Some of you might be wondering what I’m planning to spend my time on as the new VP of Big Data at SAS. I think there are three equally important segments: First off I will be talking with customers who are really pushing us hard in the big data space,
Tag: high-performance analytics
In evolutionary biology there is an interesting concept called “punctuated equilibria,” which is used primarily to explain why the fossil record seems to abruptly change after long periods of apparent calm, or ‘stasis’ as it is called. To understand this better, think of a stairway where the length between each
Last year I was given an iPad. At the time I was rather ho-hum about my new toy, but my fourteen-year-old daughter was ecstatic about it. I now know why. Today, I am writing this blog post from my iPad and I am lost when I leave it at home.
SAS already has some cool mobile Business Intelligence apps. Now, Scott McQuiggan tells Anna Brown, in this Inside SAS Global Forum interview, that you can view the really cool high-performance analytics reports that you've created on your desktop - right from your mobile device. Check this out!!
You saw Justin Choy and Dr. Goodnight demonstrate the amazing capabilities of SAS Visual Analytics on stage during Opening Session and the Technology Connection at SAS Global Forum. I heard a lot of ooohs and ahhhs (Some were from me, I'll admit.). I also had conversations with SAS users later
There's recently been a lot of discussion and release of products around high-performance analytic architectures and in-memory computing. It seems like every vendor in the BI and analytics realm has jumped on this bandwagon. Is it all the same stuff? Or are there signficant differences? No question in our minds, the
Like Vince said a few days ago, you don’t have to be Goliath to see how the intersection of big data and high performance analytics creates competitive advantage. Let’s also be realistic though: compared to someone like Walmart, pretty much everyone’s David! While Telstra and the Commonwealth Bank may not be the largest companies by global measures, they’re still
Resourceful Publications colleagues shared highlights of day one at SAS Global Forum. SAS documentation, Kindle Fire surveys, SAS students, preview copies, and high-performance analytics top the list: Sean Gargan – Director, SAS Publishing Monday morning musing from the Bookstore at SAS Global Forum... I had the good fortune to meet three enterprising
Many companies are challenged not only with analyzing big data, but with storing and accessing the data. In some cases, organizations can choose an open source storage solution to reduce costs. One popular open source solution is Hadoop. Anna Brown is talking with Paul Kent, Vice President Big Data at SAS,
sasglobalforum2012 on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free Opening Session for SAS Global Forum 2012 had some extraordinary announcements and entertainment - among them SAS CEO Jim Goodnight sat down at his computer to demo the newest high-performance analytics product in front of a packed house. I knew you'd want to take
I don’t know about you … but I get hundreds of e-mails a day! Not only e-mail – but text messages, tweets, e-mail advertising, notices from blogs, rss feeds…coming to me at a numbingly fast pace day and night. It’s information overload. It’s also overwhelming. And, on a personal level –
My name is Tonya, and I’m a Statistician. It’s true. I’ve been one for almost 20 years now. I was crunching numbers and analyzing data long before statistician landed on the sexiest profession list. And now, it seems like that claim to fame has faded in the face of an
Today, more companies are offering more products in more markets in more currencies to more customer segments than ever before. The result? An exponential explosion in data covering virtually every aspect of the organization: sales, marketing, finance, manufacturing, legal, HR, and more. Unquestionably, the era of “big data” has arrived.
Retail is one of the most time-sensitive industries. Find out how mega-chain Family Dollar Stores Inc., which operates more than 7,400 stores in 45 states, relies on high-performance analytics to shrink data processing windows from days to less than an hour and speed decision making. Scott Zucker, Vice President of
The INFORMS Conference on Business Analytics and Operations Research kicks off April 15 in Huntington Beach, CA. I had a chance to preview a presentation by Glenn Bailey, Sr. Director of Operations Research at Manheim (the $3B wholesaler auto auctioneer). Glenn's talk is on "The Need for Speed: Responsive Predictive Analytics,"
I can’t believe all that has happened in the 7 months since I last blogged about high-performance analytics, so I’m back to give you some updates from SAS R&D. The energy around this area keeps growing as more of our developers adopt the new high-performance architecture and target their developments
In my last blog post I revealed the WOW factor of SAS Visual Analytics. In summary: analyzing billions of rows of data, across vast numbers of columns, via 100+ correlation calculations in SECONDS (wow). What exactly does that mean? SAS Visual Analytics takes full advantage of SAS’ high-performance analytics technology.
I remember the first time I saw a Cirque du Soleil® performance—the artistry, the split-second timing, that repeating sense of WOW. I was an instant fan. Funny… but I got that same sense of awe the first time I saw a demo of SAS® Visual Analytics. I’d read the project
The first quarter of the fiscal year is the time that banking industry analysts provide clients with their vision on the key challenges and solutions in banking for 2012. TowerGroup’s Nicole Sturgill recently wrote that “understanding consumer use of the financial institution’s delivery channels is a critical element” for institutions
Macy's Inc. is one of the nation’s largest and most well-known retailers, with a loyal base of customers who shop at its stores and online. The company’s e-commerce division, Macys.com, is relying on big data and high-performance analytics software from SAS to better understand its customers and help increase overall
There's been a lot of conversation recently around SAS High-Performance Analytics. And, rightly so - it's incredibly cool and applicable to every industry imaginable, including financial services. What if your risk calculations had seen the '08 credit collapse in time? CBS SmartPlanet addresses this (and highlights SAS High-Performance Analytics, with
If you're interested in more white board art and more discussions about high-performance analytics, I have a good list of links for you here. SAS' roving reporter Anna Brown was in San Francisco last week at Predictive Analytics World, and she found a lot of people to talk to about
What is the solution for patient-centric healthcare? Big data, says SAS expert Alice Swearington in the post, Treat patients with big data insights. "Service providers throughout the healthcare continuum that become patient centric first will win the patient," she explains, citing the industry tends toward insurance exchanges and retail insurance
How can big data coupled with high-performance analytics (HPA) help retail companies tailor their offerings in a way that is beneficial to both the company’s bottom line – and the consumer? Eric Williams, recently retired Chief Information Officer at Catalina Marketing, explains in this interview. Alison Bolen: How do you define
In the last week, I have interviewed four retail executives about their predictions for big data and high-performance analytics in the retail industry. I hope to publish their thoughts here in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, here are six concrete benefits that big data can bring to retailers, if
This question came up while helping my presales colleague with a client’s question: “Is Microsoft Excel in direct competition with SAS?” Not really. I like to think of SAS as partnering with Excel. Because of the following Excel benefits and its synergy with SAS. Excel has been around for years.
Everyone around SAS seems to be buzzing about big data and high-performance analytics (HPA). As we're preparing for conferences, product launches and customer engagements, it's the main idea on almost everyone's mind. Along with that excitement and buzz, however, it's worthwhile to step back and look at how we got here, and
The volatile financial markets leave no wiggle room for risk. Or second thoughts. We need the right answers to some tough questions, and we need them now. There is zero tolerance for errors. And no time for delays. Samsung Securities gets it. That's why they've boosted their SAS solution for enterprise risk management
I just had a great conversation about big data and high-performance analytics with Eric Williams, retired CIO of Catalina Marketing, and I hope to publish some of what he had to say here in the next few weeks. In the meantime, you can learn a lot about how big data