SAS EG 8.1 - how to obtain?

[snoopy369]

Hi, with the release of SAS EG 8.1, how will the software be distributed?  Do we need to contact our sales rep for a download, or will it show up in the next few days/weeks as an update to 7.15 or in the hot fixes?  

Thanks!

[SASKiwi]

Official product releases are listed here: https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Product-Release/bg-p/tsrelease

Sometimes there is a delay of a week or two before it shows up in this link, but so far I don't see EG 8.1.

It could be delivered via a new SAS Software Depot requested from your SAS account manager. The advantage of this is you can get all your other SAS client tools updated as well. Someone from SAS might like to confirm if 8.1 will be available via the EG update function.

[CaseySmith · Accepted solution]

You will need to download a new depot to get EG 8.1 (which was released yesterday (6/18)!).  Then you can use the standalone EG installer or the traditional SAS Deployment Wizard to install it.  EG 7.1x versions will not notify you or support updating to 8.1 via Check for Updates, since 8.1 is a major new release.

Details:

This was an intentional decision because the project format has been versioned (as we now typically do at major release boundaries). Thus, once a project has been saved in EG 8.x, it is no longer backwards compatible with 7.1x versions of EG.  For this reason, if you share EG projects, we recommend coordinating upgrading with your colleagues, so you use the same EG version.

Note: Since EG 8.1 is a major version and not an update, EG 8.1 can coexist (be installed side-by-side) with earlier EG versions.

Note2: Future 8.x releases will be able to be installed via Check for Updates from earlier 8.x versions, since they will be updates (minor releases) in the 8.x family.

Casey

[Kurt_Bremser]

Wouldn't it make sense to make the standalone installer available for download apart from whole SAS depots? After all, there's no change in the protocols to the backend (metadata, IOM bridge).

[CaseySmith]

@Kurt_Bremser, yes, it would make a lot more sense.  Unfortunately, there isn't currently another mechanism (that I'm aware of) for delivering non-free software through SAS Release Engineering.  We are working with other teams to make this easier in the future.

Casey

[JuanS_OCS]

Hi @CaseySmith , you mentioned SAS EG 7 and SAS EG 8 can co-exist.

However, when running the standalone installer, it only gives the option to upgrade SAS EG 7 a SAS EG 8, not to install it as additional product, neither on a different SASHOME.

Perhaps I am missing something. Do you have any idea of what I am missing?

Thank you in advance,

Best regards,

Juan

[SASKiwi]

@JuanS_OCS - I just installed EG 8.1 and while it gave the impression it was upgrading it left my 7.1 version intact.

[JuanS_OCS]

Many thanks @SASKiwi . I tested it after sending the email, but I have not provided my insights to the community as I have been pre-occupied by work, same on me 🙂

[CaseySmith]

Yes, the (SDW-based) installer is a little misleading (gives the impression that it will replace 7.1, since an "upgrade"), but rest assured, as @SASKiwi noted, it will install 8.1 and leave 7.1 intact, thus installed side-by-side.

Casey

[Kiteulf]

Version 8.1 has a long way to go to get more user friendly

It is also plagued with

* Freezes 

* Bugs

The interface has become very modern but in the same process buttons have vanished and now everything is a bit blurry with trying to press on words instead. 

They need to release another color schema too, white is overexposing everything while dark is , yes quite dark ( but the best) --> However pasting code to a mail leaves the format with black background and blue text.

I see the need to clean up the interface but now it has turned into a clickorama just to get a result to excel. 

8.2 Should see some major improvements, otherwise I will turn my back to SAS and look for other solutions. 

[SASKiwi]

@Kiteulf  - My own experience with EG 8.1 is quite positive, and it is good enough to be my primary interface. I've used both 8.1 and 7.15 extensively and I find 8.1 is at least as reliable as 7.15.

If you think you have a found specific problem with EG 8.1, raise it with SAS Tech Support. I do this, and I've already had one defect raised. The point being, the more problems you report, the more likely they will get fixed. If you are getting frequent freezes, then Tech Support can help. It could be your Microsoft .NET framework isn't up-to-date for example. Just sounding off isn't going to fix your problems.

[SASKiwi]

@Kiteulf - I've upgraded to EG 8.2 and the bug I reported in 8.1 has been fixed. I also see other changes that improve reliability. Have you tried it and what is your experience?

[pchegoor]

@CaseySmith 

Any thoughts on this ?

https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Enterprise-Guide/Introducing-SAS-Enterprise-Guide-8-1/m-p/621672/...

Thanks.

[Valyn]

Hi Casey, you mentioned that "once a project has been saved in EG 8.x, it is no longer backwards compatible with 7.1x versions of EG." Is vice versa also true? Is it possible to open 7.x version in EG 8.x or do we migrate our 7.x projects to 8.x projects? I would appreciate any information you can provide on this topic. Thank you! 

[Kurt_Bremser]

Newer versions of EG can always open a project file from at least the previous version (usually quite a number of previous versions).