Get your SAS tips & tricks here!͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   To view this email in your web browser, click here. Drive an electric vehicle (EV) in the US? In this SAS® Visual Analytics infographic, SAS’ Falko Schulz reveals the number of EV charging stations per 100,000 people by state at the postal code level. Dear Reader: However much you know about SAS® software, there’s always another level to unlock. This issue of Tech Report is all about expanding your horizons. Some examples: Learn to connect to SAS Viya for Learners from a Remote Jupyter Notebook   Get acquainted with SAS Decision Builder on Microsoft Fabric   Discover 3 traits and 5 core building blocks for building digital twins   Explore 5 key elements to create effective model cards …and much more—resources for developers, upcoming free learning events, etc. Where has your learning journey with SAS taken you lately? A skill recently mastered. A successful project. Something so new, you haven’t yet put it into play. Hit reply and tell us about it. Happy reading! Bev Brown Editor, Tech Report Someone forwarded you this edition of Tech Report? Subscribe to receive your own copy each month! Tech tips with Chris CSV files and the siren song of PROC IMPORT At some point in the past 25 years we decided that CSV files were "good enough" to exchange data between systems. This is despite the fact that almost all systems that export CSV files will lose information in the process. We get the field names and values, but we don't get important information about how to treat those values. Is that "ID number" really a number or is it just a unique character string that happens to be all digits? Is that date value of "10/8/2024" a MM/DD/YYYY or is it DD/MM/YYYY? This plight of imprecision spawns many questions on the SAS Support Community. When it comes to reading CSV files into SAS, you have two main options: PROC IMPORT and DATA step. And SAS Community responders clearly favor DATA step — for good reasons!   PROC IMPORT is super straightforward. You just specify the input file, the output data set name, and the file type (CSV in this case). It's quick and easy, but it must guess the data types based on the CSV content. This can result in lost data (such as removing a leading zero from a ZIP code or interpreting a date incorrectly), and with no error messages how would you even know? On the other hand, the DATA step gives you full control over how the data is read. You can define the data types and lengths explicitly, handle delimiters properly, and even apply business rules while reading the data. It takes a bit more code, but you get a lot more precision and flexibility. For example, you can ensure that IDs and ZIP codes retain their leading zeros. You can even create new variables based on conditions or calculations, all within a single pass of the data.   So, if you need something quick and easy, go with PROC IMPORT (but be sure to check the result!). But if you need precision and control, the DATA step is the way to go.   Intimidated by code? Remember that SAS Enterprise Guide and SAS Studio have tasks that help you to import all types of data. What's your favorite approach to reading CSV files? Let me know! ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Tips & tricks Explore automated explanations in SAS Visual Analytics In this 19-minute video tutorial, SAS consultant Andy Ravenna shows you how to create an automated explanation in SAS Visual Analytics. You’ll learn to identify relationships between specific variables and the target, identify high probability groups, and build a predictive model based on your discoveries.   Take a deep dive into SAS 9 Content Assessment: Inventory As part of a series of SAS Community posts on Content Assessment reports, SAS’s Gerry Nelson reveals four things you can learn from an inventory report and three ways you can use the results.   Get deeper insight into the PUT and INPUT functions in SAS Think you know all there is to know about these popular functions? In a recent blog post, SAS’s Rick Wicklin details when and how to use them.   Get clarity on run-time variations of the INPUT and PUT functions in SAS In a subsequent DO Loop post, Rick Wicklin reveals two ways you can specify which informat or format you want to apply.   Find out how to convert a character value to numeric in SAS New to SAS? Among the first skills you’ll learn is how to read and convert raw character data into meaningful numeric data that can be used for calculations and statistics. SAS’s Anna Yarbrough gets you started.   Learn 3 ways to calculate the overlap of date/time intervals How do you calculate the length of overlap of two date/time intervals? Say you have two events — each lasting several days — and need to calculate the number of shared days between both events. This popular article by SAS expert Leonid Batkhan shows you how.   Explore the many uses of PROC GPROJECT: Clipping Data Ever needed to create precise maps homed in on a specific area? SAS's Greg Treiman shows you how to do that with PROC GPROJECT.   Weigh in with your opinion: Is SAS a programming language? In a recent blog article, SAS’s Chris Hemedinger says no, it has a programming language. What do you say? Check out the comments and add yours.   Set up “view on web” option for your next email campaign  Ever received a promotional email that didn’t render properly? Or was some content missing? But the “view on web” link option saved the day? SAS’s Brian Rowland shows you how to set up alternative viewing in SAS Customer Intelligence 360.   Learn to connect to SAS Viya for Learners from a Remote Jupyter Notebook A SAS Support Community post inspired our developer advocate Joe Furbee to publish a how-to article on connecting to SAS Viya using the SWAT package.   Get acquainted with SAS Decision Builder on Microsoft Fabric SAS’s Adam Pollacchi introduces you to SAS Decision Builder, which sets you up for success in making accurate, timely, data-driven choices in the age of AI.   Discover 3 traits and 5 core building blocks for building digital twins Pursuing measurable improvements in process efficiency, asset reliability and product quality? SAS’s Paul Venditti details fundamental elements required to create a digital twin.   Explore 5 key elements to create effective model cards Building trust in technology matters. It’s critical to understand how AI works, what it’s doing and whether it’s performing as expected. In a recent blog post, SAS’s Vrushali Sawant reveals how to use model cards to serve up essential insights. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Use case How Techcombank uses SAS to thwart fraud As part of an ongoing digital transformation journey, Techcombank established a proactive data monitoring system powered by a SAS enterprise fraud solution. This system provides new data-driven benefits in fraud detection, prevention, monitoring and resolution processes. Among the goals: ensure customers’ data security and maintain trust. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Industry news Learn to fight fraud in the age of Generative AI Use SAS to identify and prevent fraud? Or aspire to? Join three SAS experts and Linda Miller, CEO of Audient Group, for a free learning event at 10:00 a.m. CT on Thurs., Nov. 21. You’ll explore the evolution of GenAI and its growing role in fraud prevention and detection. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​For developers SAS Bowl XLIV, SAS Visual Analytics Join us for SAS Bowl Trivia! This month's game will focus on one of SAS's most popular features, SAS Visual Analytics. The game will be Wed., Nov. 13, at 10:00 a.m. 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. SAS Hackathon 2024, in the books Another successful hackathon has officially come to a close. While we wait for the final results, let's take a look at some of the stats from this year's competition. 140 teams comprised of 1734 registrants from 71 countries were on the start list. Breaking it down regionally, 41% of registrants were from the Americas, 35% from EMEA,  and 24% from APAC. We ended up with 676 participants and an average team size of 5, with 17% of teams returning from last year. 55% of teams were from our customers and 28% were from partners, while 17% were students. 70% of the teams crossed the finish line. Check out the final video submissions and get inspired! ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Upcoming learning events (Each is one hour and complimentary.) How can I process scanned document images in SAS® Viya®? Join Stacey Wang and Simran Bagga of SAS at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., Nov. 5. You’ll learn how SAS document vision helps ensure efficient workflows and results in significant time savings compared to manual reviews. How do I perform customer segmentation With SAS® Intelligent Decisioning? Join Crystal Baker and Diana Maris of SAS at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., Nov. 12. You’ll learn how to collaborate with your team and manage outcomes in your SAS Intelligent Decisioning segmentation trees. Leveraging R for Statistical Analysis in LSAF Join Matt Becker and Pritesh Desai of SAS at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., Nov. 19. You’ll learn how using R in the Life Sciences Analytics Framework (LSAF) enhances the analytical capabilities of life science researchers. ... View more

