multiple target neural network in sas viya

[Helgard]

Is it possible to have more than one target variable specified for Neural Networks in SAS Viya? Proc NNet and the neuralNet action in Proc CAS do not seem to allow this.

[sbxkoenk · Accepted solution]

Hello,

According to the doc of PROC NNET, you can indeed specify only one target variable (or none in which case an auto-encoder is trained).

But PROC NEURAL and PROC HPNEURAL accept multiple variables in the TARGET statement.

The 2 targets are fit simultaneously, in a single model.

Also, in Enterprise Miner (SAS 9.4), ... in your metadata, ... you could assign the TARGET role to multiple variables. A single NN-model was then created to explain / predict all targets (dependent vars).

I never tried the latter in Model Studio (SAS Viya successor to EMiner for ML-projects). You can try it ... assigning TARGET role to 2 variables.

By the way, you can still run PROC HPNEURAL in SAS Viya. It will run in SPRE-engine, but multi-threaded.

Koen

[Helgard]

Thanks!