SAS Programming Basics: 2024 Edition

SAS (Statistical Analysis Software) is a widely used software suite for data analysis and visualization. It was first developed in the 1970s and has since grown into a comprehensive tool for advanced analytics, business intelligence, predictive analysis, and data management.

Some of the key features of SAS include:
  • 1
    Data Management
    SAS provides tools for data preparation, data quality management, and data integration, allowing users to access and manipulate data from various sources.
  • 2
    Predictive Modeling
    SAS provides advanced predictive analytics capabilities, including machine learning algorithms, decision trees, and regression analysis, which can be used to forecast future outcomes and identify key drivers of business performance.
  • 3
    Business Intelligence

    SAS provides a comprehensive suite of business intelligence tools, including reporting, dashboard, and data visualization capabilities, which can help organizations make data-driven decisions.

  • 4
    Advanced Analytics

    SAS provides a variety of advanced analytics tools, including text analytics, social network analysis, and geospatial analysis, which can be used to uncover insights from unstructured data.

SAS has a user-friendly interface for data extraction and manipulation, as well as a programming language for more complex and custom data transformations. This allows users to work with large and complex datasets, identify patterns and relationships, and make informed decisions based on the insights they uncover.
Moreover, SAS is platform-independent which means you can run SAS on any operating system either Linux or Windows.
Compared to other BI tools, SAS delivers extensive support to programmatically transform and analyze data, apart from using the drag-and-drop interface.

SAS is widely used in various industries, including healthcare, finance, retail, and government, and is known for its reliability, scalability, and security. It is proprietary software, which means that it is developed and sold by a single company, SAS Institute.

SAS History

SAS (Statistical Analysis System) was founded in 1976 by Jim Goodnight, John Sall, Anthony Barr, and Jane Helwig. The company was established to provide a software solution for the analysis of large datasets in the agricultural research sector. The company's first product, SAS (then known as SAS Institute), was a software suite for data management and analysis.
Over the years, SAS has grown to become one of the leading providers of statistical software and business intelligence solutions. In the 1980s, SAS expanded its product offerings to include business intelligence, predictive modeling, and advanced analytics. In the 1990s, SAS became one of the first companies to provide software solutions for e-commerce and customer relationship management.
Today, SAS is a multinational software corporation with headquarters in Cary, North Carolina. The company provides a comprehensive suite of software for data management, predictive modeling, business intelligence, and advanced analytics. SAS is widely used by organizations in various industries, including finance, healthcare, and retail, to make data-driven decisions and improve business performance.
In conclusion, the history of SAS is a story of innovation, growth, and leadership in the statistical software and business intelligence industries. From its roots as a software solution for agricultural research, SAS has grown to become one of the most widely used and respected software companies in the world.

SAS Product Suite

SAS offers a comprehensive suite of products for data management, business intelligence, advanced analytics, and predictive modeling. The following is a list of some of the key products in the SAS product suite:
  1. SAS Base: SAS Base is a suite of software tools for data management and statistical analysis. It provides data management and transformation capabilities, as well as a wide range of statistical and graphical techniques for data analysis.
  2. SAS Enterprise Guide: SAS Enterprise Guide is a graphical user interface for SAS Base that provides a user-friendly data analysis and reporting environment. It is designed for business analysts, statisticians, and data scientists who are not experts in programming.
  3. SAS Visual Analytics: SAS Visual Analytics is a self-service business intelligence and data visualization tool that enables users to interact with data, create reports, and discover insights. It provides a visual interface for data analysis and visualization, as well as a wide range of data discovery and exploration capabilities.
  4. SAS Visual Statistics: SAS Visual Statistics is a self-service data discovery and statistical modeling tool that provides a visual interface for data analysis and predictive modeling. It enables users to create predictive models, visualize data and results, and share insights with others.
  5. SAS Forecast Server: SAS Forecast Server is a solution for automating and deploying forecasting models across an organization. It enables organizations to create and manage forecasting models and provides tools for data analysis and visualization.
  6. SAS Fraud and Security Intelligence: SAS Fraud and Security Intelligence is a suite of software tools for detecting and preventing fraud, money laundering, and other financial crimes. It provides advanced analytics, machine learning, and data visualization capabilities to help organizations identify and prevent fraudulent activities.
  7. SAS Customer Intelligence: SAS Customer Intelligence is a suite of software tools for customer analytics and engagement. It provides capabilities for data analysis, customer segmentation, campaign management, and customer engagement, enabling organizations to better understand and engage with their customers.

Alternative SAS Tools

There are several alternatives to SAS that organizations can consider for statistical analysis and data visualization, including
  1. R: R is a free, open-source software environment for statistical computing and graphics. It provides a wide range of statistical and graphical techniques and is widely used in academia, research, and industry.
  2. Python: Python is a general-purpose programming language that is widely used for data analysis and visualization. It has a large and active community of users and developers, and many libraries and packages are available for data analysis and visualization.
  3. SPSS: SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) is a statistical software package that provides a user-friendly interface for data analysis and visualization. It is widely used in social sciences and is known for its ease of use.
Each of these alternatives has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the choice of which one to use will depend on the specific requirements of the organization. Some organizations may prefer a free and open-source solution like R or Python, while others may prefer a user-friendly interface like SPSS. Ultimately, the choice of which alternative to use will depend on the organization's specific data analysis and visualization needs.

Why do we need SAS?

There are several reasons why organizations use SAS:
SAS provides advanced predictive analytics capabilities, which can help organizations forecast future outcomes, identify key drivers of business performance, and make informed decisions. SAS delivers a comprehensive suite of business intelligence tools, including reporting, dashboard, and data visualization capabilities. This helps organizations make data-driven decisions and improve business performance. Plus, it offers a variety of advanced analytics tools, including text analytics, social network analysis, and geospatial analysis, which can be used to uncover insights from unstructured data.

SAS provides a comprehensive suite of tools for data management, predictive modeling, business intelligence, and advanced analytics. By using SAS, organizations can make data-driven decisions, improve business performance, and stay ahead of the competition.

STATECS is a Contract Research Organization (CRO) helping pharmaceutical companies achieve their desired outcomes by providing top-notch and personalized SAS solutions.

Within our long years of practice, we have worked on numerous big and small projects, from the early stages of research and analysis to the successful submission and confirmation by the FDA. Our list of successful cooperations includes several large industry organizations from all over the world, including Europe, the USA, and other major markets.
STATECS team consists of junior to senior-level SAS professionals ready to utilize their skills to deliver the best possible SAS services to your company.

In case you are interested in our STATECS SAS Services, contact us via info@statecs.com

JANUARY, 16 / 2024

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