Read about model cards, GenAI, digital twins and more.͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   To view this email in your web browser, click here.   OCT 2024 5 keys to creating effective model cards Building trust in technology is essential, and model cards are one of the critical tools that can help with that. Think of model cards as the "nutrition labels" for your AI models – they break down everything from performance to potential biases, ensuring people understand what they’re using. Vrushali Sawant dives into five critical tips – from keeping the language simple to collaborating across teams – so you can create model cards that build trust and drive ethical AI use.     Building a digital twin? Start with these 5 building blocks You're not alone if you’ve been thinking about implementing digital twins for predictive maintenance. But it’s not as simple as flipping a switch – it takes a clear strategy and the right building blocks to get there. In his latest blog, Paul Venditti breaks down the five core components you need to build an effective digital twin. From IoT streaming analytics to predictive AI, these elements can help your business get up and running with a digital twin faster than expected.   Could SAS Viya make your analytics more productive? A new study says yes A recent study from Futurum Group reveals that SAS® Viya® dramatically enhances productivity, executing the data and AI life cycle 4.6 times faster than its competitors. This powerful platform accelerates decision-making and innovation and drives revenue growth by streamlining processes. Whether you're a data engineer, data scientist, or business analyst, Viya empowers teams to work smarter, not harder. Read about how SAS Viya transforms challenges into opportunities and gives organizations the edge they need to thrive among the competition.   9 truths you should know about GenAI before jumping in Before investing in generative AI, take a moment to reflect. While GenAI can potentially revolutionize industries, it's not a magic solution. In this blog by Marinela Profi, we unpack the realities of GenAI, separating hype from genuine insights. From understanding the limitations of large language models to the importance of data quality and governance, this blog covers crucial truths every organization needs to grasp before embarking on its GenAI journey. Whether you’re a seasoned tech executive or just starting, these insights will help you thoughtfully navigate the complexities of integrating GenAI into your business strategy.   5 lessons business leaders can learn from an unconventional journey Have you ever wondered what it takes to turn challenges into opportunities? In our latest blog, we share the inspiring journey of Danny Rosin, a visionary entrepreneur who transformed his rebellious spirit into a thriving branded merchandise agency, Brand Fuel. Danny’s story is packed with powerful lessons on resilience, bold decision-making, and creating unforgettable customer experiences. Whether you’re a small business owner, startup leader, or manager of a midsize company, this blog post will provide actionable insights.   Pondering AI podcast: Navigating technical morality Join Kimberly Nevala in this episode of Pondering AI as she chats with John Danaher, a senior lecturer in ethics at NUI Galway. They dive into how technology impacts our morals and social norms, exploring questions about digital duplication and the ethical implications of AI. John shares his insights on how tech reshapes our moral judgments and discusses six ways it can influence our decisions and relationships. Tune in for an engaging conversation that connects the dots between technology and ethics! Edit SAS Profile Unsubscribe SAS Privacy Statement © SAS Institute Inc. SAS Campus Drive, Cary NC 27513 USA. ... View more

Read about SAS Championship, a new R&D project and more.͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   To view this email in your web browser, click here.   SEPT 2024 AI at work: Reducing risks and saving lives on the job A new project at SAS is using AI and cameras to create a safer work environment. By simulating real-world industrial scenarios, AI models are being trained to reduce workplace injuries in real time. Hear from SAS R&D leaders Udo Sglavo and Varunraj Valsaraj as they share insights on how this technology is set to transform safety standards and save lives. This blog post gives you the inside scoop on this initiative and its promising future.      Join in on the fun and charity at the 2024 SAS Championship SAS Championship is more than just a golf tournament – it’s about giving back. With nearly $6 million raised for local youth education, this year’s event will feature exciting AI-powered activities, school supply drives and the return of the HBCU Invitational, where 15 HBCU golf teams will compete for $30,000 in awards. Don’t miss out on the action. Register to support STEM education and enjoy a fun-filled week of golf, food trucks and community events.    Sailing ahead: How Norwegian Cruise Line personalizes customer experiences in real-time Find out how Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) is taking customer engagement to the next level with SAS. Using real-time data and machine learning, NCLH has revamped the onboard experience with personalized messages that boost passenger satisfaction and drive campaign success by up to 280%. Check out how they’re leading the way in digital transformation and what’s coming next for this cruise line.    The countdown to the SAS Hackathon is on Ready to create innovative solutions that could transform industries or make a difference in the world? The 2024 SAS Hackathon is your chance. Collaborate with global problem-solvers, gain access to SAS technologies and receive free resources and mentorship. Whether you’re a data scientist, technologist or innovator, this is your opportunity to invent something big – at no cost. Take a look at what is in store for this year’s SAS Hackathon.   Why foundation and domain models are the secret to AI success Foundation and domain models are breaking through the GenAI hype, delivering real-world solutions across industries. In this blog by Manisha Khanna, learn why 54% of global organizations are already using these technologies and why 86% plan to invest in the future. Whether you’re curious about AI’s potential or looking for actionable strategies to boost innovation and profitability, this blog post has the insights organizations need to stay ahead.    Lessons from the road: Insights from SAS Innovate on tour SAS Senior Vice President of Platform Engineering Jared Peterson shares his experiences from Innovate on Tour, where he not only presented but also learned valuable lessons from audiences around the globe. Read what he shared about generative AI, SAS® Viya® and other SAS technologies – and what he learned in return about the promises (and challenges) of AI, the importance of in-person communication and the surprises of international travel.  Edit SAS Profile Unsubscribe SAS Privacy Statement © SAS Institute Inc. SAS Campus Drive, Cary NC 27513 USA. ... View more

Get your SAS tips & tricks here!͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   To view this email in your web browser, click here. In 3 steps, SAS’ Falko Schulz reveals how to use icons in SAS® Visual Analytics to illustrate percentages – without text or key values. The payoff? An infographic that pops!   Dear Reader:   What’s better than one helpful SAS tip? A whole newsletter packed with tips, of course! Scroll down and you’ll find a vast assortment of how-to’s alongside use cases, user-group news and upcoming Ask the Expert webinars. The latest Tech tips with Chris reveals three of his favorite functions to scan, locate and extract the data he’s looking for. Want a chance to win SAS swag*? Reply with an opinion on Chris’ column by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3 and you’ll be entered in a drawing. *The value of the swag is $5 or less, in case your employer limits what you can accept. If you win the random drawing, you’ll receive an email asking for your mailing address.   To those of you who recently subscribed to Tech Report, welcome! You can find back issues in a new archive on the SAS Support Community. Happy reading! Bev Brown Editor, Tech Report   Someone forwarded you this edition of Tech Report? Subscribe to receive your own copy each month! Tech tips with Chris 3 functions for dealing with data The SAS programming language provides myriad functions to help you scan, locate and extract the data you're looking for. I'm going to share three of my go-to functions for this, each suited for different situations:   The SCAN function, perfect for the situation where the data you want appears after certain other delimit characters. For example, to find the root web site address in a full URL, you could use the SCAN function to pull out the value after the second forward-slash but ends before the next forward-slash. root = scan('https://www.sas.com/workbench',2,'/'); Result: www.sas.com root = scan('https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Programming/ct-p/sas_programming',2,'/'); Result: communities.sas.com   The FIND function, which is great for detecting whether a character value contains another value you're looking for. Again, my friend Ron Cody has a great example of this. Long-time SAS users may still use the INDEX function for the same purpose, but FIND is more flexible with additional options.   And finally, the PRXMATCH function, which provides a powerhouse of pattern matching using regular expressions. Regular expressions have a steep learning curve, but they are worth it for the flexibility. Pro tip: use a free web tool like Regex101 to develop your regular expression rule before implementing in your SAS program. Tell me, what's your favorite technique for parsing unstructured text data into useful data features? Send me a note with your own best practices. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Tips & tricks Watch updated tutorial for SAS® Viya® for Learners, now available for SAS Viya 4 Follow along as SAS’ Dominique Weatherspoon shows you how to access SAS Viya for Learners and gives a tour of the interface. She also shows you how to use SAS Visual Analytics to analyze data and create reports.   Check out Manipulating Data in Base SAS® Part 5 – Aggregate SAS’ Mark Jordan equips you with data aggregation techniques using only base SAS. His SAS Community article even references a new SESUG 2024 paper written by David Cole of Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare Institute.   Use SAS Content Assessment to see what’s on your SAS 9.4 environment SAS’ Ursula Polo shows you how a free download from support.sas.com begins the migration from SAS 9 to SAS Viya.   3 ways NLP can be used to identify LLM-related private data leakage and reduce risk As the adoption of LLMs grows, so does the risk of unintentionally exposing sensitive data through careless prompting. SAS’ Mary Osborne provides examples underscoring the need to be vigilant about how they interact with these powerful tools.   Special missing values in SAS statistical tables SAS’ Rick Wicklin says statistical tables in SAS include special missing values to represent certain situations in statistical analyses. In a recent blog post, he explains how to interpret four special missing values that appear in SAS statistical tables.   Learn to upload Microsoft Excel tables to SAS and CAS with Microsoft 365 SAS’ Shelby Taylor, inspired by a trip to Glacier National Park, created a table of the most common animals found there.   Discover the SAS Stress Testing workflow SAS’ Sravya Malempati introduces the tasks that help financial institutions perform regulatory and business-as-usual stress tests.   Make it rain code with PROC GANNO SAS customer Clark Lawson shows you how to create graphics output with annotations defined by an input data set.   Myth busting: is Maine the closest US state to Africa? It is indeed. Follow along to find out how PROC SGMAP eliminates any doubt.   Step into the Viya Verse In a 15-minute video, SAS’ David Weik and guest Scott Leslie reveal the new Table Editing capability in SAS® Visual Analytics.   Get an introduction to incorporating GenAI models in SAS® Visual Forecasting Learn about pretrained forecasting models and how to integrate them with SAS Visual Forecasting.   Learn how SAS® Visual Analytics can help combat illegal fishing networks At the IEEE Visual Analytics Science and Technology (VAST) Challenge, SAS data scientists won the Honorable Mention Award for Breadth of Investigation. They used SAS Viya and related machine learning tools to the ultimate test — to identify individuals in a complex fishing network.   Find out how to "%include" code in your SAS session Use the SAS extension for VS Code or full-on SAS Viya Workbench? Check out this new macro to add code from a SAS Notebook file in your SAS session. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Use Cases Okeanos, Amsterdam's top rowing club, makes waves with SAS sports analytics From heart rate tracking to power metrics, the team is revolutionizing training and talent development.   Can SAS improve a cruise vacation? Yep. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings uses machine learning to help guests find what they need when they need it.   ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​User group news SAS Certification exams at MWSUG 2024 Update your LinkedIn profile with a shiny new SAS Certification! Sit for your SAS Certification exam at MWSUG 2024 for a discounted rate of $50 (normal exam price $120-$250). We will host a proctored exam session on Sun., Nov. 17, at 1:00 p.m. You can take any of the more than 20 SAS Certification exams. This will be a “bring your own computer” event, and the exam can be taken on both Windows 10/11 laptops and MacBooks. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Upcoming learning events (Each is one hour and complimentary.)   Why SQL Dictionary Tables are a Game-Changer for Data Scientists Join SAS’ Charu Shankar at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., Oct. 3 to learn essential topics like identifying common keys for joins, resolving data type conflicts, and locating changed variable names.   Modernize to SAS® Viya® with HPE GreenLake High-Performance, On-Premises, Pay-As-You-Go Solution Join SAS and HPE experts at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., Oct. 10 to learn how the HPE GreenLake Flex solution built for SAS Viya offers a proven, high-performance, on-premises pay-as-you-go solution and bring the cloud experience to where your data lives.   Fostering Trustworthy AI Using a Model Card Join SAS’ Sophia Rowland and Vrushali Sawant at 11:00 a.m. on Thurs., Oct. 17 to learn the steps necessary to complete a model card and the benefits it offers.   How Do I Clean My Data Using SAS Programming: Part 2 Join SAS’ Jacqueline Johnson at 11:00 a.m. on Tues., Oct. 22 to explore programming tips and tricks for cleaning your data using SAS programming.   From Muggles to Macros: Transfiguring Your SAS Programs with Dynamic, Data-Driven Wizardry Join independent consultants Josh Horstman and Richann Watson at 11:00 a.m. on Thurs., Oct. 31 to see examples of how to transform static “muggle” code – full of hardcodes and data dependencies – by adding macro language magic to create data-driven programming logic. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​For developers Earlier this year, SAS relaunched the SAS Developer Portal developer.sas.com. We’ve just added consolidated resources on SAS Viya Workbench. On the page you’ll find links to enablement, documentation, video tutorials, GitHub resources and blog posts, all related to SAS Viya Workbench.   SAS Bowl XLIV, Model Cards Join us for SAS Bowl Trivia! You’ll get an introduction to model cards. The game will be Wed., Oct. 16, at 10:00 a.m. ET. Register 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. ... View more

  Get news about SAS Innovate, trends from our CIO and how to use an AI assistant in 2024.͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   ͏ ‌   To view this email in your web browser, click here.   JAN 2024 Meet our inspiring keynote speakers at SAS Innovate 2024 Where can you meet an iconic Silicon Valley reporter, a best-selling business book author, an experienced AI policy executive, a chief decision scientist from Google and a YouTube hot sauce sensation? All in one place – at our upcoming SAS Innovate event in Las Vegas, of course. Check out more about who will be featured on our mainstage.    Strategies to taming the multicloud chaos in 2024 In this blog post, SAS CIO Jay Upchurch discusses the imminent arrival of a metacloud, offering smart management solutions where humans will use AI and machine learning to optimize workloads, balancing costs and organizational goals. Read on as Upchurch goes deeper into the challenges and opportunities in navigating this cloud environment.   3 ways to use an AI assistant in 2024 Making processes more efficient, reducing risk and focusing on innovation are common goals of industries across the globe. And they’re all things you could tag an AI assistant (a digital assistant teammate) to help you accomplish. With their potential to address so many business goals, we predict the use of AI assistants will soar in 2024. This blog post looks at what an AI assistant is and how it relates to generative AI and presents three ways organizations could use an AI assistant. All while keeping the human in the driver’s seat.   Pondering AI podcast: AI at work In this podcast, Dr. Christina Colclough reflects on the challenges of AI at work and the rapid developments in generative AI. Listen to this insightful episode as she shares concerns about the speed of deployment, regulatory voids and the lack of competencies among the population. Colclough also highlights the need for disruptive obligations, emphasizing companies’ responsibilities to society amid the surge of automation.    How this bank is creating a sustainable financial future for customers Established in 1819, Erste Group Bank has evolved into a financial powerhouse with more than 2,000 branches in Central and Eastern Europe, and it pledged net-zero emissions by 2050. The key goal? Decarbonizing its lending and investment portfolios. By creatively leveraging its SAS ® Solution for Regulatory Capital, Erste integrates the SAS risk-weighted assets engine to calculate and simulate its portfolio carbon footprint. Read how Erste Group uses SAS to commit to positive climate reform and sustainable finance.     3 ways to increase your marketability with SAS® certification As we turn over a new year, staying updated and acquiring hard skills is crucial. In this blog post, SAS users share their trials and achievements in getting SAS certified. Read about three advantages to acquiring this certification that users say will help others stand out in the competitive marketplace and capture employers’ attention.  This email was sent to %%ONPREM.root.Contact Email%%.​​​​​​ Edit SAS Profile Unsubscribe SAS Privacy Statement © SAS Institute Inc. SAS Campus Drive, Cary NC 27513 USA. ... View more

SAS’ Falko Schulz created an infographic using SAS ®  Visual Analytics that reveals cool (pun intended 😉) data points about Antarctica. Curious about Emperor penguins? You’ll learn about their resilience. Check it out.   Dear Reader: Welcome to the new tips-centric SAS Tech Report! You’ll find a beefed-up Tips & Tricks section, what’s new items, an advice column, user group news and upcoming free learning events. Ready to start or add to your SAS swag collection? You’ll be entered in a random drawing if you watch the latest SAS Viya Release Highlights Show in order to complete the sentence where indicated below. Hit reply with the completed sentence within a week and – voila – you’re entered.   Thank you for being a part of the SAS community. Happy reading!   Bev Brown Editor, Tech Report   Someone forwarded you this edition of Tech Report? Subscribe to receive your own copy each month! To see back issues, visit the archive on SAS Communities.         Pretty code is as pretty code does Hello SAS enthusiasts! One thing I’ve learned about SAS programmers over the years: they have definite feelings about how to format their code for readability. Some of the hot debates include: Use proper case (My_Variable_Name) instead of camel case (myVariableName) for variable names. Put TITLE statements in open code (not within PROC steps), as they are global statements. Use blank lines to separate steps (such as DATA steps and PROC steps). Don’t place multiple statements in a single line of code. Tabs versus spaces for indentation (made famous by a feud on Silicon Valley). As a programmer with decades of experience and habits formed across many different programming languages, I also have opinions about all of these choices. But when it comes to formatting, I have ceded all of the work to the automatic formatting features offered by modern SAS code editors. Did you know that SAS Enterprise Guide, SAS Studio and even the SAS extension for VS Code all provide quick “pretty print” capabilities, with just a keystroke? Even if the result isn’t the same as my own artisanal code formatting, the time saved is – to me – well worth the compromise. In SAS Enterprise Guide or SAS Studio in SAS Viya, the shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+B, or click the Format Code icon in the toolbar. In VS Code, right-click and select Format Document. Each application offers options that allow you some control over how the formatting behaves.   My friend and noted SAS expert Ron Cody shares his code formatting tips here.  What are your SAS code formatting peccadillos? Do they make your teammates a little bit crazy? Hit reply and let me know.       Search & Find for Swag: SAS Viya Release Highlights Show In the most recent episode, you’ll hear about new features in SAS Studio, SAS Information Governance, A/B test nodes in SAS Intelligent Decisioning and much more. Want a chance to win cool SAS swag*? Listen carefully as you watch the show, fill in the two blanks below and email the completed sentence to communities@sas.com by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5. “Model cards are essentially a _________ _____ for your model.” (Hint: You’ll find the analogy just past the halfway point.) *The value of the swag is $5 or less, in case your employer has rules about what you can accept. If you win the random drawing, you’ll receive an email asking for your mailing address.   5 ways to select random samples In this blog post, Rick Wicklin shows how to use the SAS DATA step to implement five common sampling methods.   Learn to resize, rename and reformat with SAS Macro Ever worked with data that had crazy column names, custom formats you no longer have access to or enormous text columns way too big for the data they contain? Turns out it’s not that hard to fix – and this 18-minute video by Mark Jordan, the SAS Jedi, shows you the way. You’ll also find macro programs you can download to make the process even easier.   Connect your SAS program code to Microsoft 365 In this recently updated blog post, SAS’ Chris Hemedinger shows you how to use SAS to read and create Microsoft Excel documents. Yes, cloud-based files can add an extra wrinkle when you automate the process, but also introduce some exciting possibilities.   Unlock the power of SAS Formats Looking for a way to simplify your SAS formatting? Read Peter Crawford’s guide, which helps you navigate more than 1,000 formats and informats using the SASHELP.VFORMAT table.   Get up to speed on INTNX and INTCK functions One of the best ways to understand the INTNX and INTCK functions and how they work is to see some easy examples. This SAS Community article gives you four of each and includes a video tutorial for those of you who learn best that way.   Learn how to sort data in SAS This SAS Community article shows how to sort SAS data sets using the SORT procedure to sort records by one or more variables in ascending or descending sequence. The article includes a video tutorial and a resource for situations when using PROC SORT isn’t needed or recommended.   Check out the SAS ®  Viya ®  Workbench Quick Start Playlist Check out the 12-minute video Get Started with SAS Viya Workbench, the first of six tutorials that guide you through the essential steps to using the dynamic self-service platform for analytical development, data engineering and AI and machine learning model building. The SAS Viya Workbench Quick Start playlist is available on the SAS Users YouTube channel and sas.com.     SESUG: Regular registration closes Friday, September 6 There’s still time to register for SESUG, taking place Sept. 22 – 24 at the North Bethesda Marriott. Register by Sept. 6 to take advantage of the regular registration rate. We’ll see you there!   MWSUG early registration is open through Friday, October 11 MWSUG 2024, November 17-19, 2024, will take place at the Milwaukee Marriott West in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Students and professors get a significant discount. Group discounts are also available. Get the details and register today!     (Each is one hour and complimentary.) Executing SAS Analytics From R Shiny Applications Join SAS’ Samiul Haque at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 5 to learn how SAS ®  Viya ®  offers various ways to establish connectivity between R and SAS sessions.   Improving Manufacturing Product Quality With Bayesian Computation in SAS ®  Viya ® At 11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 17, join José G. Ramírez, Chief Statistician within the Global MSAT group at Kite, a Gilead company, and SAS’ Fang Chen, Ph.D., to learn how Kite, a global cell therapy leader, applies advanced statistical methods in SAS Viya to improve manufacturing quality, safety and timelines.   Moving to SAS ®  Viya ®  From SAS ® 9 Join SAS’ Kevin Bickford at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 24 to learn the tools necessary to identify SAS ® 9 content that can be moved to SAS Viya and what the migration process will look like.     How to connect SAS to your Git profile Git and SAS—how do they fit together? In his SAS Communities Library article, Chris Hemedinger clarifies everything and provides step-by-step instructions on how to set things up.   SAS Bowl XLIII, The New SAS Developer Portal Join us at 10:00 a.m. ET on Wed., Sept. 18 for the SAS Bowl Trivia. We're dedicating this edition of the game to the new SAS developer portal since the old one has shut down. Register for the event and receive an invite to a Microsoft Teams meeting and a calendar event.   ... View more

    SAS Community member MayurJadhav published an article comparing BASE SAS and CASL capabilities as you pursue insights in your data. Check it out.   Dear Reader: One thing was loud and clear in the recent Tech Report reader survey: You want all the tech tips, especially for SAS® 9. The Aug. 29 issue will debut even more tips and other changes you requested, including access to Tech Report back issues and “What’s New” info. Survey respondents said keep the name and monthly cadence, so we will. Meanwhile, to whet your appetite, this edition introduces the advice column “Tech Tips with Chris”:   Question: What makes a SAS programming tip stand up to the test of time? Answer: 17 years ago I wrote a technical blog post about SAS variable lengths and formats, and it still gets hundreds of visits every month. Why is that? I would love to think that people consider it essential reading. You can't get too far in your SAS user journey before realizing that how variables are stored (data type and storage size) is different than – but linked to – how variable values appear (display format of categories and precision). The simple explanation for why this post is so popular is that it is the top Google result when you search "SAS lengths formats". And if you ask ChatGPT to "please explain the difference between length and formats in SAS variables," guess what? ChatGPT totally cribs my blog post in its response. I'm okay with that! It's most important to me that SAS users get their questions answered, even if I don't always get the credit. I mean, I had to learn this information from someone else, so I say, "pay it forward." Even though I am happy when people find their SAS answers via SAS communities or Google or AI chatbots, I still get jazzed when people send their SAS questions directly to me. I always learn something new about a topic in the process of explaining it to others. And if I get that question often enough, I write an article to share that then eventually may rank on Google or train an AI to answer it the next time. So...what's your SAS question? Are you looking for advice (or a pep talk) about a SAS challenge or need an answer a "how to" question? Or maybe you would like to know why something is the way it is in SAS (like how did the INTCK function get its name or what's the '7' in SAS7BDAT files?).   Reply to this email or send a note to communities@sas.com! Chris Hemedinger Guest Editor, Tech Report   Someone forwarded you this edition of Tech Report? Subscribe to receive your own copy each month!       The Simple Guide to SAS: SQL Joins In a recent blog post, SAS’ Kirby Thomas demystifies joins, one of the more complicated data-merging tasks for new coders.   On the reproducibility of responses by AI assistants Suppose you and a colleague pose the same question to an AI assistant. Should you expect to get the same response? In a recent blog post, SAS’ Rick Wicklin explains why different users might get different responses to the same prompt.   Display the largest values for each group  A common task is to find the largest values of some variable for each group in a set of data. Rick Wicklin shows you three ways to solve this problem in SAS.   Confounding what and how What do you do if someone asks if any of your variables are confounding with one another. Would you know what they are asking? How would you determine if there was confounding in your data? This blog post by SAS’ Danny Modlin addresses the what and the how of confounding. You’ll learn two possible ways to determine confounding with nominal/categorical variables and more.   What’s New for SAS 9 users: Updated SAS Universal Viewer Check out the LinkedIn post by SAS’ Barbara Deaton where she shares her favorite highlights of the SAS Universal Viewer. You’ll also find out where to get it.   What’s New in SAS Viya: private preview of SAS Decision Builder on Microsoft Fabric Whether you work in financial services, retail or education, there’s now an opportunity to translate your data from insights into action with a combination of SAS technology on Microsoft’s unified analytics solution, Fabric. SAS’ Albert Qian provides a sneak peek.       Creating a Model Nutrition Label: Model Cards for SAS Model Studio Models Model cards are now available in SAS Model Manager. The model card in SAS Model Manager was built to be like a nutrition label for AI models. What sets the SAS Model Card apart from previous model cards is the use of descriptive visuals, to make model cards accessible to all personas involved in the analytics process, including data scientists, data engineers, MLOPs engineers, managers, executives, risk managers, business analytics, end-users and any other stakeholder with access to the SAS Viya environment.   SAS Bowl XLII, The SAS Hackathon 2024 Join us at 10:00 a.m. ET on Wed., Aug. 14 for a SAS Hackathon edition of SAS Bowl Trivia. New to SAS trivia? 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 swag.     Call for Content open through Monday, Sept 16 Don’t keep your experience and ideas to yourself! If you’re selected as a presenter, you’ll receive complimentary conference registration, complimentary hotel accommodations at the Hilton Orlando May 6-9, 2025 and limited airfare reimbursement.     MWSUG: Call for Presentations ends Sept. 13! SAS is so rich in function and application that everyone is an expert on something. This year, share your expertise with fellow users at MWSUG 2024, Nov. 16-19 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Although papers are not required this year, you’re encouraged to submit a companion paper with the presentation. Be sure to read the details on the submission process, open through Fri., Sept. 13.   WUSS 2024: Sign up separately for classes WUSS, Sept. 4-6 in Sacramento, CA will once again offer a full menu of optional pre- and post-conference training classes on a variety of topics taught by seasoned experts. Classes are not included in conference registration and must be added separately. Through the regular registration deadline, your first half-day class is just $200 and each additional half-day class is only $150, so bundle multiple classes for the best value.   SESUG: Check out logistics for the Sept. 22-24 event The conference hotel is one block from the North Bethesda Metro Station, making it easily accessible from standard points of entry into Washington, D.C. Plenty of inexpensive flights are available, and you can hop on the metro from Reagan National (Yellow and Red Lines) or Dulles (Silver and Red Lines). Train travel is easy from many destinations as well, and Union Station is on the same line as the hotel stop. It’s easy to join in on the expert SAS training, valuable presentations, networking and social activities. We hope to see you there!   Using SAS With Microsoft 365: A Programming Approach Join SAS’ Chris Hemedinger at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., Aug. 1 to learn how you can unlock new power and flexibility by using the Microsoft Graph APIs from your SAS programs.   Tricks for Report Builders: Report Design Best Practices Join SAS’ Nicole Ball at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., Aug. 6 to learn how you can create beautiful interactive reports that help convey your message.   Top Tips for SAS®9 Programmers Moving to SAS® Viya® Join SAS’ Mark Jordan at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., Aug. 15 to learn how SAS Viya opens up a world of possibilities for advancing your analytics processes.   Workload Orchestration in SAS Viya 4 Join SAS’ Kevin Bickford at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., Aug. 22 to learn how SAS Workload Management will extend the power of SAS Analytics by optimizing and prioritizing SAS analytic workloads within a SAS Viya Kubernetes cluster.   Solving Multi-Objective Optimization Models in SAS® Optimization Join SAS’ Jay Laramore at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., Aug. 29 to learn how multi-objective optimization is used to analyze the best tradeoffs among numerous optimal solutions to help enable effective, strategic decision making.   ... 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    Post-pandemic travel to and from Australia surged once strict border rules were relaxed. SAS’ Falko Schulz uses SAS ®  Visual Analytics to reveal which countries sent the most visitors.   Dear Reader: Summer vacation season has arrived here in the Northern Hemisphere. I can hardly wait for our annual family trip to Sunset Beach, NC. Where are you going? Headed to Australia? You’re part of an uptick that got underway last year! See where your country ranked in 2023 visits Down Under.   So, a big ol’ mea culpa from me. More than 500 of you tried to take the survey in the May edition of Tech Report and got an error. How embarrassing. We fixed and tested the form. It works! Please take a couple of minutes to shape future editions of Tech Report (or whatever we end up calling it.) It’s mostly multiple-choice, but text fields allow for more nuanced input. Apologies and thank you.   Scroll on to see the usual plethora of tips, upcoming events and more.   Thanks for reading! Beverly Brown Editor, Tech Report   Someone forwarded you this edition of Tech Report? Subscribe to receive your own copy each month!   Learn about SAS® Viya Workbench What is it? What does it do? Tune into the latest episode of the SAS Viya Release Highlights Show to get answers to these and other questions about one of our newest products. (Code with SAS and Python? Don’t miss this!) You’ll also get details on the latest SAS Viya features like semantic type classification, a new data step in SingleStore and new SAS ®  Studio steps. How to import, export Excel and SAS data These topics generate a lot of discussion in the SAS Support Community. This post contains two video tutorials by SAS’ Kathy Kiraly that reveal ways to do each—using a LIBNAME statement and PROC IMPORT or PROC EXPORT. Find the label of a variable in SAS Did you know that you can use a DATA step function to obtain the label for a variable? SAS’ Rick Wicklin shows the details for this and other functions that you can use to obtain the attributes of variables. Scale a density curve to match a histogram It is common to overlay a histogram and a probability density such as a normal curve. Rick Wicklin explains how SAS scales these two graphical objects so that they are automatically plotted on the same scale. How to use SAS for asset performance management SAS' Bahar Biller guides you through an asset lifetime prediction scenario using a synthetically generated historical data set and a solution built on SAS reliability modeling. How to detect anomalies accurately by identifying time delays in batch manufacturing SAS’ Kevin Scott reveals how batch manufacturing relies on taking into account inherent time delays that occur at various stages of producing goods such as pharmaceuticals and chemicals. How to use centrality metrics to detect illicit financial flows SAS’ Onur Dinc reveals how to spot corrupt movement of money through drug trafficking, smuggling, tax evasion and more. SAS Administrator: How do you find the PID of a specific WORK folder? This topic on the Administration and Deployment Community was solved in less than 20 minutes. It also sparked a robust discussion that continues to attract attention, years later. SAS Tip: How to generate holiday lists This article in the SAS Community Library uses several examples that reveal how to use rules to generate holiday lists.     WUSS 2024 attendees: Sign up separately for classes WUSS, Sept. 4-6 in Sacramento, CA will once again offer a full menu of optional pre- and post-conference training classes on a variety of topics taught by seasoned experts. Classes are not included in conference registration and must be added separately. Through the regular registration deadline, your first half-day class is just $200 and each additional half-day class is only $150, so bundle multiple classes for the best value.   SESUG: Logistics make it easy to learn and connect with your northeastern friends SESUG is Sept. 22-24 in Bethesda, MD, and the conference hotel is one block from the North Bethesda Metro Station, making it easily accessible from standard points of entry into Washington, D.C. Plenty of inexpensive flights are available, and you can hop on the metro from Reagan National (Yellow and Red Lines) or Dulles (Silver and Red Lines). Train travel is easy from many destinations as well, and Union Station is on the same line as the hotel stop. It’s easy to join in on the expert SAS training, valuable presentations, networking and social activities. We hope to see you there!         Code in your language of choice with SAS Viya for Learners 4 Educators and students, sign up for free access to advanced analytics software for teaching and learning leading-edge data science skills. SAS Viya for Learners is a full suite of cloud-based software that supports the entire analytics life cycle and lets you code in SAS, Python or R.       How can I use SAS ®  Optimization from Python? Join SAS’ Philipp M. Christophel at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., July 9 to learn several ways to use SAS Optimization from Python, even if you’re familiar with mathematical optimization. Jupyter Notebook: Your Coding Canvas Join SAS’ Rachel McLawhon at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., July 16 to learn how you can create reports in SAS Visual Analytics more efficiently using page and object templates. What are the Top 10 Tips for SAS ®  Viya ®  Administrators in 2024? Join SAS’ David Stern at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., July 25 to learn the role of a SAS Viya administrator, build confidence, and improve the configuration, stability and performance of your SAS Viya deployment.   ... View more

    ​How prevalent is generative AI? SAS’ Falko Schulz used SAS ® Visual Analytics to find out by exploring keyword relationships in the world’s largest software registry.   Dear Reader: Whether you’re a new subscriber, a loyal Tech Report reader years before my term as editor or anything in between, your perspective matters. We need your input to make this newsletter more useful and, well, fun! That’s why we’d love your help shaping its future. Please take this survey, which will take no more than 60 seconds to complete – unless you share lots of detailed feedback in the text fields 😉. Completing the survey automatically enters you in a random drawing for SAS swag. A forthcoming issue will offer a glimpse into what’s to come. Meanwhile, read on for data-visualization tech tips, user-group news, webinars and more. There’s a special goodie for those of you who spend your days using SAS ® software as a health researcher. The National Institutes of Health recently added SAS Analytics Pro on SAS ® Viya ® to its All of Us Researcher Workbench. This cloud-based platform allows registered researchers to study data contributed by the All of Us participant cohort. Check out our announcement of this important collaboration to learn more.   Thanks for reading! Beverly Brown Editor, Tech Report   Someone forwarded you this edition of Tech Report? Subscribe to receive your own copy each month!     Introduction to Model Studio for SAS® Enterprise Miner Are you a SAS Enterprise Miner user who wants an introduction to Model Studio? In this SAS how-to tutorial, SAS Analytical Training Consultant Jeff Thompson shows you the similarities and differences between these two powerful tools. Familiarity with Enterprise Miner isn’t a prerequisite for watching; whether you’ve used Enterprise Miner or not, you’re sure to learn about the great features of Model Studio! How to create filled density plots in SAS Sometimes only a shaded density plot will help you see what you want to see in your data. SAS’ Rick Wicklin shows you how to create a panel of filled kernel density estimates for subpopulations that belong to groups. How to visualize patterns of missing values Another blog post by Rick Wicklin. In this one, he shares how to use only Base SAS procedures to create a heat map that reveals patterns or missing values in data. Viewing SAS macro variables in SAS ® Enterprise Guide A reminder from Chris Hemedinger: the macro variable viewer in SAS Enterprise Guide is standing by to help you see current values defined within your SAS session. “DEV/TEST/PROD” part of your SAS vernacular? This SAS Enterprise Guide tip is for you In this recent SAS Community Library post, Chris Hemedinger shows you how to use SAS Enterprise Guide with different SAS environments. Where do you define your SAS libraries in SAS Viya? SAS’ Nicolas Robert recently published the second of two SAS Community Library posts to shed light on identifying where to define SAS libraries. National Institutes of Health adds SAS Viya to the All of Us Researcher Workbench Spend your days studying health and disease as a public health researcher? You’re now able to wield your SAS expertise to explore data contributed by more than 400,000 All of Us participants who reflect the rich diversity of the United States, including communities that have been historically underrepresented in biomedical research. Read about the NIH adding SAS Analytics Pro on SAS Viya to its All of Us Researcher Workbench. Register to access the Researcher Workbench and innovate at a new level!   SESUG: Early-registration rates available till Fri., July 19 Southeast SAS User Group (SESUG) will be Sept. 22-24 in Bethesda, MD. Take advantage of the early-registration rate and check out the pre-conference tutorials. WUSS: Early registration rate available till Mon., July 22, call for content now open Join the Western Users of SAS Software (WUSS) Sept. 4-6 in Sacramento, CA for a one-of-a-kind professional development experience. Sign up before Mon., July 22 to get the best registration rate. MWSUG: Call for content extended till Fri., July 26 The Midwest SAS Users Group (MWSUG) 2024, a conference by SAS users for SAS users, will be Nov. 16-19, at the Milwaukee Marriott West in Waukesha, WI. Want to deliver a presentation, paper or poster? Proposals are due by Fri., July 26.     10 Productivity Features in SAS Studio on SAS Viya 4 Get to know SAS Studio. SAS Studio is a web-based application revolutionizing SAS interaction. Accessible anytime, anywhere, on any device, it offers easy data exploration, streamlined data transformation, analysis and visualization through predefined steps, simplifying complex tasks for all.       Optimizing Logistics Operations Using Customized Solutions Join SAS’ Subramanian Pazhani at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., June 4 to find out how SAS Optimization tools for modeling complex business problems in logistics routing operations can optimize logistics routing operations and improve operational efficiency. Using Templates to Create Reports Quickly in SAS Visual Analytics Join SAS’ Nicole Ball at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., June 11 to learn how you can create reports in SAS Visual Analytics more efficiently using page and object templates. Why Data Matters – Building Efficient Foundations Join SAS’ Luis Flynn and Jean de Villiers at 10:00 a.m. ET on Tues., June 18 to discover how to elevate your ModelOps strategy by integrating data more effectively. SAS® Viya® Workbench – Available on AWS Marketplace Join SAS’ Joe Madden and Dmitry Frizner of Amazon Web Services at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., June 25 to learn how Workbench provides users the flexibility to build from scratch or streamline work by pulling in existing Python or SAS projects – with minimal to no code modification needed. ... View more

  Using SAS Visual Analytics, SAS’ Falko Schulz analyzed more than a hundred years of Social Security Administration Data to discover popular baby names in the US. Was your name ever popular?   Dear Reader: I look forward to seeing new infographics in the SAS Visual Analytics Gallery. The one pictured above uses cluster analysis to reveal American baby-naming naming trends for more than a century. My name? Nary a blip, but my son’s first and last names made a splash back in the day! Olivia and Liam dominated in 2022.   SAS Innovate lives on through presentations on demand. A major headline out of the conference: general availability of the SAS Viya Workbench developer environment for building AI models. Did you go or watch the livestream? Hit reply and tell us the top three things you learned or enjoyed.   A total solar eclipse cut a swath through the US earlier this month, delighting millions who experienced the spectacle in person. That’s it for Americans till 2044, but there are other (sooner) opportunities elsewhere in the world. The NETWORK procedure and action set in SAS Viya equips SAS users to find the best vantage point.   Scroll on for more tips, user-group news, webinars and more. Thanks for reading!   Beverly Brown Editor, Tech Report   Someone forwarded you this edition of Tech Report? Subscribe to receive your own copy each month!     