Join this webinar to explore how to get from loading and exploring data to building interactive dashboards with compelling visualizations.
Watch the Webinar
In this webinar, you will learn:
- How to explore and prepare data for analysis in SAS Visual Analytics.
- Techniques for creating effective charts, reports and dashboards.
- Ways to add interactivity and share insights with stakeholders.
- Tips for prompting SAS® Viya® Copilot in SAS Visual Analytics.
The questions from the Q&A segment held at the end of the webinar are listed below and the slides from the webinar are attached.
1. Does SAS Viya Copilot generate clinical study reports and provide the SAS code behind them?
SAS Viya Copilot can generate SAS code that you can review and modify, but we don’t currently position it as generating a complete clinical study report together with the SAS code behind that report. For clinical programming workflows, Copilot can help generate, explain and modify SAS code, while reporting capabilities in SAS Visual Analytics are separate.
2. When we create a dashboard in SAS Viya, the values in a table are aligned to the right. How can I center them?
In SAS Visual Analytics, you can use the Options pane on the right to change the alignment and center the values in the table.
3. Does SAS Viya Copilot use specific tools, such as those on an MCP server, or does the LLM determine which programs or tools need to run?
With SAS Viya Copilot, the prompt you enter is sent to an LLM, which interprets your request and determines the appropriate tool to use. For example, if you ask Copilot to create a new object or modify an existing one, it maps that request to the appropriate internal tool.
The SAS MCP Server is separate. It provides tools, typically using REST APIs, that are structured to work well with LLMs. This allows you to use your own AI environment, such as Claude Code or Visual Studio Code with GitHub Copilot, to perform tasks in SAS Viya.
4. Can I get the SAS code generated by Copilot so I can use or modify it?
In SAS Visual Analytics, Copilot isn't generating SAS code behind the report in that way. You can, for example, export the report as a report package. If you're looking for AI-generated SAS, Python, or R code that you can view and modify, that capability is available in SAS Data and AI Studio.
5. Where can I find the exact capabilities of SAS Viya Copilot?
You can find the current capabilities in the SAS documentation. For SAS Visual Analytics, look for the Getting Assistance from SAS Viya Copilot section in the SAS Visual Analytics documentation.
At a high level, Copilot can help you get assistance with Visual Analytics tasks, manage and explore your data, work with data item properties, add objects to reports, and add interactivity. Because its functionality continues to expand, the documentation is the best place to check the currently available capabilities.
6. Can I use an on-premises LLM with SAS Viya Copilot?
With the SAS Viya Copilot built into SAS Visual Analytics, the currently supported LLMs are cloud-based and provided by SAS, so you cannot select your own on-premises LLM for that Copilot experience.
If you want to use your own AI or an on-premises LLM to interact with SAS Viya, I recommend exploring the SAS MCP Server, which provides tools that an AI application can use to perform tasks in SAS Viya.
Recommended Resources
Course: Using SAS® Viya® Copilot in SAS® Visual Analytics
Getting Started with SAS Viya Copilot for SAS Visual Analytics
Course: SAS Visual Analytics 1 for SAS® Viya: Basics
Course: SAS® Visual Analytics 2 for SAS® Viya®: Advanced
Getting Assistance from SAS Viya Copilot in SAS Visual Analytics
SAS Viya MCP Server
Please see additional resources in the attached slide deck.
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