Blogs

Blogs

Analytics

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

Advanced Analytics | Analytics

Mike GillilandNovember 11, 2014 0

SAS Summer Fellowships in Forecasting and Econometrics

The Advanced Analytics division of SAS Research & Development has announced three Summer Fellowships in the areas of Forecasting and Econometrics. The SAS forecasting fellowships are open to doctoral candidates in mathematics, statistics, computer science, and related graduate departments in the United States. They offer the opportunity to work closely

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Analytics | Fraud & Security Intelligence

Carl HammersburgNovember 7, 2014 0

Fraud is in the Air, Everywhere I Look Around

It's time for a fall fraud roundup. Bad deeds swirl around like so many dry leaves, and I'd like to highlight a few of them this week. It can happen anywhere, even in sports, and no, I'm not picking on those shoplifting Dallas Cowboys here. An MLS referee was suspended for workers' compensation

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Government | Health Care

Analytics | Data Management | Internet of Things

Suzanne ClaytonNovember 6, 2014 0

Big data without analytics is just data

Data has value IF you can analyze it, said participants at a big data analytics roundtable at the Premier Business Leadership Series in Las Vegas. In attendance were executives from some of the largest Communications companies in the world including from the US, Canada, Turkey, Japan, Australia and the Philippines as well

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Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonOctober 28, 2014 0

Are you at risk? Which blood types do vampires prefer?

SAS software has long been used to help analyze 'risk' - what about using it to help determine your risk of being attacked by a vampire?!? On a previous Halloween, I was the victim of a Vampire attack. Here's the photographic proof... Being the most common O+ blood type, I

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Health Care | Life Sciences

Analytics | Data for Good | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonOctober 23, 2014 0

Tracking Ebola: Using SAS bubble maps

In a previous blog post, I showed how to layer colored areas on a SAS map to show both countries, and the areas within countries that had cases of Ebola. But as the Ebola epidemic has spread, more data has become available, and in this blog I show how to

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Advanced Analytics | Analytics

Mike GillilandOctober 22, 2014 0

Guest blogger: Len Tashman previews Fall 2014 issue of Foresight

In 2015 Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting will celebrate 10 years of publication. From high in his aerie in the Colorado Rockies, here is Editor-in-Chief Len Tashman's preview of the current issue: In this 35th issue of Foresight, we revisit a topic that always generates lively and entertaining

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Analytics

Waynette TubbsOctober 21, 2014 0

Chasing analytic talent

Companies like Amazon, Netflix, Zappos and Pandora have changed what consumers expect from a brand – they want brands to “know” what they want before they ask for it. To provide those kinds of personalized products and services, brands have to collect and analyze huge quantities of customer and industry

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Analytics

Lisa ArneyOctober 21, 2014 0

Can a football game predict a presidential election?

In a city built on hedging your bets, it is fitting that the Analytics 2014 conference kicked off Monday in Las Vegas with a look at all the unscientific ways people try to predict the future. John Elder, Founder and President of Elder Research, Inc., entertained the audience with examples of how

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Sports & Entertainment

Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonOctober 16, 2014 0

How do men rate women on dating websites? (Part 2)

I always recommend looking at data in several different ways, to get a more complete picture of what's really going on - such is the case with the member 'ratings' on dating websites. Let's take a look at some data from a different angle... In a recent blog post, I

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Analytics | Learn SAS

Darius BaerOctober 15, 2014 0

The SAS model factory – a big data solution

Do you have too many models to build, too many to manage, too few analytic resources or too much data? A Model Factory may be your answer. The mindset of analytics is changing. This represents the transformation from a “craftsman” dominated culture in which multiple weeks were spent cycling through

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Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonOctober 14, 2014 0

How does Amazon deliver packages so quickly?

With Amazon Prime's 2-day shipping, I seldom go to physical stores any more. How do they deliver items so quickly? Let's analyze some data to find out... There are very few services/memberships that I truly feel like I'm getting "a good deal" for my money - and Amazon Prime is

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Analytics

James EnochOctober 10, 2014 0

Taking advantage of the analytics opportunity

The rise of analytics and big data presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for organisations to put themselves at the cutting edge, to create a competitive advantage by developing a culture of analytical success within their organisation. Yet most seem unable to grasp the opportunity that is within their reach. Eric Hoffer

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Analytics

David PopeOctober 10, 2014 0

Where oh where can I find data scientists?

After attending the SAS Day at Texas A&M University on Oct. 2, I came away with a new perspective on some of the different educational offerings to help fill the analytic talent gap (which according to studies and research continues to grow). In essence, there is a yin and yang of

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Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonOctober 10, 2014 0

How do men rate women on dating websites?

What age women do men prefer on dating websites? - Let's have a look at the data... When I first started using computers in the early 80s, I thought it would be great to have everyone take a survey, and then let computers show you who your best matches were.

