My team and I are often called on to help customers optimize SAS system performance, particularly when the root cause of performance problems is hard to track down. This is the first of a two-part article on practices and tools we’ve found most useful.

In version 4.3 of SAS BI Dashboard, data caching is not enabled by default. Each time a user opens a dashboard, each element on the dashboard executes a query to return the result. Enabling data caching can improve dashboard performance by generating data results in advance.

SAS programmers will immediately recognize the importance of reviewing the SAS log to provide insights into what’s going in a SAS program.  As a SAS Administrator, however, you rarely have the luxury of being able to sit down with a cup of coffee and read through the server logs to

In my first episode of "Adventures in SAS Administration", I want to share how I discovered that "software not licensed for this platform" may actually mean "this software is only licensed to be installed according to a plan".

All users must first enter a user name and password to view portal pages and other content. In prior releases of SAS Information Delivery Portal, the Public Kiosk owned by internal SAS user SASGUEST was available to present users with a single screen that could include any content the organization

Recently, I shared a summary of Brian Varney’s SESUG presentation on How to document your SAS environment. One important step was determining where files that control overall processing, such as autoexec.sas files, are deployed.   For installations on a single server or platform, Varney suggested using the OPTIONS procedure, which lists

As one of the external instructors for the SAS Platform Administrator Fast Track course in Australia, I have found that the students who attend the courses come from diverse backgrounds. My experience so far has been an approximate 50-50 split, with half being IT system administrators wanting to learn how

There are people who claim that an IT expert professional with no knowledge of SAS can get the SAS Administrator job done. That's probably true. It also depends on your definition of getting the job done. At some SAS sites, it can be that the administrator's role in supporting SAS is to install it and

In my 26 plus years of experience, I would contend that the best SAS administrator would be an individual with a deeply skilled understanding of server and/or desktop administration, as well as SAS software usage.