Do you sometimes come across words and phrases in SAS software interfaces or messages that leave you wondering? New terms, and new meanings for old terms, are inevitable in the fast-paced world of analytics software. However, we would like to help our customers understand new or nuanced concepts quickly and easily, whenever they need to know.
Several years ago, SAS started a terminology management initiative to promote clearer, more consistent, and readily translatable language in our products. We now have a corporate termbank and a variety of tools that help us improve the quality of our software interfaces, error messages, and documentation. Now it’s time to bring “the power to understand” directly to our customers.
At the SAS Global Forum 2012, we asked users to fill out a brief survey about their experiences with SAS terminology. The results of the survey were clear: You want better terminology resources. Over 80% of the respondents said they would use a master SAS glossary if it were available. A majority of survey takers said that they sometimes or often came across confusing words in SAS products, and many wished it were easier to search for definitions.
We hear your wishes and plan to deliver! Phase I of our terminology project will begin this year with a Master Glossary for the Programmer’s Bookshelf documentation, which will be available on support.sas.com. We are investigating ways to provide lookup functionality for tagged terms in online documentation, much like the “click and see” feature in the New York Times online. A comprehensive language portal with translations for terms and definitions was also on the “wish list” for survey respondents.
Of course, it all depends on feedback from you, our customers. Do you look for glossaries to find definitions, or search the documentation for the meaning of a term? If your native language is not English, do you have particular frustrations? How can we make it better?
I would very much like to get your comments, complaints, and ideas about SAS terminology. Please comment here or email me at terminologist@sas.com.
4 Comments
Hi Krithika,
The reason you don't see PROC EXPAND or other SAS language elements in the termbank is because they are not really terminological concepts. That is to say, there is little value in briefly defining what PROC EXPAND is; what users need to know how it works. In detail!
Right now, the Base SAS Procedures Guide is the best source for information about SAS procedures.
The SAS termbank stores glossary information for SAS documentation; it answers the questions, "What is XYZ?" and "What does XYZ mean?".
The SAS Help and Documentation answers the questions, "How does XYZ work?" and "How do I use XYZ?".
Different information assets for different purposes! But we might decide to include language elements and short descriptions in the termbank if there is a need.
I agree, this is a great idea. I would particularly like to see definitions for the "SAS server soup" especially as it relates to Enterprise Guide. I think it's going to be hard to write descriptions that are both concise and successfully differentiate similar-sounding features, but it is worth the effort.
Very handy. Though I could not find proc expand in the list.
Thanks. I think it is a good idea and my first website choice for SAS solutions.