SAS Viya at SAS Innovate Want to know what’s new in SAS Viya? In this SAS Viya Release Highlights Show, we’re packing our bags and heading to Las Vegas to showcase the latest SAS Viya announcements. We’ll be covering what’s new when it comes to SAS Viya Workbench, generative AI, copilots and even dive into topics like quantum computing. You’ll hear from SAS experts about how SAS is investing in these exciting technology areas. Through the years: SAS Enterprise Guide versions SAS’ Rick Wicklin maintains a nifty chart that shows the timeline of SAS releases since Version 8. By request from perhaps many of you, Chris Hemedinger created a similar chart for SAS Enterprise Guide. How to manage and govern prompts of large language models with SAS Find out how SAS ® Viya ® fosters excellence in Generative AI by letting you build a prompt catalog and prompt-evaluations framework to govern this whole process. In Xin Ru Lee’s blog post, learn how the LLM application enables better prompts and systematic evaluation of prompts, leading to the best responses and outcomes. Python integration to SAS Viya: executing SQL on Snowflake SAS’ Peter Styliadis demonstrates the effortless connection of Snowflake to the massively parallel processing CAS server in SAS Viya with the Python SWAT package. Learn more about SAS and Snowflake by checking out this communities article, SAS partner page and/or watch the SAS Viya release highlights. Add a second axis to a SAS graph Rick Wicklin shows how to control the location of horizontal and vertical axes in SAS graphs. He uses this trick to explain and improve a popular graph that has been in the news lately: The “dot plot” from the US Federal Reserve Bank. 4 common email authentication mechanisms SAS’ Dietmar Burgfeld introduces techniques and protocols that verify the legitimacy of email messages and prevent fraud, such as phishing and spoofing.   developerS.sas.com We are proud to announce our new developer portal, developers.sas.com! That's “developers,” plural. What will you find? API documentation, use cases open source and SAS programming resources, and much more. And, we’re just getting started and will continue to add more content. For now, the new portal will live alongside the old one as we've got some redirect work to do. Eventually, we’ll move the new site back to “developer,” singular. Stay tuned.       PharmaSUG 2024: early-bird rate available Here’s how to secure the $999 early-bird rate for PharmaSUG, May 19-22 in Baltimore: Send the hotel confirmation number for your stay of three or more nights to the registrar, and you’ll receive an email invitation to register for PharmaSUG 2024 for the special discount. Details are available on the website. WUSS: call for content now open Western Users of SAS Software is accepting abstracts for the 2024 WUSS Educational Forum and Conference. Deadlines are May 3 for papers, May 31 for paperless presentations. The conference is Sept. 4-6, in Sacramento for a one-of-a-kind professional development experience. Submit to WUSS. SESUG 2024: important dates We look forward to seeing you Sept. 22-24 for this year’s conference at the North Bethesda Marriott. Currently, early registration, abstract submissions and grant applications for SESUG 2024 are open. Make sure you take advantage of the early registration rates, and check out our list of pre-conference tutorials. MWSUG: call for presentations now open MWSUG 2024 will be Nov. 16-19 at the Milwaukee Marriott West in Waukesha, Wisconsin! Registration opens in June, but the Call for Presentations is open. MWSUG is a conference by SAS users for SAS users, so don't miss your chance to contribute a presentation, paper or poster.       SAS Bowl XL, SAS Innovate 2024 - Recap We learned so much and had so much fun at SAS Innovate 2024. So many activities, so many announcements. We're going to try and cover as many highlights as we can in May's rendition of the SAS Bowl. The SAS Support Community trivia event, SAS Bowl XL, SAS Innovate 2024 - Recap is scheduled for Wed., May 15, at 10:00 a.m. ET. Register for the event and receive an invite to a Microsoft Teams meeting and a calendar event. How Can You Use Deep Learning for Personalized Pricing and Revenue Optimization? Join SAS’ Gunce Walton at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., May 2 to learn how you can use the power of machine learning and apply its capabilities to achieve personalized pricing. SAS® Enterprise Guide® Is Now Integrated With SAS® Viya® 4 Join SAS’ Wilbram Hazejager at 10:00 a.m. ET on Tues., May 7 to learn about the benefits of the SAS Enterprise Guide integration with Viya 4. How Do I Streamline AI Project Workflows? Join Microsoft’s Natalie Kershaw and Aaron White, Rik de Ruiter and Daniele Cazzari of SAS at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., May 14 to learn the flexibility, efficiency and scalability of combining SAS® Event Stream Processing with ONNX Runtime and Microsoft Azure, addressing common challenges in AI model deployment and execution. What’s New in SAS Optimization? Join SAS’ Rob Pratt at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., May 23 to learn how SAS Optimization continues to improve on its powerful modeling language with unified access to a broad suite of solvers.   ... View more

  When you include pre-conference courses or tutorials on your conference itinerary, you can use your SAS Training Points to pay for registration. Sign up now.   Dear Reader: Yes, we’re still making much of SAS Innovate, our data and AI-focused event next month in Las Vegas and our only in-person event of this kind this year. You can now peruse the lineup of Super Demos. Got SAS Training Points? They now count toward your registration. Group pricing is another way to get a discount – $250 each when you register 5 or more people.   Read on to get familiar with SAS ® Viya ® Workbench, see what’s next for SAS ® Enterprise Guide for SAS ® 9 and SAS ® Viya ® , peruse upcoming learning events and much more.   Finally…for grins: Take this quiz to find out what type of SAS user you are. 😉   Beverly Brown Editor, Tech Report   Someone forwarded you this edition of Tech Report? Subscribe to receive your own copy each month!   SAS Viya Release Highlights Learn about new capabilities in SAS for Microsoft 365, SAS Studio, SAS Model Manager and SAS Information Governance, improvements to SAS Visual Analytics and details about the SAS Enterprise Guide integration with SAS Viya. New: SAS Enterprise Guide connects with SAS Viya 4 Based on customer feedback, SAS Enterprise Guide is now a bridge for existing projects and code workflows as you adopt SAS Viya. A free learning event led by SAS’ Wilbram Hazejager, blog post by SAS’ Chris Hemedinger and Wilbram’s SAS Support Community article detail how they work together. Free on-demand learning event: SAS Viya Workbench SAS’ Joe Madden shows you how to create high-performance models in your preferred language: SAS, Python or R. How to use an LLM-based digital assistant for SAS Optimization SAS’ Julia Moreno reveals how to address a common manufacturing optimization scenario using a SAS Optimization model. Using natural language conversation, you’ll learn to use generative AI to build a digital assistant that interacts with the model. Getting started with Python integration to SAS Viya for predictive modeling SAS’ Melodie Rush shows you how to fit a decision tree and use your decision-tree model to score new data. Set a background color for spanned header in PROC REPORT: ODS Excel destination Kathryn McLawhorn of SAS Tech Support shares a tip to give you greater control of background colors in your PROC REPORT tables, especially when targeting Excel output. Program the Number-Word Game in SAS using the WORDSw. Format and LENGTH function SAS’ Rick Wicklin shows how English speakers can use a special SAS format to automate a simple game. Non-English speakers need to do a little more work, but Rick demonstrates how to play the game in Spanish and in Klingon, a fictional language from the Star Trek universe.   New developer portal Go check out the revamped developer portal at developers.sas.com. The new site co-exists alongside the current site until we get all the redirects worked out. On the new site you can find the SAS Viya API documentation, developer-related use cases, open-source integration resources and much, much more.     SESUG 2024 abstracts accepted through April 22 Submit your paper abstracts through Mon., April 22 for SESUG 2024, Sept. 22-24 in Bethesda, MD. Check out the new and revised Academic Sections to see where your idea might fit best. No time to prepare an actual paper? New this year is the Quick Hit format. Any submission can request a 10-minute “Quick Hit” slot, and papers are always optional for these presentations.   How Do I Clean My Data Using SAS Programming? Join SAS’ Jacqueline Johnson at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., April 2 to explore programming tips and tricks for cleaning your data using SAS programming. Why Do I Need SAS Intelligent Decisioning and SAS Model Manager to Achieve Analytics Success? Join SAS’ Crystal Baker and Sophia Rowland at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., April 9 to explore how the integration between these SAS solutions helps MLOps engineers, data scientists and business users improve analytics success by working together. From Zero to SAS: Using SAS Tasks to Summarize and Manipulate Your Data? Join SAS’ Tom Grant at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., April 25 to learn how nonprogrammers today use SAS Studio to accomplish many of the same data-cleaning tasks analysts used to spend 80% of their time on before they could even start the analytics process.   ... View more

