Hey you!
Yes, you.
Do you realize how unique you are? Nobody in the history of the world thinks exactly the same way that you think, acts exactly the same way that you act, feels exactly how you feel, has had exactly the same experiences that you had, or possesses the same creativity that you possess. You are as unique as a fingerprint, as unique as a retina pattern, as unique as a snowflake, as unique as one of the billions and billions and billions of stars in the universe. That is you!
But, what about your first name; the handle that everybody uses to address your unique self? It is not likely very exclusive. Perhaps you are a junior (Jr.) or a “the second” (II) Maybe you were named after your aunt Phillis, your great grandfather Frederick, your mother’s best friend Marnie, or your bratty older cousin Marvin. Maybe you have the same appellation that was popular in the top ten baby names at the time you were born. For example, you are a James, a Mary, a John, a Patricia, a Robert, a Jennifer, a Michael, a Linda, a William, or an Elizabeth. And what about your last name? You probably inherited it from either or both of your parents. It is a gift bestowed upon you by your forebears, but it is not anywhere near to being a unique gift, is it?
Fortunately, because you are a SAS programmer, you can easily create an appellation for yourself that has never existed before in all of human history and will never ever be generated again through the end of time. Using a simple SAS program, you can create a designation for yourself that is as utterly unique as you are. You can use the UUIDGEN function to generate your very own Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) which you can then display as the symbol of your matchless, distinctive, inimitable self.
A Universally Unique Identifier is a 128-bit identifier consisting of date/time information and node address information taken from a computer. A randomly generated UUID is so unique that it is estimated that the probability of finding a duplicate within 103 trillion of them is, itself, one in a billion. Is that unique enough for you? It certainly is for me!
Here is an example of a simple SAS program that generates a UUID:
/* Generate my very own Universally Unique Identifier */
data My_Unique_Universal_Identifier;
My_UUID = uuidgen();
put My_UUID;
run;
After the DATA step is executed, the variable My_UUID will contain the 36-digit UUID. When I just executed the program, it generated this UUID: 6122c5df-ccd8-4ff2-844b-84103c2ac174. Pretty catchy, is it not?
Now that you know how simple it is, it is time for you to express your own individuality! Copy the code above into a SAS session and generate your very own Universally Unique Identifier. Then, proudly display your UUID on your cubicle or office nameplate, your business cards, your name tag, the signature line of your written and email correspondences, your social media accounts, and everywhere that you want to declare your own indisputable individuality.
You can also create UUID’s for family and friends who are not SAS programmers. Universally Unique Identifiers are the ultimate unique birthday or holiday gifts. Even your cousin Marvin will be impressed.
One more thing before I close. The next time that we bump into one another, please do not call me Michael. Call me 6122c5df-ccd8-4ff2-844b-84103c2ac174.
Best of luck in all of your SAS endeavors!
-- 6122c5df-ccd8-4ff2-844b-84103c2ac174
aka: Michael A. Raithel
For more humorous musings, consider my Amazon Press book: It Only Hurts When I Hit ENTER
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYYQI1P/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
