Survey - what's your EG style?

[deleted_user]

Hi
I usually write sas code in different node depending on the task.
like Import -> Clean -> Summarise - > report.
some times i also create branches to main flow chart to make it easy and again aggregate it. due to this not all branches end in report.

i create single pdf report using all the final data sets.

like
ods pfd file="abc.pdf";

proc report;
proc report;
proc gplot;
proc means;

ods pdf close;

Regards
Avi

[JohnH]

I like to make use of the self-documenting abilities of the process flow window and to get the most out of EG's abilities to help. I do not care to write hundreds of lines of code if I can point and click and it is done. So, here are my usual rules:

1. Use the point & click features to get me as far as I can go with it. This automatically generates the nodes and the arrows in the process flow window that will be modified when I change the point & click options.
2. Check the code generated by the P&C system to see if there are any changes I want to make. If so, use the insert code option if possible. If not, add as code template and replace the P&C node in the flow with the code node.
3. When necessary, write my own code, but break it into pieces and connect with arrows so that the process flow is understandable.


I also have a few Utilities.egp files where the first process flow tab contains a number of pre-written code icons that already have the appropriate parameters (prompts) attached. I start my work on a clean tab and copy & paste the code icons fromthe first tab into the other tabs for the project as needed. For example, I have one utilities.egp file for use whenever I have to use the mainframe with SAS/Connect. Whenever I start a new projectwith the mainframe involved, I open up my utilities.egp and immediatly do a "save as" and save it with the new project name. Then, I am ready to go and all of my common mainframe code needs are ready to go, including the one that, when I need to access a tape, it ftp's my batch program to the mainframe and emails me back my log and output.

I think that the new template feature in EG4.2 will help us modernize this approach.

[deleted_user]

Great thread! I've been following along with interest.

As a SAS programmer new to EG, it seems to me that many programmers are not fully utilizing the benefits of the project designer and process flow. While I'm searching for my own style, I'm really benefiting from the posts in this thread.

I'm going to pose this question at sas-l ( http://www.listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=sas-l ) as well because I think it will add additional useful responses.

Thanks for posting this.

[DkSAS]

EG is my development environment of choice. I initially use it to perform queries and refine them so that they are providing me with the data I am looking to report. I see the benefits of the style pointers you suggested and will try to use them moving forward. I do rename queries. I don't know if EG has this functionality, I will look into it, but can you add comments to your nodes or is that in the next version. Could a note be tied to your node?

[RichardH_sas]

DkSAS: in EG 4.2, if you click on on a data set or task in the Process Flow (or Project Tree), then select New > Note, the note will be automatically linked to that task/data in the project. I only tested this with a few tasks and data sources, so I can't guarantee this will work with everything. When I tried to link the results from a task to a note in this way, it linked the task and not the results.

You could also select New > Note with nothing highlighted, then later manually add a link with a right-click.

I wouldn't mind, in future releases of EG, having a setting under the task properties where you could have some custom text that appears when you mouse over the task. That could be a less intrusive form of comments, though it's a bit more obfuscated than having the note.