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Beer, photos, user manuals and eBooks – the year 2013 in a nutshell

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By Topics | Learn SAS
Data Quality for Analytics Using SAS and Data Preparation for Analytics Using SAS
Gerhard Svolba's two well-travelled analytics books celebrate the season

Dear friends of SAS Publications, there are only a few weeks left in 2013 and we are all busy with year-end work and holiday preparations. Good to see that I get help from my two books, Data Preparation for Analytics Using SAS and Data Quality for Analytics Using SAS who organize the beverages for our Christmas and New Year celebrations.

My two books travelled around the world this year and were on the agenda at many SAS conferences. Photos that document their journeys and some download links can be found here.

Will there be a 3rd book?

Thank you all for the nice feedback about these pictures. I am glad you like them. I also want to officially answer here the number 1 question that I got in 2013: "Will there be a 3rd book?" The answer is YES! And I plan to start/continue working on it in early 2014 (but please don't tell my wife). The book will combine established statistical methods with business questions from different industries.

SAS/STAT user manuals are a source of knowledge!

At our local user group meeting in November here in Vienna, SAS Austria presented the SAS Academic Award to Prof. Schemper from the Department for Clinical Biometrics, Medical University of Vienna. Prof. Schemper contributed with his work on the "explained variation" to the development of the PHREG procedure, already in SAS 9.2. Prof. Schemper’s and Prof. Heinze’s work on the FIRTH's penalized likelihood was implemented as the FIRTH option on the LOGISTIC procedure and the PHREG procedure. In his talk, Prof. Schemper also pointed out that the SAS/STAT user manuals were always a milestone about how analytical methods in statistical software should be documented. At the reception many statisticians agreed that they use the SAS/STAT manuals to not only find the names of options and statements, but to see statistical details about how these methods work in general. I think this is a great statement and highlights the quality of our documentation.

YOU keep it alive!

In November we also had a very special anniversary for the statistics study here in Austria. The "Statistiker Stammtisch" (regulars' table for the study statistics in Vienna) had its 20th birthday. As I am accused to be the founder of this event (and I admit that is true) I was asked for a short speech:  

"It is quite easy to initiate a drinking event. You just select a bar, reserve a table and send out the invitations. The real achievement is to keep that event alive over many years. So the credit shall be given to those who attend..."

But this applies to books, authors, and readers as well: Writing a book is just one thing; You, the readers, make books alive, when you read the books, apply the knowledge, or give feedback on the content. And I want to thank you, in the name of SAS Press authors, for showing an interest in our books.

Just press a button to create an eBook

Unfortunately my next book will not be written by just pressing a button. However, if you want to publish your SAS results as an eBook, the ODS EPUB in SAS 9.4 allows you to do so.

ODS GRAPHICS ON;

ODS EPUB FILE="CARS_FREQ.EPUB" TITLE="CARS‘ ORIGIN BY TYPE" OPTIONS(CREATOR="PHILLIP MANSCHEK");

PROC FREQ DATA=SASHELP.CARS;
TABLES ORIGIN*TYPE/PLOT=FREQ;
RUN;

ODS EPUB CLOSE;

My colleague Phillip showed this tip at our user conference here in Vienna. It is a simple and convenient way to publish your results to a modern destination.

I wish you a successful end of 2013 and look forward to being in touch in 2014 with you again.

Gerhard

Additional Links

Contributions to the SUBUCONSCIOUS MUSINGS blog:
"The hungry statistician" or Why we never can get enough data
Why my aunt Susanne and her friends give us a hard time in statistical analysis
Dear Ms. Value! I am missing you! - or the importance of missing values in analytics

Presentation
Missing You! - Presentation from A2013 in London

Tags data preparation for analytics using SAS Data Quality for Analytics Using SAS sas press SAS Publications SAS/STAT
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About Author

Gerhard Svolba

Principal Solutions Architect

Dr. Gerhard Svolba ist Analytic Solutions Architect und Data Scientist bei SAS Institute in Österreich. Er ist in eine Vielzahl von analytischen und Data Science Projekten quer über fachliche Domains wie Demand Forecasting, analytisches CRM, Risikomodellierung und Produktionsqualität involviert. Seine Projekterfahrung reicht von der fachlichen und technischen Konzeption über die Datenaufbereitung und die analytische Modellierung in unterschiedlichen Branchen. Er ist der Autor der SAS Press Bücher Data Preparation for Analytics Using SAS, Data Quality for Analytics Using SAS and “Applying Data Science: Business Case Studies Using SAS”. Als nebenberuflich Lehrender unterrichtet er Data Science Methoden an der Medizinischen Universität Wien, der Universität Wien und an Fachhochschulen. Sie finden auch Beitrage auf: Github und Twitter. ENGLISH: Dr. Gerhard Svolba ist Analytic Solutions Architect und Data Scientist bei SAS Institute in Österreich. Er ist in eine Vielzahl von analytischen und Data Science Projekten quer über fachliche Domains wie Demand Forecasting, analytisches CRM, Risikomodellierung und Produktionsqualität involviert. Seine Projekterfahrung reicht von der fachlichen und technischen Konzeption über die Datenaufbereitung und die analytische Modellierung in unterschiedlichen Branchen. Er ist der Autor der SAS Press Bücher Data Preparation for Analytics Using SAS®, Data Quality for Analytics Using SAS® and “Applying Data Science: Business Case Studies Using SAS”. Als nebenberuflich Lehrender unterrichtet er Data Science Methoden an der Medizinischen Universität Wien, der Universität Wien und an Fachhochschulen. Sie finden auch Beitrage auf: Github und Twitter.

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