PROCEEDINGS OF THE - Lex Jansen · PROCEEDINGS OF THE EIGHTH ANNUAL SOUTH-CENTRAL REGIONAL SAS®...

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PROCEEDINGS OF THE 8th Annual South Central SAS Users Group Conference HELD AT THE OMNI RICHA RD SON RICHA RD SON, TEXA S OCTOBER 25-27, 1998 Clarence W m. Jackson Conference Chairman Thomas J. W inn Jr. Editor of Proceet;:Hngs The South Central Regional SAS Users I Group

Transcript of PROCEEDINGS OF THE - Lex Jansen · PROCEEDINGS OF THE EIGHTH ANNUAL SOUTH-CENTRAL REGIONAL SAS®...

Page 1: PROCEEDINGS OF THE - Lex Jansen · PROCEEDINGS OF THE EIGHTH ANNUAL SOUTH-CENTRAL REGIONAL SAS® USERS' CONFERENCE SCSUG '98 Held at Omni Richardson Hotel, Richardson, Texas October

PROCEEDINGS OF THE

8th Annual South Central SAS

Users Group Conference

HELD AT THE OMNI RICHA RD SON RICHA RD SON, TEXA S OCTOBER 25-27, 1998

Clarence W m. Jackson Conference Chairman

Thomas J. W inn Jr. Editor of Proceet;:Hngs

The South Central Regional SAS Users I Group

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PROCEEDINGS OF THE EIGHTH ANNUAL

SOUTH-CENTRAL REGIONAL

SAS® USERS' CONFERENCE

SCSUG '98

Held at Omni Richardson Hotel, Richardson, Texas

October 25-27, 1998

====================* ===================

Clarence Wm. Jackson Conference Chairman

TomWinn Editor of Proceedings

The South-Central Regional SAS Users' Group

Note: SAS is a registered trademark which is used to identify products or services of SAS Institute Inc., of Cary, North Carolina.

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These Proceedings were prepared for the 1998 Conference of the South-Central Regional SAS® Users' Group (SCSUG). SAS Institute kindly printed and assembled the finished product. Neither SAS Institute Inc. nor SCSUG accept responsibility for the accuracy or the originality of the contents of this publication.

To order copies (if available), contact:

or

Clarence Wm. Jackson City of Dallas ECI - Operations & Plans 1500 Marilla, 4DS Dallas, TX 75201 phone: 214/670-4876 e-mail: [email protected]

TomWinn Texas State Comptroller's Office Claims Division - Fiscal Management Support L.BJ. State Office Building 111 E 17th Street Austin, TX 78774 phone: 512/463-4907 e-mail: [email protected]

SAS® and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries.

Other brand and product names are registered trademarks of trademarks of their respective companies.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Conference Schedules 1

Abstracts of Papers to be Presented 7

Descriptions of Formal Online Demonstrations to be Presented 16

Contributed Papers:

Dawn Amos, Stuart Austin, JoAnna Longman, Allen Malone, Sue McGrath, Jim McNealy, and Natalie Morgan (presented by Hoy Rogers)

"GUI Testing of SAS Software" 19

Steve Beatrous and Billy Clifford "Sometimes You get What You Want: SAS liD Enhancements for Version 7" 27

Tony R. Brown "Data Warehousing Efficiency Techniques with the SAS System" 36

Deborah B. Buck "Getting Started as an Independent Consultant: Opportunities, Challenges, and Considerations" 46

Carolyn Courtney "HR PLUS: A Customized View on a Generalized Solution" 48

Keith Cranford "Presentation Quality Graphics with SASIGRAPH" 55

Destiny Corporation (presented by Dana Rafiee) "Advanced Macros" 60

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Destiny Corporation (presented by Dana Rafiee) "Functions in SAS" 69

Destiny Corporation (presented by Dana Rafiee) "Moving SAS Information to Microsoft Word/Excel Using DOE" 72