SAS knows it’s a leap year. Do you?   Dear Reader: Happy Leap Day! Your coding processes probably account for that extra February day every four years. New to SAS or want a shortcut? Check out Chris Hemedinger’s blog post detailing a simple way (spoiler alert: the MDY function) to keep your SAS processes on point.   Signed up yet for SAS Innovate, our data and AI-focused event in Las Vegas April 16-19? Friday, March 1 is the last day to take advantage of the Early Bird rate of $695, a $100 savings over the standard rate. Scroll down to learn more about the conference – ansd an assortment of tips & tricks + more.   Beverly Brown Editor, Tech Report   Someone forwarded you this edition of Tech Report? Subscribe to receive your own copy each month!       Abundant opportunities to learn, network, get inspired and have fun await you at the ARIA in Las Vegas. As noted above, time’s running out to secure the $695 Early Bird rate. Need to know more before you commit? Got you covered: Check out the current agenda—you can filter by areas of interest to see the content and speakers. More sessions are being added daily. The roster of keynote speakers and presenters is also available. Prefer an “at-a-glance” view? This is that. You can sign up for new events preceding the Tues., April 16 Welcome Reception. For example, SAS Hackathon Bootcamps, where you’ll be part of a hack challenge that encourages collaboration with AI, analytics and open-source tools on SAS® Viya®. Or CI Connect, where you can learn to deliver extraordinary personalized customer experiences to grow your business. Bring your team! Group pricing is the best rate available ($250 each when you register 5 or more people). Great way to divide and conquer all the sessions.       Data viz enthusiast? Check out the Valentine’s Day Data Visualization Challenge Showcase your creativity and your data visualization storytelling skills. Think outside the box and unleash your unique perspective on “love.” Post your creation in the image gallery and/or check “like” by your favorites. 5 reasons to use VS Code for you SAS code projects Discover why and how SAS’ Chris Hemedinger uses VS Code daily. How to split a large file into smaller chunks using SAS Learn how to split a large (many gigabytes) Microsoft 365 file into smaller chunks using SAS. A blog post, a SAS Support Community article and GitHub resources point the way. The relationship between factor analysis and regression Get an introduction from SAS’ Marc Huber to the fundamental concepts of exploratory factor analysis with the aid of linear regression and correlation – and the baseball data set from the SASHELP library. R Runner: get from SAS to R through a Python tunnel Find out how R Runner, a SAS Studio Custom Step, helps you program in R from SAS Studio on SAS Viya. 2 approaches to find the largest values in wide data sets SAS DATA Step and SAS IML offer ways to find the name of the variable that contains the maximum value for each row of data.     SAS Hackathon Boot Camp is coming to Vegas at SAS Innovate The SAS Hackathon Boot Camp is completely free and occurs on the first day of SAS Innovate, April 16. Participants bring their own laptop. SAS provides everything else: the use case, data, a SAS Viya environment, and mentors with domain knowledge. You can sign up for the event when you register for SAS Innovate. SAS Bowl XXXIX – SAS Innovate 2024 It's gone by many names in the past, SUGI, SAS Global Forum, SAS Explore, but this year we're dubbing our annual conference, SAS Innovate. The event is a data and AI experience for business leaders, technical users, and SAS partners. The conference is scheduled for April 16-19, in Las Vegas and will be featured in March’s SAS Bowl. Register now and join us at 10:00 a.m. ET on Wed., Mar 20.       Coming Soon: SAS® Viya® Workbench! Join SAS’ Joe Madden at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., March 5 to learn more about this highly scalable, cloud development environment that allows data scientists to rapidly build high-performance models in the language they choose. Boosting Retail & CPG Profits: Are Your Promotions Optimized? Join SAS’ Arpit Jain at 10:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., March 14 to learn about the tools that collect, visualize and interpret data so you can boost sales and profits even while enhancing customer engagement. How Do I Manage My SAS® Viya® Environment? Join SAS’ Cesar Guerra at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., March 21 to learn about reducing risk, ensuring compliance, gaining insights into performance tuning, and even improving collaboration and access to data across your organization. Enhance Forecasting Accuracy With Time-Series Segmentation and Machine Learning Join SAS’ Spiros Potamitis at 10:00 a.m. ET on Tues., March 26 to learn more about the difference between time-series and machine learning techniques for forecasting, and how to improve accuracy.         ... View more

  Fan of fantasy football? Got SAS skills? These worlds collide in a new SAS Community Library article series that reveals how to use SAS to optimize your lineup. Check out the first of six posts, Fantasy Football Lineup Optimization: Part 1. Dear Reader: Welcome to 2024! Continuing Tech Report’s tradition of setting you up for success, this issue equips you to start out strong as a SAS user. You’ll find a fine assortment of blog posts, tutorials, learning events and other goodies. But first head over to the SAS Support Community and cast your ballot in the SAS Customer Recognition Awards. Voting is open through Friday, Feb. 2. Click “Like” on your favorite entries! Easy peasy. Online voting combined with a judging panel will determine the winners, who will be announced LIVE at SAS Innovate in Las Vegas, April 16-19, 2024. First-place category winners get a trip to SAS Innovate*, a trophy and swag.   *Visit SAS Customer Recognition Awards for the official contest rules. Hit reply and let me know what you look forward to accomplishing using SAS in the year ahead!   Beverly Brown Editor, Tech Report   Someone forwarded you this edition of Tech Report? Subscribe to receive your own copy each month!   SAS Innovate 2024 Round up your team and secure your place in Las Vegas for an AI and analytics experience like no other! Happening April 16-19, 2024, at the ARIA Resort and Casino, you’ll hear from Google’s first chief decision scientist Cassie Kozyrkov, tech journalist Kara Swisher and noted organizational psychologist Adam Grant and others. SAS Bowl XXXVIII – SAS Programming: Getting Started Beginning your SAS journey? This Valentine’s Day edition of SAS Bowl trivia is for you. It delves into importing and exporting data, SAS syntax and popular SAS procedures. Register now and join us at 10:00 a.m. ET on Wed., Feb. 14. Tune into the SAS Viya Release Highlights Show In the latest episode, you’ll learn about new capabilities in SAS Information Governance and SAS for Microsoft Office 365, new data-management features in SAS Viya and much more. Learn to use Python Code in SAS Studio in less than 15 minutes This SAS Quick Start tutorial reveals how to easily execute Python code in SAS Studio on SAS Viya to access and prepare data. You’ll also learn how to load data to Cloud Analytic Services (CAS) for further exploration and reporting using SAS Visual Analytics. Review The DO Loop’s top 10 posts in 2023 Resolve to learn something new in 2024? Rick Wicklin’s blog is a great place to start. Of 90 posts published last year, the most popular ones were about SAS programming, data visualization, statistics and a few addressing general-interest topics. Explore how AI can write SQL queries and answer your questions In the realm of Large Language Models (LLMs), the ability to chat with unstructured text data has been well-established. See what’s possible by extending this capability to interact with structured data. Explore how Kubernetes identifies, authenticates you SAS’ Rob Collum was given access to a Kubernetes cluster. The Kubernetes administrator who provided that access wasn't immediately available to answer his questions. That sent Rob down a rabbit hole: What level of access and permissions did he have in the cluster?   ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​For developers       The latest version of the SAS Extension for VS Code includes a new way to connect to your SAS 9 remote server (using IOM). Visit the GitHub repository for more details and instructions on how to create a profile for this connection.     Discover the Possibilities: SAS ® Visual Studio Code Extension Join SAS’ David Weik at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., Feb. 8 as he introduces the official SAS Visual Studio code extension and demonstrates how it can make you more productive coding SAS. How Do I Use SAS ® Intelligent Decisioning to Its Full Potential? Join SAS’ Crystal Baker at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tues., Feb. 13 as she reveals innovations of SAS Intelligent Decisioning and the key capabilities including segmentation trees and value lists, custom function and the deployments page. Diving Deeper: How Many Ways Can You Join SAS ® Tables? Join SAS’ Charu Shankar at 11:00 a.m. ET on Thurs., Feb. 22 to learn various join algorithms and comparisons between them. Charu will focus on the ways in which joins can be processed via SQL. Tips and Tricks: Improve Forecast Accuracy Using Interactive Modeling in SAS ® Visual Forecasting Join SAS’ Beth Ebersole at 10:00 a.m. ET on Tues., Feb. 27 to learn how to improve your forecasting results by adjusting model parameters for individual forecasts in the easy-to-use user interface of SAS Visual Forecasting. You will learn how to use the Interactive Modeling node in SAS Visual Forecasting to tweak individual forecasts to improve accuracy and more.   ... View more