New to SAS. Using SAS Enterprise Guide 7.1. Trying to use it in anger for analytics and have a process flow with about 200+ nodes. After spending a month creating this [Process Flow], a few annoying user-interface issues are starting to spoil the user-experience for me.
1. I like my nodes arranged in a very particular and neat way (call me obesessive). The [Auto-arrange] feature is lousy and messes everything up. The [Grid] feature seems rather pointless. I would like to see a feature where the icons can *snap* to major grid-lines so I can line up all my icons neatly, horizontally and vertically. Just imagine all the icons lining up in the same way Windows Explorer lines up all your files in a folder when you display them in [Large Icons] mode. Why can't we have that?
2. In the [Process Flow], when you select a [Program] node, copy it, then paste it, my screen resets the [Process Flow] view to the top left corner. When you are working somewhere in the deep bottom left corner of a [Process Flow], this is annoying and disorientating. I am aware that you can right-click a specific location and create a new [Program] node and copy-paste the code into it, but my point is that the User-Experience should not be so disorientating when doing Ctrl-C Crtl-V. There is no need for the [Process Flow] view to reset or move.
On a similar vein, when you right-click and run only one node in your big [Process Flow], the [Process Flow] view will sometimes shift slightly and reset or re-centre its view (especially when a new data table is created as a result of your [Program] node). The view re-set is disorientating in a large [Process Flow]. Why does it need to happen? Can I turn it off? Stop moving my cheese please.
3. Maybe this feature already exists or I am just not aware of it. When programming (e.g. SQL Server), it is useful to see the [Program Code] and the [Output Data] simultaneously. How can I, or why cant I de-couple the [Program], [Log] and [Output Data] so that I can stack them as horizontal windows on top of each other. Click-switching between the three tabs is an unnecessary click-fest.
On a similar vein, why can't I put the [Process Flow], [Log Summary] and [Task Status] as a tab item that is grouped with [Program], [Log] and [Ouptut Data]? I spend 99% of my time looking at the [Program], [Output Data] and [Process Flow]. The [Log Summary]+[Task Status] occupies a chunk of valuable screen real estate. I know I can close them, however after every time I test a [Program] node, I have to go to [View]+[Log Summary] then [View]+[Task Summary]. Its just an unnecessary click-fest. Just let the user group all the windows into a collection of tabbed views. And let us be able to click-drag to make it happen intuitively.
SAS Enterprise Guide would be much better software to use when the UX becomes a lot more intuitive, flexible and easier to use.
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