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Sports & Entertainment

Advanced Analytics | Analytics

Mike GillilandOctober 9, 2014 0

Foresight/SAS webinar October 30 on temporal aggregation

On Thursday, October 30, 11 am ET, Aris Syntetos delivers the next installment of the Foresight/SAS Webinar Series, "Forecasting by Temporal Aggregation." Based on his article in the Summer 2014 issue of Foresight, Aris provided this preview: When we attempt to improve forecast performance we usually consider new or alternative forecasting

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Advanced Analytics | Analytics

Mike GillilandOctober 8, 2014 0

Significant Digits in Business Forecasting

My favorite dog trick is the group hug. This is achieved by taking a dog's bad habit (rising up on strangers who don't really want a 70# dog rising up on them), and "flipping it" into something cute and adorable. It's all a matter of controlling perception, and that is

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Analytics

Carl FarrellOctober 8, 2014 0

Fighting fraudsters

You might assume that a battle-tested businessman with a gruff exterior and a taste for salty language lacks an inner child, but you’d be wrong. Exhibit A is this little-known fact: I have a soft spot for animated Disney movies. Now, I could try to bluff a bit and say

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Analytics

Aiman ZeidOctober 8, 2014 0

Why organizational maturity matters

I wrote “Business Transformation” to guide leaders through a journey to transform their organizations. I included methodologies and examples gathered throughout my 29-year consulting career to assist them. Every executive and leader focuses on how to use resources to produce value. Of course, value can be defined in many terms

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Analytics

Jeremy RacineOctober 7, 2014 0

An analytic approach to improving mental health access, quality and costs

Part 1: The challenge and the opportunity Mental illness continues to profoundly affect the nation’s population and, for the most part, remains greatly under analyzed. This is the first entry in a series about the mental health problem in the US, and how an analytic approach can improve care for

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Analytics | Data Visualization

Anand ChitaleOctober 5, 2014 0

Self-service and approachable analytics: Key for next gen business users

One of the hottest trends today in the business intelligence and analytics spaces is “self-service.” The word self-service is thrown around lightly in many situations and often carries different expectations for different people and organizations. Before we go into the details of self-service analytics it is important to have a

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Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonOctober 3, 2014 0

Which cars get the most speeding tickets?

Is the type of car you drive more likely, or less likely, to get a speeding ticket? Let's analyze some data to find out! Do red cars attract more attention from the police, and get more tickets? How about cars with a 'racing stripe'? Or cars with a big chromed motor,

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Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonOctober 2, 2014 0

Analysis of credit scores, and automobile loans

Have you heard the old saying that "Banks only loan money to people who don't need it"? Let's analyze the data and see if that is true!... I'm very much a car-guy, and I love learning about all the new vehicles, and love the new-car feel ... and even the smell. It's hard to not like a

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Advanced Analytics | Analytics | Customer Intelligence | Data Management

Alan LipsonSeptember 30, 2014 0

Get your house in order to cash in on retail’s omnichannel promise

Would you build a house without a proper foundation? Most of us wouldn’t dare, but that’s exactly what many retail businesses are doing today. When building a house, if you don’t get the foundation right, paint, wallpaper and fixtures won’t matter much. It’s no different in the retail industry. Success

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Analytics | Customer Intelligence

Ana MilicevicSeptember 26, 2014 0

Data and analytics in sports: three things to consider

It’s a great time to be a sports fan – and an even better time to be a sports and data fan as these two worlds continue to meld together. For the last couple of years nearly every conversation about sports, analytics or both had to have at least one

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Sports & Entertainment

Analytics

September 24, 2014 0

The New Normal is Strange

The first time I used the Internet it blew my mind. As a diplomat brat, at any point in time everyone I knew was everywhere but where I was. Thanks the miracles of Gopher, Veronica, IRC and email, the tyranny of distance didn’t seem so oppressive any more. When I

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Analytics | Data Visualization

Robert AllisonSeptember 23, 2014 0

SAS on "The Big Bang Theory" TV series!

If you're a SAS user, chances are you're a bit of a science/technology/engineering/math nerd -- and also a fan of The Big Bang Theory. Therefore this SAS analysis on The Big Bang Theory should be right up your alley! Yesterday (September 22) was the start of the 8th season for the TV series,

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Sports & Entertainment

Analytics

Beverly BrownSeptember 19, 2014 0

Searching for signs of life in the universe ... with SAS

Light years from Earth, within the constellation Virgo, two galaxies crashed into one another. Not something you could’ve seen peering into the night sky with the naked eye. We know it happened because astronomers pieced together images from several powerful telescopes to create what CBS News called a “cosmic magnifying

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Analytics

Daniel AunvigSeptember 15, 2014 0

Thinking like the customer: the value in mapping the customer journey

Data-driven marketing is all about how marketers can harness data and analytics to create a more customer-centric, fact-based approach to customer engagement. This, combined with quality execution leads to better customer experiences and improved customer equity. However when looking at customer-brand interactions in silos such as in the call centre

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Analytics | Data Management

Stefan AhrensSeptember 15, 2014 0

What an IT project manager should know about analytics projects

Imagine this situation: You go to you doctor and tell her that "something hurts in the lower chest area." Now, based on this short description of your pain, you expect her to come up with a precise diagnosis and a specific therapy suggestion, including treatment time and associated cost. Sound

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Analytics | Customer Intelligence | Data Management

Leo SadovySeptember 9, 2014 0

The tragedy of overcapacity

Capital investment in production capability is the weakest link in the business value chain. It always has been and likely always will be. It’s the driving force behind the tendency towards cartels, collusion and monopolies. While it can make the first entrant into a brand new market, in the long

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