April 2025

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This striking SAS® Visual Analytics infographic, created by Falko Schulz, brings 400 years of data from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information to life by mapping the historical shifts of Earth's magnetic north pole.

Dear Reader,

As we bring this issue to you, we’re also marking a significant moment in the newsletter’s history. For years, Beverly Brown has been the voice behind these pages, sharing invaluable tips and tricks to help you make the most of SAS software. We wish her a very happy retirement after a 30-year long journey with SAS.

As we transition from one editor to the next, I – the intern who has been designing these newsletters for the last year – have been given the responsibility of ensuring the incoming editor is up to snuff. For this edition alone, I’m working more in the capacity of a co-editor than a designer, and we thought it only fair that I take the editor’s note before the full changing of the guard next month.

It’s been an incredible experience working alongside so many talented people here at SAS, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. Not to mention what I’ve learned from these newsletters, where I was able to see compelling stories, enlightening tutorials and fascinating events monthly. This month’s newsletter will be no different, and I hope you enjoy what we’ve put together for this edition. There’s truly something for everyone, no matter where you are on your SAS journey.

As I’m sure you’re aware, this is the last newsletter before one of SAS’s biggest events of the year, SAS Innovate 2025. We’re all excited about it here at SAS, and though I’ll be missing it (May 6^th through May 9^th happens to be my finals week, so a trip to Orlando is a no-go), it’s better if you don’t make the same mistake. You wouldn’t want to miss out on this fantastic opportunity to learn from some of the brightest minds in the industry. It’s not too late to register, and if you’re attending, don’t forget to use the code "SASforDummies" to save $250 and get a copy of the brand-new SAS For Dummies (Written by my wonderful boss, who you’ll hear more from below).

I’d also like to take this chance to thank the entire SAS community for the opportunity to contribute to this newsletter. I’ve had a wonderful time preparing these for you all, and while it’s never easy to say goodbye, I’m very excited for what I have in store for the future. I hope you enjoy this month’s edition, and I wish you all continued success with your SAS projects! Thank you!

Happy reading!

Jared Levenson

Co-editor & Designer, SAS Tech Report

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Tech tips with Chris

A few months ago in this column, I revealed that I was working on a new edition of SAS For Dummies. This month, I'm very excited to announce that the new edition is now available!

When you revise a book for Wiley (the publisher of all Dummies books), you first negotiate and agree on two principles that guide the effort: the book's outline (usually 20 chapters divided into 5 or 6 parts), and the page count. Much has changed about SAS in the 16 years since the previous edition, as you probably know. While many high-level topics can remain the same, the details to cover are completely different. And many topics from the previous edition are now less relevant (looking at you, OLAP), which is good because I had to make room for newcomers (hello Machine Learning and Analytics Life Cycle).

I had learned a lot about these new topics just by working with the smart people who pioneered them over the years. But "knowing a lot" and "knowing enough to write a book" are very different things. To make up for my knowledge gaps, I did what any SAS user would do: I completed e-learning courses, watched tutorials, and worked with hands-on exercises.

Since the book became available, I've heard from many SAS users who tell me that they first learned SAS by reading earlier editions. I hope that this new edition helps a new generation of learners too. I would never claim that a Dummies book will turn you into an expert, but it can provide enough groundwork to boost your confidence as you approach your job using SAS.

What about you? Are you a fan of the Dummies approach? What's your favorite way to learn a new topic? Let me know!

P.S. Right now, you can get your own copy of SAS For Dummies by registering for SAS Innovate in Orlando! Use the code "SASforDummies" and save $250 and get the book too (while supplies last).

Tips & tricks

SAS Intelligent Decisioning, Fairness Monitoring | February and March Release
The SAS Viya Release Highlights show gives you a peek at the latest and greatest with SAS Viya. Join us and you’ll learn about:

How to make faster decisions without compromising on governance
Fairness monitoring in SAS Model Manager
New SAS Studio steps
And more.

Watch and subscribe to the SAS Users YouTube channel for the next show from SAS Innovate in May!

SAS Tutorial | Creating a Custom Step, Part 1: Planning Your Step
Join Senior Analytic Training Consultant Danny Modlin in part one of this four-part SAS Studio tutorial, where he shows how to kick off your own custom step by adapting existing code—complete with tips and a few surprises.

Using PROC HTTP 2 - Accessing Internet Information and Debugging
In his previous post, Using PROC HTTP 1: Reviewing the HTTP Protocol, SAS’ Mark Jordan reviewed the HTTP protocol and demonstrated using cURL to grab data from an internet API. But SAS programmers want to use SAS for data acquisition. In his final article as a SAS employee, the SAS Jedi shows how to replicate those processes using PROC HTTP, and how to debug unexpected results. As usual, the article includes a link to download the code and data for the series so you can easily experiment with it yourself.

How to work with ZIP files in SAS programs
In this article by Chris Hemedinger, learn how to easily unzip and work with ZIP files in SAS to transform compressed data into accessible insights.

