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RATCLIFFE Technical Services Limited |
NOTE: |
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Issue 16. August 2005 |
Hints, tips, and experience for SAS(r) users | |
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Subscribe and/or view our archive of back issues at NoteColon.info |
Welcome to issue 16 of NOTE:, RTSL's irregular newsletter with information for SAS practitioners. This issue contains a very wide range of information, from coding tips to business project practices. I hope you continue to find our hints and tips, plus our coverage of the SAS world, to be useful to you. Please feel free to pass your copy of NOTE: to your friends and colleagues; also encourage them to subscribe and receive their own copies. In addition, if you're changing jobs (or just changing email address) soon, don't forget to add your new address to our list. Visit our web page at www.NoteColon.info for simple instructions. -Andrew Ratcliffe |
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Using our Log Filter utility |
One of the most popular downloads from our web site is our free utility named Log Filter. This utility is something that we developed in-house and that we find useful. Log Filter is a SAS/AF utility that runs within your interactive SAS session and summarises your errors, warnings, etc. in your log. The Log Filter home page offers more detail, and the download. The User Guide was recently updated, so if you don't have the latest version, you should consider returning to fetch it. Log Filter is available from the resources section of our web site. Also available are papers that we have presented, other utility tools, and our (in)famous crosswords. |
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A small tip that could save you lots |
Any data warehousing project carries a significant degree of risk. Pulling data from multiple sources and trying to meld it all together to make a coherent whole is intrinsically hazardous (though offering high ROI in return). Taking an iterative approach to the whole project, simply implementing one source of data at a time, can reduce that risk. However, the quality of the data in any one data source can still constitute a significant amount of risk. And we all know that our business intelligence systems are only as good as their underlying data. Most project management processes preach the mitigation of cost by attacking the biggest risks as early as possible (the sooner a problem is discovered, the cheaper it is to fix it). A significant risk in warehousing projects is the actual quality of the data. Of course you intend to cleanse the data, but how confident are you of the amount of cleansing it will require? Have you established sufficient business rules to be able to cleanse it successfully? In more than one case we have seen benefits gained by early, small-scale exercises to review data quality, prior to commencement of the full-blown project. A small-scale exercise can simply consist of loading a sample of data on a PC and then attempting to apply the business rules that have been gleaned from earlier requirements capture exercises. This has been seen to pay real dividends in revealing unexpected data quality issues such as intentional duplicates of data and/or static facts that are revealed to be slowly moving dimensions. Consider adding small-scale data quality reviews as an early part of your project process. |
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A little known nugget |
Did you know that the USER libref, if assigned, has special meaning? SAS datasets are generally referenced with two-level names made up of the library name and the data set name. And if you specify just a one-level name, the library defaults to WORK, right? Well, not always. If you use a one-level data set name in a SAS session where the USER libref has been assigned, SAS will automatically relate the data set to the USER libref, not WORK. With a little bit of thought and care, this can be used to give the run-time option of making permanent copies of your data sets that would otherwise be temporary. You can see more information in the SAS online documentation (v9doc.sas.com). |
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And talking of crosswords... |
We like crossword puzzles at RTSL, especially those with cryptic clues (see our SAS-themed crosswords in the Resources section of our web site). Maybe that's because there are similarities between those puzzles and our daily life. A traditional or coffee-time puzzle will offer clues that are simple definitions of words. So, if you know those words, you can solve the puzzle. But cryptic clues require more thought and consideration; they require an unlayering of the clue - looking for key words or phrases that reveal the true nature of the clue. For example, "Roughly caning me - and how the schoolmaster looks when he is doing so". This clue combines a definition ("how the schoolmaster looks when he is [caning me]") with a cryptic clue ("roughly caning me"). In this case, the word "roughly" hints that "caning me" is an anagram. And, having peeled-back the top layer, we can then solve the anagram and combine it with the definition and confidently conclude that the answer is MENACING. The similarity with our work? Well, a simple job for us involves our client giving us a clear and unambiguous set of program specifications to which we should apply our knowledge of the SAS language in order to produce a useful application. Similar to a coffee-time puzzle where the clues consist of definitions. And a challenging project for us is one in which we need to perform business analysis and then establish the requirements, design, and specifications ourselves. In those circumstances, the users, i.e. business representatives, do their level best to describe their requirements in clear and unambiguous terms but often unwittingly end-up giving only "half the story". Our consultants' skills lie in spotting the holes in users' stories and asking the right questions in order to reveal the full meaning and significance of those stories - much like solving cryptic crossword puzzle clues! |
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We like to think we provide valuable information |
Spam is becoming a BIG, and ever-growing, problem. So, major ISPs and internet mail services (such as Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail) are filtering more and more. Unfortunately, their filters sometimes catch innocent, informational newsletters by mistake, much like dolphins in a tuna net. We try to avoid becoming an unfortunate dolphin by avoiding common "spammer habits", but nonetheless we are aware that some copies of NOTE: are blocked by spam filters and thus some of our subscribers do not receive their requested copies of NOTE:. If you are one of those, you have presumably resorted to using the NOTE: archives (www.NoteColon.info). We suggest you try contacting your site's support desk and ask that ratcliffe.co.uk be added to your site's spam filter exclusions. |
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For the pharms industry |
October of this year sees the first PhUSE conference. PhUSE stands for "Pharmaceutical Users Software Exchange" and is a non-profit organization run by volunteers. Its purpose is to create a European forum for programmers in the pharmaceutical industry. The event has strong support from the major pharmaceutical companies in Europe, and from SAS itself. The conference is a multi-day event and will be held 10th - 12th October in Heidelberg, Germany. Registration is now open. The List of papers looks to be of a very high quality, attracting numerous experienced SAS speakers from around the globe. One not to be missed we think. |
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Keep aware of the information available to you |
And talking about user groups... the deadline for submissions of papers for next year's SUGI (SAS User Group International) looms nearer. As the Diary shows, next year's top user group meeting will be in San Francisco in March. SUGI always delivers a wealth of valuable information for all of us involved with SAS software. If you wish to attend, registration opens December 1st. The proceedings of past conferences are stored on the SAS support web site. |
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How Can We Help You? |
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Advertisement |
RTSL (Ratcliffe Technical Services Limited) is one of the leading SAS specialists in the UK. RTSL designs, builds, implements, and maintains SAS-based applications. With our imagination, expertise and analytical skills, we have the ability to help your company manipulate data to make informed business judgments. Providing services to the SAS community since 1993, RTSL has implemented a wide range of business solutions in a wide range of industries. See the case studies on our web site to get just a flavour of how we could help you. Contact us for further details. |
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Moving your data |
In our last issue, we discussed tools for copying SAS data. We omitted to mention Qualex Exporter (a utility that was featured in the very issue of NOTE:. Exporter is an easy-to-use SAS tool that exports SAS data sets to a wide variety of file formats. You can export selected variables, or all of them; you can export all records, or a selected range, or a random number of records. Data sets can be sorted and variables rearranged. Worth a look. It's free! |
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A primary rule of good style |
Good style is all about making your code readable and maintainable. So, it is clear that you should avoid doing anything that may surprise a reader of your code. This is often called the Principle of Least Astonishment. Following this principle ensures that your code's behaviour is predictable and consistent (and if not, your documentation clearly states and justifies this). |
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This diary provides a guide to some of the key world-wide events that we judge to be of interest to SAS professionals. If you visit any of the listed events, please send us an email and let us know what you thought of it. |
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October 2005 November 2005
March 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006 |
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You can subscribe and unsubscribe by visiting our web site at www.ratcliffe.co.uk. Or, to subscribe just click here and hit the Send button in your email client; and to unsubscribe, just click here and hit the Send button in your email client. Please do not include a message in the body of the email, it will not be seen by a human! Back issues are available from the archive at www.NoteColon.info. Please send comments to note.editor@ratcliffe.co.uk. NOTE:
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