Three Time-Saving Tips for Navigating the SAS Intelligent Decisioning Interface

Looking for ways to save time on your daily tasks? Although my suggestions won't give you a four-day work week, they can definitely enhance your overall efficiency when used collectively. The purpose of this blog is to share three time-saving tips for navigating the SAS Intelligent Decisioning interface.

Tip 1: Create shortcuts in the folder structure

In my day-to-day use of SAS Intelligent Decisioning, I tend to feel like an oil rig operator drilling deep into my server's folder structure to specify the location for a new object I'm creating or to find an object I'm adding to a decision. Is it hard? No, it's not. Would I welcome a quicker route to the destination folder? ABSOLUTELY!

Below is a representation of the path to the rulesets I've been working on lately. I had to click through six levels of the folder hierarchy to access my December folder.

Folders > My Folder > Decisioning > RuleSets > 2023 > Q4 > December

Creating a shortcut, I streamlined my drill-down efforts and reduced the path to two clicks!

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Let me show you how I did it.

Shortcuts are created in the Manage Folders window (accessible from the Actions menu) which is available in most objects views. An object view is the page you see when you click an object name (such as Decisions or a Rule sets) from the vertical navigation bar in SAS Intelligent Decisioning.

From the Manage folders window, navigate to the folder that you want to make into a shortcut. Right-click the folder, then select Add as shortcut. Finally, navigate to the My favorites folder and designate it as the location for the shortcut by clicking it.

Tip 2: Map variables with the Decision tab

When a decision is opened, by default, the Decision Flow tab is displayed (see below). An alternative way to view the components of a decision is found on the Decision tab which sits next to the Decision Flow tab in an opened decision. The Decision tab includes all the major capabilities found in the Decision Flow tab however, it represents the decision in an outline view where the nodes can be expanded or collapsed as desired.

One of the greatest benefits I've found while using the Decision tab is the ease it provides when I'm mapping variables. Instead of having to switch between windows, as required when using the Decision Flow tab, I'm able to view and map both input and output variables from a single window. This feature significantly improves my own personal processing time as I evaluate and update the variable mapping. Below, I've opened the properties window of a (Gradient Boosting) Model node from the Decision tab. Notice that I can view and map all the input variables flowing into model node while at the same time I can see (and map) all the variables set to flow out of the model node.

Tip 3: Save Filters for easy access to commonly used searches

In my SAS Viya environment, it’s typical for a basic search to yield a lengthy list of items created by different colleagues, requiring me to sift through them. When working in an environment where many people are building decisions and creating decision objects, the Saved Filters feature is your friend. The filter feature in SAS Intelligent Decisioning super-charges your search experience, allowing you to search on multiple criteria at once and save the filter for future use. There is a limit of 10 saved filters per environment, so you'll want to be thoughtful of your colleagues needs. Fortunately, there is no limit on creating and applying filters that are not saved.

You’ll find the Filter button next to the search box at the top of the page of each decision object view.

The filter below was created in the decision view. When used in decision view, this filter will return only the decisions with a latest version status of "Approved" and consists of less than 6 nodes and was created by me (as I am identified in my environment).

Specific decision objects possess distinct criteria for filtering information. For example, decision filters allow you to specify, Number of Nodes and Latest Version Status. Rule Sets and Code Files have a criteria option labeled, Type. While saved filters can be applied to any decision object view, filters ignore any criteria that doesn’t apply to current object view. For example, if the above decision-based filter is applied while in the rule set view, the filter ignores the decision-specific criteria and applies only the criteria applicable to rule sets.

To conclude, incorporating these three time-saving strategies into your SAS Intelligent Decisioning routine will streamline your workflow and boost overall productivity.