From slopes to stats: Building a snowboarding performance dashboard with Python and my own sensor da...
Stu Sztukowski transforms his snowboarding adventures into a data-driven experience by combining GPS and heart rate data with Python and SAS to build a dynamic performance dashboard—proving that shredding slopes and crunching stats go hand in hand.

Meet your AI Copilot: The future of supply chain optimization
SAS's new AI Copilot for supply chain optimization lets you steer complex scenarios with simple, conversational commands to transform data into decisions with ease.

Integrate Git repositories via SSH
Sean Ford shows us how to easily integrate Git repositories with SAS Viya Workbench using SSH keys, making secure access a breeze.

Using synthetic data to bridge production and development
David Weik demonstrates how to use synthetic data generated by a GAN model to bridge the gap between production and development environments, enabling developers to build and test models without exposing sensitive customer information.

Nested bar charts in SAS
Dive into the art of nesting bar charts with SAS's Graph Template Language, where Rick Wicklin shows how to layer quarterly sales within annual totals—because sometimes, one bar chart just isn't enough.

Instantly Update SAS Visual Analytics Reports from Excel with SAS for Microsoft 365
Shelby Taylor breaks down how to instantly update your SAS Visual Analytics reports from Excel using SAS for Microsoft 365, making your data updates smooth and efficient.

Use case

What happens in Vegas... gets analyzed with SAS
Learn how UNLV uses SAS to power data-driven decisions that boost student success and improve operational efficiency across campus.

For developers

From cURL to PROC HTTP on SAS Viya
There are many reources on SAS Communities and beyond on how to use PROC HTTP to connect to external systems and communicate via API calls. In this article, Joe Furbee focuses on how to create REST API calls from the API documentation, connect to SAS Viya, and make API calls from SAS Studio.

SAS Bowl LI, SAS Innovate 2025 - Recap
Let's recap what is due to be an incredible SAS Innovate 2025 event at SAS Bowl LI. It's gone by many names in the past, SUGI, SAS Global Forum, SAS Explore, but this year we'll continue our annual conference, SAS Innovate.

User group news

Registration is open for PharmaSUG 2025
There will be some exciting things June 1-4 in San Diego: 2.5 days of live presentations, hands-on training, e-posters and panel discussions, pre- and post-conference in-person training seminars, Sunday night opening session and networking opportunities during the conference. Register by May 18, 2025 to receive the regular registration rate!

WUSS: Sept. 3-5 in Universal City, CA
The WUSS conference committee is hard at work planning an even bigger and better in-person WUSS 2025 conference with all the top-notch technical content for which WUSS is known, along with plenty of opportunities for professional networking. Learn more.

SESUG: Sept. 22-24 in Cary, NC
SESUG 2025 will be held at the beautiful headquarters of SAS. Plenty of exciting things are being planned for this year, so you don't want to miss it! The Call for Abstracts is currently open. Learn more about submitting your proposal.

MWSUG: Oct. 5-7 in Cincinnati, OH
Details will be coming soon. Be sure to visit the updated website to stay in the loop.

Upcoming learning events

(Each is one hour and complimentary.)

I Have Results From PROC PSMATCH. Now What?
Join SAS’ Cat Briggs and Sherrine Eid at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., May 1 to explore the possibilities of no-code real-world evidence analytics in SAS® Viya®. You will learn:

How custom steps and SAS Visual Analytics can automate no-code analytics.
To use analytics visualization for real-time model decisioning.
How to choose a correct propensity score matching model.
What methods to use for casual inference after matching.

Mapping Digital Events to Customer Journeys: Strategies for Data-Driven Success
Join SAS’ Craig Kestecher and Alexandra Despa at 9:00 a.m. ET on Tues., May 13 to level up your customers’ experience by using a powerful tool that enhances your marketing with deep customer analytics. You will learn:

How to use the power of personalized web and mobile app experiences to drive conversions.
Best practice approaches to configuring behavior and identity tracking.
Which Customer Intelligence 360 data tables to explore for deeper analysis.

Modernizing Risk Modeling and Decisioning: Practical Strategies for Analysts and Managers
Join SAS’ to Sandra Sorza Hernandez and Sachin Mehra at 8:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., May 15 to learn how to modernize risk modeling and decisioning with SAS. You will learn about:

Developing smarter models.
Seamless deployment without recoding.
Unified model monitoring and governance.
Enhancing decision execution.

Thinking of Moving From SAS Enterprise Guide to SAS® Viya®? What to Consider.
Join SAS’ Gemma Robson and Wilbram Hazejager at 10:00 a.m. ET on Tues., May 20 to learn about the multiple pathway options when transitioning from SAS Enterprise Guide to SAS Viya. Plus, get a comparison of SAS Studio features. You will learn:

What options are available to a SAS Enterprise Guide user transitioning to Viya.
How SAS Enterprise Guide compares to SAS Studio.
About additional benefits gained with SAS Viya.

Moving Microsoft Office Integration to the Next Level: SAS for Microsoft 365
Join SAS’ Renato Luppi and Gregor Herrmann at 10:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., May 29 to learn how to modernize information delivery across your organization. You will learn: