I wrote the first edition of SAS For Dummies nearly 20 years ago (published in 2007 with coauthor Stephen McDaniel). It's not a stretch to say that the book altered the trajectory of my career. That book was actually the launch pad for this blog, The SAS Dummy. Together, these propelled me to "SAS fame" (which is a special sort of fame among SAS enthusiasts) and opened the door to more customer-facing activities like user groups and other conferences. I have travelled the world and met thousands of SAS customers, all thanks to the connections I've made from the book and in my writings since. I took more customer-centric roles at SAS, first in professional services then in communications, all leading to my most recent job as leader of SAS User Engagement.
SAS has seen some changes since those early Dummies days. Until now, the most recent edition of the book was from 2009 and covered SAS 9.2 and its era of applications. So I was excited when Wiley, the publisher of all Dummies books, approached me in late 2024 to write a third edition. "We still sell copies of this book even though it's 15 years old. We think an updated version could be successful." (I was also a bit apprehensive, because I know how much work it is to write a book on a Dummies schedule. It's basically an intense 14-week sprint of writing, followed by a few weeks of quick-turnaround edits. But no way was I going to let somebody else write it!)
The new SAS For Dummies
I'm pleased to say that SAS For Dummies, 3rd Edition is now available, and I am very proud of the results! This new edition addresses all of the ways that people use SAS today, covering SAS 9.4 and SAS Viya. It has chapters about SAS programming, data management, reporting, machine learning, and data visualization. The book shows the pantheon of modern SAS tools like SAS Visual Analytics, SAS Model Studio and Model Manager, SAS for Microsoft 365, SAS Viya Workbench, and of course the ever-enduring SAS Enterprise Guide.
You can find the book anywhere that Dummies titles are sold, including Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and maybe even your local bookstore (support them!). You can also find it among all SAS books on RedShelf.
SAS For Dummies, 3rd Ed | See the book on RedShelfWe'll have some copies of the book at the upcoming SAS Innovate event! (I can't wait, because that might be the first time I get my hands on it too!) If you're lucky enough to snag a copy, come find me and I'll sign it for you (but only if you really want that).
Book credits
As the writer I curated all of the content, examples, and graphics -- but as with most tech books like this, there is a huge team of people that make it a great product. I'm especially grateful to Jennifer Tamburro, my longtime friend and colleague (and SAS documentation writer) who served as Technical Editor. And of course the multiple other editors and production crew at Wiley, who accepted my pile of chapters with edits and screen shots, and turned it into an amazing publication.