. Destiny Corporation (presented by Dana Rafiee) "PROC TABULA TE Introduction" 87

Destiny Corporation (presented by Dana Rafiee) "SOL Basics" 108

Bill Gjertsen "JMP Reveals the Truth: Statistics Can Be Fun!" 113

Akbar Golmirzaie "Data Warehouse: How to Use SAS from Beginning to Almost Ending for Your Warehouse" 123

James Holman "SAS Data Libraries: V6 to V7 Compatibility (Or, Will Version 7 be able to access my Version 6 files?)" 129

Clarence Wm. Jackson "How to Make any SAS program a Macro" 137

Clarence Wm. Jackson "How to Setup a SAS AutoCall Library" 141

Mike Kalt "It's almost the Year 2000--Should I Panic?" 144

Information Products Staff, SAS Institute Inc. (presented by Paul Kent)

"Your Base SAS@ Dol/ars at Work - What's New and Useful in Version 7" 152

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Andrew T. Kuligowski '~n Overview of Techniques to Introduce External Data Into the SAS System" 162

O.M. Little "Laboratory Data Management and Reporting" 182

Mark MacMullen "SAS Programming Tips: Using SAS to Automate Third-Party Reporting Software" 212

Kathe Richards "Slug Hunting - Using SAS to Evaluate Your Database Access Strategies in OB2" 219

Randy Rist '~ Comparison of Techniques for Extracting and Scoring Data from a Teradata Database Using SAS" 229

Christopher A. Roper "CATALOGER®: An Application Development Tool to Search, Compare, and Document SAS® Catalogs and Data Files" 246

Christopher A. Roper "Data Tables: Highlighting Techniques" 252

Christopher A. Roper "QUIZZER: A Fun, Fast-Paced Game" 260

Christopher A. Roper "SQL Query Window Classes: How to Incorporate the SQL Column Expression Builder Class in Custom SASIAF Applications" 262

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Christopher A. Roper "SQL Query Window Classes: How to Incorporate the SQL Where Expression Builder Class in Custom SASIAF Applications" 268

Marge Scerbo and Stuart Levine I~ Health Care Claims Data Mart: Construction and Exploitation" 274

Michel F. Schexnayder IISAS User-Defined Formats" 281

Loretta Jo Schlatzer "SAS Institute Quality Partners -- Who Are They?" 288

Ann Stephan "How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love (?) Macros" 294

Ann Stephan "Making DBRMs More Readable (or Playing With Strings)" 300

Rona Tracy "Implementing Robust Statistical Calculations for Minimizing the Effect of Outliers" 305

Glen R. Walker and Tammy L. Gagliano "Dressing Up Your Version 6 Objects to Be Version 7 Components" 309

Thomas J. Winn Jr. "Introduction to Using PROC TABULATE" 316

Robert Workman, David Workman, and Richard Pless "Creating SAS Reports from Data Collected Via the Internet Using Microsoft ProntPage® 98 Hosted on a PC Running the Microsoft Personal Web Server@" 327

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The following papers were not available when this volume was printed. Copies should be available as separate handouts at the conference. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Deborah B. Buck "So Many PROCs, So Little Time: A Primer of Efficient Report Writing in Base SAS"

Destiny Corporation (presented by Dana Rafiee) "Accessing the Output of Procedures"

Keith M. Poche' "Untitled Paper"

David S. Riba "The DATA Statement: Efficiency Techniques" (Note -- To download a copy of this paper, and others by this author, visit the web page http://www.jadetek.com/pubs.htm.)

