Blogs

Blogs

Analytics

Find out how analytics, from data mining to cognitive computing, is changing the way we do business

Analytics | Data Visualization | Programming Tips

Robert AllisonApril 7, 2015 0

Variations on a stickman graph: Analyzing the Twitter minions

One of our customers asked if I could show him how to reproduce a stickman graph that David McCandless (ala, Information is Beautiful) had created - see screen capture below. I'm not sure that it's the best kind of graph for the occasion, but of course SAS can be used

Read More

Analytics | Data Management

Leo SadovyApril 7, 2015 0

Good habits for big data

“Begin with the end in mind” - Habit #2 from Stephen Covey’s ‘Highly Effective People’. The Edge Foundation is based on the premise of: “To arrive at the edge of the world's knowledge, seek out the most complex and sophisticated minds, put them in a room together, and have them

Read More

Analytics | Internet of Things

SAS Manufacturing

Mike HitmarApril 7, 2015 0

Hear the Voices of SAS' Manufacturing Experts

Well okay maybe you can't hear us, but at least you can read what we have to say. Although, I'm not ruling out an occasional video or podcast entry. One of the best kept secrets at SAS is the incredible domain expertise that comes to work here everyday, ready to

Read More

Advanced Analytics | Analytics

Mike GillilandApril 3, 2015 0

Guest blogger: Dr. Chaman Jain previews Winter issue of Journal of Business Forecasting

JBF Special Issue on Predictive Business Analytics Dr. Chaman Jain, professor at St. Johns University, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Business Forecasting, provides his preview of the Winter 2014-15 issue: Predictive Business Analytics, the practice of extracting information from existing data to determine patterns, relationships and future outcomes, is

Read More

Analytics | Data Management | Data Visualization

Alan LipsonApril 3, 2015 0

Four lessons from the Data4Decisions conference

It’s great to get in on something on the ground floor. That’s what happened at the inaugural Data4Decisions Conference and Exhibition held in Raleigh, NC, in March. It brought together business people, academics and students to explore how organizations use data management and analytics technology to enhance business processes and

Read More

Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonApril 3, 2015 0

Where are the world's best roller coasters?

Would you rather see a list of the world's 50 best roller coasters, or an interactive map? (... how about both!) Before we get started on this ride, here's a picture of my friend Jennifer's daughter, getting an early/young start on riding roller coasters (she's in the back, with her

Read More

Sports & Entertainment

Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonApril 2, 2015 0

Drilling down on fracking graphs

The topic of fracking has been in the news a lot lately - this blog post explores some of the finer points of plotting opinion data related to fracking ... I recently saw the following graph on dadaviz.com. It showed some interesting data, and presented the data in a way

Read More

Energy & Utilities

Analytics

Sandra Hernandez

Sandra HernandezApril 1, 2015 0

¿Qué pasa cuando un científico de datos, un experto en BlackJack y un periodista se cruzan en el SAS Global Forum?

Si no ha escuchado acerca del SAS Global Forum, queremos contarle porqué ha sido durante 40 años, el evento más importante a nivel mundial para los profesionales en analítica y Big Data organizado por SAS. Además de ofrecer inigualables oportunidades de educación y trabajo en red, miles de asistentes de

Read More

Analytics

Andy CutlerApril 1, 2015 0

SAS finds evidence for extraterrestrial life?

Just this morning, the course leader at our newly created SAS Space & Astronomy School told me that they picked up a broadcast signal from outer space. By analysing all the data they have been collecting, they were able to quickly spot a spike in the trend pattern, which helped

Read More

Analytics | Data Visualization | Programming Tips

Robert AllisonMarch 30, 2015 0

Paint it black: A song choice or a graph background?

This blog post discusses the use of a black background in a graph. But before we get started, I invite you to have a listen to one of my favorite songs - "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones. Perhaps this song subliminally persuaded people to use black backgrounds in

Read More

Advanced Analytics | Analytics

Fiona McNeillMarch 27, 2015 0

What’s it take to be a data scientist?

In February of this year, the Washington Business Journal reported the US Government appointed its first Chief Data Scientist, DJ Patil. With this, I think it’s now safe to say that Data Science is officially sanctioned as new mode in organizations. Those that can apply the necessary finesse along with

Read More

Analytics | Data Management

Ian JonesMarch 27, 2015 0

Oilfield contextual analytics: Do you want to play a game?

In the Cold War techno-thriller WarGames, a marine monitoring a nuclear missile silo deep under the Nevada desert sees a red warning light blink on his console. “Just flick it with your finger,” his colleague tells him. He does, and the bulb goes out. Problem solved. But what will their

Read More

Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonMarch 26, 2015 0

Who paid $500k for a US visa? Over 10,000 people!

Having spent many years in graduate school, and living in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) in North Carolina, I have a lot of friends from other countries. Therefore when I recently saw some stories & graphs about EB-5 visas (where you invest a cool half-million US $ to bypass the

Read More

Analytics

Kay MeyerMarch 26, 2015 0

Analytics can ease the burden on social workers & help protect kids

March is national Social Work Month and this year the National Association of Social Workers celebrates its 60th anniversary of facilitating positive social changes and improving the lives of individuals and families. Social work is a profession that considers the needs of others every day. Individuals who dedicate themselves to

Read More

Analytics

Sandra Hernandez

Sandra HernandezMarch 25, 2015 0

Aquí le decimos porqué la Casa Blanca le apostó al big data con un científico de datos

En la implacable economía de hoy, las organizaciones que compiten con analítica se quieren destacar por ser más inteligentes que su competencia, y es apenas obvio. Sin embargo, pueden enfrentarse con un problema: la necesidad de profesionales cualificados que sepan cómo manejar y generar información procesable que fluya a través

