topic How to create a Parallel Coordinates Plot in SGPLOT (or GTL)? in Graphics Programming

How to create a Parallel Coordinates Plot in SGPLOT (or GTL)?

ShaneRosanbalm — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 15:29:17 GMT

I am hoping to create something similar to the Parallel Coordinates Plot from the Data Viz Catalogue (http://www.datavizcatalogue.com/methods/parallel_coordinates.html). The best solution I've found so far is from Prashant Hebbar's SGF 2012 paper (https://support.sas.com/resources/papers/proceedings12/267-2012.pdf) in which he converts each y variable to a percent and then uses a combination of vector, refline, and scatter statements to draw the multiple axes over the top of the series plot. While it works, this approach seems a little bit tedious. Is anybody aware of a more straightforward solution? Or, is this perhaps as simple as it gets?

Re: How to create a Parallel Coordinates Plot in SGPLOT (or GTL)?

Rick_SAS — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 16:09:43 GMT

If you are asking whether there is now a built-in statement for parallel coordinate plots, the answer is no.

However, there is a much easier way to standardize all numeric variables into [0,1]. You can use PROC STDIZE to transform all variables in a single call:

proc stdize data=sashelp.cars(drop=_CHARACTER_) method=range out=cars;
run;

/* view max/min for the transformed data */
proc means data=cars;
run;

Re: How to create a Parallel Coordinates Plot in SGPLOT (or GTL)?

ShaneRosanbalm — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 14:23:14 GMT

PROC STDIZE does tidy things up a bit. Thanks for the suggestion. That said, I will probably poke around a bit and see if I can't find a way to trick SGPLOT (or SGPANEL or GTL) into producing a slightly cleaner looking plot.