Diagram of Physical Facilities at Omni Richardson Hotel 333

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1998 SOUTH-CENTRAL REGIONAL SAS USERS' CONFERENCE Omni Richardson Hotel, Richardson, :Texas

Sunday, October 2S

5:00 - 6:00 p.m. 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Monday, October 26

Consultanta'lOuality Partners Reception Early Registration Foyer Mixer

7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Registration & Continental Breakfast 8:00 - 9:50 a.m. Opening Session & Keynote Presentation

Featured Speakers: Paul Kent, SAS Institute Inc. Akbar Golmlrzale, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

Renaissance Ballroom 0 9:50 - 10:00 a.m. Refreshment Break Foyer 10:00 - 11 :50 a.m. Concurrent Sessions:

...... What's New in Version 7 Renaissance Ballroom A-B Beginning Tutorials Renaissance Ballroom C Intermediete/Advanced Tutorials Renaissance Ballroom E Hands-On Workshops (by ticket only) Renaissance Ballroom F Formal Demonstrations Renaissance Ballroom G

12:00 noon - 1 :30 p.m. Roundtable Discussion Luncheon Renaissance Ballroom 0 (tables as assigned)

1 :30 - 3:20 p.m. Concurrent Sessions: What's New In Version 7 Renaissance Ballroom A-B Beginning Tutorials Renaissance Ballroom C Intermediate/Advanced Tutorials Renaissance Ballroom E Hands-On Workshops (by ticket only) Renaissance Ballroom F Formal Demonstrations Renaissance Ballroom G

3:30 - 3:30 p.m. Refreshment Break Foyer 3:30 - 5:20 p.m. Concurrent Sessions:

General Interest Renaissance Ballroom A-B Beginning Tutorials Renaissance BaRroom C Intermediate/Advanced Tutorials Renaissance Ballroom E Hands-On WorkShops (by ticket on/y) Renaissance Ballroom F Formal Demonstrations Renaissance Ballroom G

5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Mixer Renaissance Ballroom 0 Blrds-of-a-Feather Sessions Renaissance Ballroom C,E

7:00 - 8:00 p.m. QUIZZERfII (Game Show Event) Renaissance Ballroom A-B Blrds-of-a-Feather Sessions Renaissance Ballroom C,E

Tuesday, October 27

7:00 - 8:00 am. Registration & Continental Breakfast 8:00 - 9:50 a.m. Concurrent Sessions:

Coders' Comer Renaissance Ballroom A-B Applications Development Renaissance Ballroom C Statistical Computing Renaissance Ballroom E Hands-On Workshops (by ticket only) Renaissance Ballroom F Formal Demonstrations Renaissance Ballroom G Posters Foyer

9:505 - 10:00 a.m. Refreshment Break Foyer 10:00 - 11 :50 a.m. Concurrent SeSSions:

AppIicaiions Development Renaissance Ballroom A-B Consultants' Workshop Renaissance Ballroom C Statistical Computing Renaissance Ballroom E Hands-On Workshops (by ticket only) Renaissance Ballroom F Formal Demonstrations Renaissance Ballroom G Posters Foyer

12:00 noon - 1 :30 p.m. Roundtable Discussion Luncheon

1 :30 - 3:20 p.m.

3:20 - 3:30 p.m. 3:30 - 4:20 p.m.

Renaissance Ballroom 0 (tables as assigned) Concurrent Sessions: Applications Development Renaissance Ballroom A-B Consultants' Workshop Renaissance Ballroom C User Demo Renaissance Ballroom E Hands-On Workshops (by ticket only) Renaissance Ballroom F Formal Demonstrations Renaissance Ballroom G Posters Foyer Refreshment Break Foyer Closing Session Renaissance Ballroom A-B

Please drive carefully, and have a safe trip homeward. We're looking forward to seeing you at next year's conferencel

SCSUG '99 - November 7-9, 1999 Omnl Sen Antonio Hotel, San Antonio, Texas

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1998 South-Central Regional SAS Users' Group Conference. Omni Richardson Hotel. Richardson. Texas Schedule of Events for Monday, October 26

Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Ballroom A-B Ballroom C LB~I!room 0 ~roomE Ballroom F Ballroom G -- ----------- - --

