Jim Harris explains why true transformation requires more than just being data-driven.
Combating Insurance Fraud With Machine Learning
Most insurance companies depend on human expertise and business rules-based software to protect themselves from fraud. However, people move on. And the drive for digital transformation and process automation means data and scenarios change faster than you can update the rules. Machine learning has the potential to allow insurers to
The math you learned in school: Yes, it’s useful!
What is this math good for, anyway? –Every student, everywhere I am a professional applied mathematician, yet many of the mathematical and statistical techniques that I use every day are not from advanced university courses but are based on simple ideas taught in high school or even in grade school.
Announcing the 2019 SAS/IIF Forecasting Research Grants
The International Institute of Forecasters and SAS® announce two $10,000 grants to support research on forecasting. Per the announcement: Forecasting research has seen major changes in the theoretical ideas underpinning forecasting effectiveness over the last 30 years. However, there has been less impact on forecasting practice. We aim to put
Esri integration with SAS Visual Analytics: Geocoding
Geocoding is no longer limited to just Base SAS. You can also geocode from within Visual Analytics, thanks to the integration with the Esri geocoding api. This feature is part of the Esri Premium agreement, and became available in VA 8.3.
Visualizing a better alternative to one-number forecasting
Back in 2013 the BFD asked Is one number forecasting a new worst practice?, concluding yes. Certainly, it is important for an organization to be aligned, with different functions like sales, supply chain, and finance not going off independently in their own directions, doing whatever they want. But trying to
Experts Help You Choose A School (Part 2)
Each week in August, the Work/Life Team has invited educational experts to address concerns parents have in the process of choosing a school. For our second blogpost in this series, we have invited our experts to respond to the following questions: What questions should I be asking about the school?
Summarization in CASL
Summarizing numeric data is an important step in analyzing your data. CASL provides multiple actions that generate summary statistics. This blog provides a quick overview of three of those actions: SIMPLE.SUMMARY, AGGREGATION.AGGREGATE, and DATAPREPROCESS.RUSTATS.
Reimagining the Analytics Platform
What does an analytics platform look like? We might imagine a large server with data and software used for a wide range of operational reporting, BI and data analysis. There may be development and test environments. But typically most users will be working in the same production environment, sharing the
The SAS Hiring Process: Intern Edition
We know the internship search can be stressful, and we want your application and interview experience with us to be a great one! Here’s a complete look at what to expect from our intern hiring process – from application to your first day. 1. Apply! If you’re interested in interning
Mapping the drone registration data (for NC)
Flying drones was a new & exciting hobby, and very cool fad a few years ago. In recent years, the drone manufacturers have added some really nice features to make the drones easier to fly and more capable ... but the government also added some new rules that have curbed
From automation to autonomous and intelligent decisioning
Free will is the core of a human being. Free will implies making decisions. But how are decisions defined? Decision making is choosing an alternative from many possibilities. It is a process that results in the selection of a set of actions among several alternative scenarios. But what about business?
The essential guide to binning in SAS
Do you want to bin a numeric variable into a small number of discrete groups? This article compiles a dozen resources and examples related to binning a continuous variable. The examples show both equal-width binning and quantile binning. In addition to standard one-dimensional techniques, this article also discusses various techniques
Back to School...Back to Homework!
For those families on the traditional school calendar year in the public education system here in North Carolina, school starts in three short weeks! As the dog days of August come to a close, many parents' chests begin to tighten as they anticipate the dogged nights of homework. For some families,
Combining the power of analytics and art
A technology company that places a high value on art. Beyond SAS’ workplace culture, benefits and leadership in the analytics market, it was the company’s emphasis and appreciation toward the arts that first caught Jessica Peter’s attention. Jessica first learned about SAS from the comfort of her living room. During
Smart ways to improve your marketing effectiveness
As businesses see the transformative potential of targeted digital marketing initiatives, they are investing in cutting-edge analytics solutions. But are they putting this technology to its best use? As data volumes continue to grow exponentially, marketers ought to have all the data they need to engage customers in new and
How to use PROC HPBIN to bin numerical variables
Binning transforms a continuous numerical variable into a discrete variable with a small number of values. When you bin univariate data, you define cut point that define discrete groups. I've previously shown how to use PROC FORMAT in SAS to bin numerical variables and give each group a meaningful name
