When you hear the term “big data,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Complex numbers? Information overload? Now where did I put my aspirin …? Thanks to visual analytics (VA), it turns out big data doesn’t have to be scary or a headache. “Big data is not just
Tag: high-performance analytics
Imagine big data personified. He would be smart and loud and right on top of you ... but ultimately ignored. That's exactly the scene you'll see in this new and amusing video spot. Look familiar? Do you know that guy? Share this funny big data video with your colleagues and
Data visualization can revolutionize the way that statisticians accomplish their modeling work, especially in the early phases of an analytics project. In this post, we'll look at how data visualization can improve the initial stages of the analytical lifecycle – problem identification and data preparation – and how SAS Visual Analytics plays a
If it’s true that everything is bigger in Texas, imagine what “big data” means in the Lone Star State. Stephanie A. Bond Huie knows all about that. As Vice Chancellor, ad interim, for the University of Texas System’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, Huie leads a team of researchers and policy
The Data Visualization Charting 101 series explores different tools to visualize data. Check out other posts to see which data visualization is right for you. The most delicious of all charts is the pie chart. I recall a recent TV show where a character made a bar chart of his favorite
It’s no secret that big data offers organisations a real opportunity to gain competitive advantage, open up new revenue streams and increase efficiency. Yet, while some are charging ahead, others are falling behind. The past two years have seen an 80 per cent jump in organisations believing analytics provides a
I have been on a plane non-stop for four weeks travelling around Asia working with key customers looking to expand their analytics footprint. It's clear that analytics is no longer taking a back seat to business intelligence (BI). Customers I am talking to have squeezed as much value out of
Kimberly Holmes doesn't want to put any limits on what analytics can accomplish at XL Group plc. As the Head of Strategic Analytics, Holmes recently selected SAS Visual Analytics to help the global insurance and reinsurance operations at XL Group meet that lofty goal. We spoke with her at a recent
"What do you do when you first get a data set that's a billion rows long?" asks SAS CEO Jim Goodnight. "You want to play around with it." At dozens of SAS events over the last year, audience attendees have watched Goodnight do just that, quickly grabbing 1.15 billion records, selecting
Our recent innovations into Data Visualisation have led us to be inundated and involved in lots of conversations with customers and prospects looking to benefit from the marriage of advanced analytics, visualisation, data management and simplicity. Greg and Minh delved into the benefits that this marriage can yield and why data visualisation should form an
There are numerous algorithms used in forecasting, and each of those algorithms is optimized for a certain class of data. How does a business analyst know which forecasting algorithm to use? With the new version of SAS Visual Analytics, you don’t have to know – the product does all the
I recently shared with you my 2013 industry predictions. With the anticipated increase in streaming data, social data, big data BI and analytics and the growing focus on Hadoop clusters, one thing is certain: big data is here to stay. Knowing how to best tackle that data while maintaining brand
My predictions for "big data" in 2013 were recently published in the Fourth Quarter 2012 issue of Loyalty Management Magazine, and I wanted to share them here too: Streaming data from gadgets, cars and other devices will become an even bigger and more important data source. Social data will be used
According to Forbes, a comprehensive "big data" strategy is vital because without one your business will miss out on at least 71 million dollars a year! To me this means your "big data" strategy should be more focused on how best to derive value from your data instead of focusing
… and any fool will mind it”. ~ Henry David Thoreau. The EPA was in my neighborhood several weeks ago testing well water - never a good sign. It was determined that the subdivision just north and upstream of us had once been the site of a farm contaminated by
Organizations must find the right balance between tactical use of their data and strategic use of their data. The following statement encapsulates the difference between an application that was primarily designed from a tactical perspective versus a strategic one.: "Thanks, you delivered what I asked for (tactical), but not what I
Recently, top executives from SAS gathered in Washington, DC with customers and other interested parties to discuss the potential impact of "big data" and high-performance analytics on the U.S. government. Topics included cyber-attack strategies, health care, bio-surveillance, border security and of course, fraud and improper payments. On the heels of
I’ve heard it said that the only thing you can count on in life is change. The same can be said of technology. Change is certain, and the rate of change seems to accelerate with each passing year. Change requires us to adapt, but as we race to keep up with
When SAS CEO Jim Goodnight talks about the development of SAS High-Performance Analytics, he always starts with the customer. After all, it was banking customer UOB in Singapore that first approached Goodnight three years ago about reducing the time it took to calculate risk factors on the bank's full portfolio.
A year ago I set out to periodically blog from my perspective of leading R&D for our advanced analytics software. I invited SAS colleagues who also work in various areas of advanced analytics to blog on their own interesting conversations with each other and with customers about the intersection of
Recent SAS-sponsored research by the Economist Intelligence Unit surveyed large enterprises on a number of questions about "big data" and its value. The most prominent finding was that companies with a strategic data plan were much more likely to be financially successful than those who treat data as a tactical
The lines at clinics, hospitals and pharmacies seemed endless. My people, the people of Datapolis, were growing wearier by the day… The targeted, on-time communications intended to inform citizens about new healthcare options and relieve stress on the system were arriving late, or being delivered to the wrong consumers. And
The League of Analytic Heroes is growing. With the addition of each new member, we are better able to combat the chaos of big data. Illumino and Magnacomm are eager to welcome their newest team member. Keep your eyes on www.analyticheroes.com for his arrival. He's already got his eye on
At the beginning of a recent customer meeting I was involved in, I mentioned how easy it is to shut down idea generation by judging too soon or too harshly, to which a CIO at the meeting shared this story about five monkeys in a cage. You may have heard
What's new about the current emphasis on big data? How does it differ from the large data volumes of the past? Paul Kent, VP of Big Data at SAS answers these - and many more questions in the video below. He starts with an explanation of Moore's law and continues
If you've heard anything from SAS in recent months, then you've heard about high-performance analytics and the new SAS Visual Analytics offering. SAS has taken the high-performance analytics message around the world in a series of recent "road shows". From the start, this project has enjoyed a different development process
In the video below, you'll hear a great explanation from SAS CTO Keith Collins about the benefits of high-performance analytics, and why it's not just about getting answers faster. He also tells interviewer Karin Reed which SAS procedures are being optimized for high-performance analytics and provides up dates about big
The first time that I saw a demonstration of SAS Visual Analytics Explorer was awesome, but it didn't give me goosebumps. I got goosebumps the size of golfballs during SAS Global Forum Opening Session when Dr. Goodnight sat down at a computer screen and began to demonstrate how effortlessly users can
Last Friday morning I took a meeting with SAS CEO Jim Goodnight. Despite the hassle, I was happy to rearrange my busy schedule to squeeze him in. Ha! Just a little joke there about my inflated sense of importance! Actually, the meeting was part of a regular series called "Conversations
One of the coolest things that I saw at SAS Global Forum was Dr. Goodnight dissecting a hologram of a SAS high-performance server and describing how the technology works with analytics. This is the height of innovation. You have got to watch this! Here are a few great