Editors Note: Welcome back! After a brief summer hiatus, the SAS Bowl is returning in September.

For SAS Bowl LXII, we'll be focusing on Model Context Protocol (MCP). MCP is an open standard introduced by Anthropic in November 2024 that provides a universal way to connect artificial intelligence applications to external data sources, tools, and workflows. Think of MCP like a USB-C port for AI: just as USB-C standardizes hardware connections, MCP standardizes how large language models (LLMs) talk to external systems, replacing custom integrations for every single app or model.

SAS recently published its own MCP server (see links below). The SAS Viya MCP Server is an open-source connectivity layer that exposes SAS analytics, models, and decision flows as standardized, callable tools for AI assistants and agentic frameworks like Claude or Microsoft Copilot. It translates natural language prompts into secure, governed executions on SAS Viya.

Game Details

• The SAS Support Community trivia event, SAS Bowl LXII - Model Context Protocol (MCP) is scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, at 10 AM ET.
• Register for the event and receive an invite to a Microsoft Teams meeting and a calendar event.
• On game day, join the Teams meeting and access the game here.

Below are some resources to introduce you to MCP and the SAS MCP Server that will help you prepare for the game.

• SAS Viya MCP Server Product Page
• SAS Viya MCP Server GitHub Page
• From REST APIs to AI Agents: Why the SAS Viya MCP Server Matters - SAS Communities article from @XavierBizoux
• MCP Homepage
• Empower Your AI Agents Q&A, Slides, & On-demand - Ask the Expert Webinar
• Ask the Expert: Empower Your AI Agents With Analytics and Decisioning Expertise With SAS MCP Server - Ask the Expert Webinar

SAS Bowl and event details

For those who may be new to the SAS Bowl, you can find game history and specifics in this Community memo. There you'll also find links to previous events, which include recordings.

Register for the event and receive an invite with game details and a Teams meeting link. On game day, Join the TEAMS meeting to play, and show off your SAS and worldly knowledge while competing for bragging rights and SAS Community game gear.