Read More

Analytics | Data Visualization | Programming Tips

Robert AllisonMarch 25, 2015 0

Spotting a misleading chart

Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory - hopefully you'll enjoy mine about the number of US E1 visas! I was perusing some of the US government charts, and found one on US immigration visas that caught my attention. It was a 3D bar chart, and since I always mistrust 3D

Read More

Analytics | Internet of Things

Analytics in Automotive

Norm MarksMarch 24, 2015 0

Six analytics lessons from the automotive roundtable

Increasingly, automotive executives want to talk about the "Art of the Possible" in analytics. So we took the opportunity to invite leaders around the industry to an Automotive Analytics Executive Roundtable to share their stories and spark new ideas. A myriad of diverse speakers covered a variety of topics on big data/Hadoop, the

Read More

Analytics | Data Visualization | Programming Tips

Robert AllisonMarch 24, 2015 0

When art and analytics collide

The best graphs are both beautiful and informative - a smooth blend of art and analytics. But more often than not, the two collide rather than blending smoothly... Here is a link to a artistic infographic I recently saw posted by Vendavo on twitter. Their message (80% of your profit is generated

Read More

Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonMarch 20, 2015 0

Euro vs Dollar exchange rate: An historic event?

I recently read a Washington Post article about the euro versus the dollar, and I wanted to analyze the data myself to see whether the article was simply stating the facts, or "sensationalizing" things. The washingtonpost.com article started with the headline, "This is historic: The dollar will soon be worth

Read More

Banking | Government

Analytics

Stuart RoseMarch 20, 2015 0

The steps to using analytics…successfully

Advances in technology, evolution of the distribution channels, demographic shift, economic conditions and regulations changes. How does an insurer prioritize all these seemingly competing goals and create sustainable competitive advantage. One answer is analytics. Many insurance companies are just beginning to take steps toward becoming an “analytic insurer” – one

Read More

Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonMarch 19, 2015 0

What's your opinion on daylight saving time?

Is daylight saving time the ultimate in efficiency, or is it living a lie? Here are some graphs that might help facilitate a discussion on this topic ... With daylight saving time (DST), a whole geo/political area (such as a country) decides to set their clocks forward an hour during

Read More

Analytics

SAS ColombiaMarch 18, 2015 0

Si está pensando en innovar, entonces la analítica es para usted

Es posible que escuchemos hablar de innovación muy seguido. La innovación se ha convertido en una de las preocupaciones más recurrentes en las organizaciones actuales. Hace apenas unos años la revista Forbes clasificaba la innovación en tres tipos: incremental, de plataforma y disruptiva. La primera, la más común en las

Read More

Analytics

David PopeMarch 17, 2015 0

When the going gets tough, the tough use analytics

When do analytics really provide value? All the time, of course. However, one of the best times for analytics to prove their value is when you are asked to do more with less. Often, the reason we are asked to do more with less is because of an economic downturn

Read More

Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonMarch 17, 2015 0

Tracking billionaires with beauty and accuracy

Which is more important - having beautiful graphs, or accurate graphs? Let's explore this question using the locations of the world's richest billionaires... I recently saw a beautiful map on dadaviz.com that purported to show the cities with the most billionaires. Here's a screen-capture of that map: I decided to

Read More

Analytics

David SmithMarch 13, 2015 0

So what should ‘the data’ have told England cricket coach Peter Moores?

England’s shambolic early exit from the Cricket World Cup has stirred up a hornet’s nest about the team’s supposed over-reliance on data. In the aftermath of their defeat to Bangladesh, coach Peter Moores said: ‘We thought 275 (runs) was chaseable. We’ll have to look at the data.’ It prompted outrage from

Read More

Analytics | Fraud & Security Intelligence | Internet of Things

Suzanne ClaytonMarch 11, 2015 0

It’s the Internet of connected life at Mobile World Congress

The Internet of Things is coming fast and furious. We clearly know what these “things” are, and were able to see prototypes at last week’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) which hosted some 93,000 attendees. Things = connected life = cars, homes (thermostats, washer and dryers, vacuum cleaners, security systems, refrigerators, etc.),

Read More

Analytics

SAS ColombiaMarch 11, 2015 0

Conozca cómo el sector público se está transformando con analítica

El sector público se enfrenta actualmente a un periodo de gran tensión, hay intentos por reducir déficit presupuestal, se avecinan algunas recesiones y hay una necesidad de protegerse de la competitividad internacional, entre otras situaciones que hacen que el sector público se convierta en una prioridad número uno en cualquier

Read More

Advanced Analytics | Analytics

Mike GillilandMarch 11, 2015 0

New! "Demand-Driven Forecasting" course from SAS

My colleague Charlie Chase, Advisory Industry Consultant and author of the book Demand-Driven Forecasting, has developed a new course for the SAS Business Knowledge Series (BKS): Best Practices in Demand-Driven Forecasting. The 2-day course will be offered for the first time April 20-21 in Atlanta (and then again September 24-25 in Chicago). From the

Read More

Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonMarch 11, 2015 0

Where are your Girl Scout cookies made?

I just found out that Girl Scout cookies haven't changed from when I was a kid. I just moved to a different area, serviced by a different cookie maker! That's what I found out from the cool map in an article on latimes.com! The article explains that there are two different

Read More

Analytics

Maggie MillerMarch 10, 2015 0

6 questions with social network analysis expert, Carlos Andre Reis Pinheiro

Beyond traditional clustering and predictive models lies social network analysis. It can help describe customers’ behaviors in new ways, but what exactly is it and how can businesses use it? To find out more, I interviewed Carlos Andre Reis Pinheiro. He’s been working in social network analysis around the world

Read More