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RATCLIFFE Technical Services Limited |
NOTE: |
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Issue 5. June 2001 |
Hints, tips, and experience for SAS(r) users |
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As one user group conference finishes (SeUGI), so plans for another get firmly under way (VIEWS). Read about both in their respective articles this month. VIEWS is the UK's user group. This year's conference is at the end of September. If you can manage a trip to London at that time, you won't be disappointed - both the sight-seeing and the SAS papers will be to your liking. -Andrew |
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What happened at this year's SeUGI |
Ah, Italy. Home of beautiful women, beautiful clothes, beautiful cars, and waiters who seem to compete with each other over the size of their pepper mills. Why, even the pigeons in the piazzas seem to strut with more verve and self assurance than those I'm familiar with in Trafalgar Square. This year's SeUGI was held in Florence, a beautiful city. The conference was attended by approximately 2,500 people (though almost 50% were SAS staff or partners). True to tradition, its focus was on SAS success stories. Indeed, I attended four papers on the first day of the conference and didn't see any screen images (or code) at all. SeUGI is about what you can do with SAS software, not how. As such, it makes an interesting contrast to SUGI where the focus is definitely technical. SAS staff told me that a deliberate and conscious decision had been made that SUGI should be the annual world-wide technology conference, and SeUGI should be the business and strategy equivalent. There is a token amount of technical content (and some of it very good), but the focus is on business matters. This year's biggest solutions focus for SAS is EPM - Enterprise Performance Management. Representing the top tier of knowledge management and communication, EPM spans customers, suppliers, and internal organisation. In other words, it spans the whole enterprise. Part of the EPM solution is Strategic Vision. I attended a number of papers on balanced scorecards and Strategic Vision. Almost without exception the speakers opined that the true value in all of this was in the process of establishing the solution: reviewing and defining the strategy map, identifying KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and composing the balanced scorecard. Certainly, a process of self-review is a valuable process, whether it be for individuals or for organisations. The EPM approach is top-down and proactive. It is more management practice than technology. Is SAS becoming a management consultancy and loosing focus on their software?! I think not; I believe it is merely a means of selling high-value software. And judging by the fact that SAS continue to boast of double digit growth year-on-year, it is probably a successful approach. On the technology front, there were actually a number of good papers amongst the raft of business stories. Jim Goodnight suggested V9 should be shipping by the time of SeUGI next year. And it was pleasing to see Paul Kent presenting a number of papers - most of which were over-subscribed (leaving me to sit on the floor on one occasion). |
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The focus on OO will be continued next month. Apologies to those looking forward to the workshop this month - it has been delayed. |
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An alternative approach to frame-based widgets or data step windows |
There are a number of ways in SAS to present progress bars so that the user can see a visual indication of progress. An interesting non-SAS alternative is presented by Richard DeVenezia in the Software section of his web site. Called Persistent Progress Bars, it is a Windows-based utility that can be controlled from SAS software. It provides the flexibility to provide a progress bar that spans multiple steps. At the same site, Richard also has a number of SAS-specific utilities, including macros and SAS/AF components. |
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Useful research & development information |
More than one speaker at SeUGI stressed the interesting and useful information that can be found at the SAS R&D web site: www.sas.com/rnd. At this site you can find information on soon-to-be-released software, and even early releases of software. |
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The UK's user group |
This year's main VIEWS conference will be held at the Hotel Intercontinental, Hyde Park Corner, London, on September 25th and 26th. It promises to be the biggest and best event organised by the UK SAS user group. Details of the event can be found at www.views-uk.org. With three active streams of papers on each day, plus an evening mixer, the conference promises to be valuable and enjoyable. As chairman of VIEWS I would like to encourage you to attend and to also think about presenting a paper. September is a good time to visit London. If you would like to present a paper, please download the Call for Papers from the VIEWS web site and return your abstract (no more than 200 words) by June 15th. |
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Frank DiIorio is producing a book entitled The Elements of SAS Programming Style. It is due to be published later this year. Keep an eye on the BBU (Books by Users) home page for an update. |
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Advertisement |
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Useful SAS-related services and products |
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If I were not constrained by the need to earn money by working(!), this diary provides a guide to some of the world-wide events I might like to attend. Those marked with an asterisk are those that I will be attending. If you plan to go to any of the listed events, please let me know - I'd be very grateful for any comments after the event. And it would be nice to meet if I am going too. |
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August 20th, SUCHI (SAS Users Chicago International), Chicago, USA.* September 25th - 26th, VIEWS, London, England. Premier SAS conference in UK.* October April 2002
May 2002 June 2002 March 2003 |
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