During SAS Global Forum 2018, I sat down with four SAS users to get their take on what makes a SAS user. Read through to find valuable tips they shared and up your SAS game.

My second interview at SAS Global Forum 2018 was with a SAS user who shared how SAS thinks a lot like an analytical person. What an interesting thought and one that I am sure will touch many chords among SAS users.

Deanna Schreiber-Gregory

I was thrown into SAS while doing a meta-analysis for my undergraduate thesis project in pursuit of my psychology degree. I fell in love with it. Through SAS, I was able to do what other research assistants and programs couldn’t.

I found that SAS was able to do things and solve problems the way my mind thought through them. SAS is able to support the jumps in my thought and focus, unlike many other programs (especially point-and-click programs) that I have used in the past. I can program and work through a problem in exactly the same way that I think, which enables me to organize my thoughts and problem solve while working on the project.

I am also a very detailed documenter, therefore, I have a lot of notes and comments in my code. SAS allows you to add notes to your code. This allows me to go back later and work through the thought process that I had while I was initially coding. I can inject my own reasoning and understanding of how the problem needs to be solved into the code, include important resources and references, and stamp it with my signature (so others know that I was the one who wrote it). This also helps me know exactly what I did and why I did it. It allows me to easily restructure and update the code at a later date. This is just a short list of reasons why I prefer SAS!

I like attending the user group conferences because I’m able to interact with other people who also speak my language (statistics, analytics and programming). I am then able to expand on my knowledge, refine my skills, and go back to work refreshed and ready to tackle new challenges with greater enthusiasm and more robust and up-to-date resources and references.

1. I enjoyed learning about animated graphs in Richann & Kriss’s HOW presentation: Animate Your Data!
2. I wish I could have seen Patricia Berglund’s informative presentation: Using SAS® for Multiple Imputation and Analysis of Longitudinal Data.
3. I enjoyed learning about PROC FCMP for the first time at Art Carpenter's presentation: Using the FCMP Procedure to the Fullest: Getting Started and Doing More.
4. I enjoyed hearing Peyton Manning’s presentation on Leadership during the General Session. Peyton Manning, as you may know, is a legendary NFL Quarterback. His talk on leadership was inspiring not only because of that fact, but because this topic really spoke to me on a personal level. Especially his piece on silent leadership. He stated that one has to earn the respect of a team first, if you ever expected to win. You must consistently work hard, lead by example, and once you have earned the respect of the team, then you can guide and inspire them to do their best as well.
5. My fun learning experience at this conference is that I learned that I can speak to a large group of people and survive! (It is forever catalogued at 16:45 in this video.)

I hope you enjoyed this post and the many hyperlinks and shares that Deanna offered. I certainly did and it was inspiring to read about the lessons on leadership that help all of us as we constantly evolve in our SAS, professional and personal lives. As always, I’d love to hear from you on what you learned from SAS Global Forum. What one takeaway made a big difference to the way you work or see the world? I look forward to your comments.

About Deanna Schreiber-Gregory

Deanna is a Data Analyst and Research Associate through the Henry M Jackson Foundation. She is currently contracted to USUHS and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. Deanna has an MS in Health and Life Science Analytics, a BS in Statistics, and a BS in Psychology. Deanna has presented as a contributed and invited speaker at over 40 local, regional, national, and global SAS user group conferences since 2011.

Read all the posts in this series:
Part 1: Richann Watson
Part 2: Deanna Schreiber-Gregory
Part 3: Louise Hadden
Part 4: Josh Horstman