7:00-8:00 a.m. Check-In, Late Registration & Continental Breakfast at Foyer

8:00-9:50 a.m. . - - . . . . . . . . . . . Opening Session, . . . . . . . . . . . . . - . . . . . . . Co-Keynote Presentation: Paul Kent-Looking into the Future with Version 7 SAS Software", and Akbar Golmirzaie -''Live Demo on Data Warehousino"

9:50-10:00 a.m. Break

10:00-10:50 a.m. Steve Beatrous & Debbie Buck - . . . . . . . Mark MacMullen - Hands-On Formal Online Billy Clifford- "So Many PROCs, "Using SAS to Workshop Demonstration -"Sometimes You So Little Time: A Evaluate Third-Party (by ticket only): Get What You Primer of Efficient Reporting Software" Maura Stokes, Want: SAS I/O Report Writing in "Functions in SAS", "The Analyst Enhancements in SAS" presented by Application" Version 7" Destiny Corporation

11 :00-11 :50 a.m. James Holman - Keith Cranford - . . . . . . . Andrew Kuligowski - Formal Online "SAS Data Libraries: "Presentation Quality "An Overview of Demonstration -V6to V7 Graphics with Techniques to Compatibility" SAS/GRAPH" Introduce External Stuart Levine,

Data Into the SAS "University of MD System" Baltimore County: A

Custom SASIEIS and SAS/AF Application that Accesses Many MDDBs"

12:00 noon-1:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . . . . . - . Luncheon - . - . . - - - . - . . - - - - - . - . -Roundtable . Discussions

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SCSUG '98 Schedule of Events for Monday, October 26, continued

Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Ballroom A-B Ballroom C Ballroom 0 Ballroom E Ballroom F Ballroom G

1 :30-2:20 p.m. Paul Kent- David S. Riba - "The · · · · · · · Kathe Richards - Hands-On Formal Online "Your Base SAS DATA Statement: "Slug Hunting - . Workshop Demonstration -Dollars at Work - Efficiency Using SASto (by ticket only): What's New and Techniques" Evaluate Your Melissa Thrall, Useful in Version 7 " Database Access "PROC TABULATE "Enterprise Reporter:

Strategies in DB2" Basics", Creative Reporting" presented by Destiny Corporation

2:30-3:20 p.m. Glen Walker & Michel F. · · - - - · - Christopher Roper - Formal Online Tammy Gagliano - Schexnayder- "Data Tables: Demonstration -"Dressing Up Your "SAS User-Defined Highlighting Version 6 Objects to Formats' Techniques" Gary Young, Be Version 7 "Solving Business Components" Problems with

SASllntrnet Software" 3:20-3:30 p.m. Break

w 3:30-4:20 p.m_ Mike Kalt- TomWinn - - · · - · · · Robert Workman, Hands-On Formal Online "It's Almost the Year "An Introduction to David Workman, Workshop Demonstration -2000 - Should I Using PROC and Richard Pless - (by ticket only): Panic? " TABULATE" "Creating SAS Paul Kent,

Reports from Data SQL Basics", "The Future Interface Collected Via the presented by for the SAS System Internet USing Destiny Corporation for PCs - A First Microsoft FrontPage Glance" 98 Hosted on a PC Running the Microsoft Personal Web Server"

4:30-5:20 p.m. . . . . . . . . - . . . . . · - · · - · · . . . . . . . · · . . . . · 5:30-7:00 p.m. . . . . . . . Birds-of-a-Feather Mixer (food, and Birds-of-a-Feather . . . - - - . · · - - - - ·

(Idea Exchange) informal (Idea Exchange) Sessions conversation) Sessions

7:00-8:00 p.m. Christopher Roper - Birds-of-a-Feather · · · · · · · Birds-of-a-Feather . . . . . . . · · . . . . · "QUIZZER: A Fun, (Idea Exchange) (Idea Exchange) Fast-Paced Game" SeSSions Sessions

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.j>.

1998 South-Central Regional SAS Users' Group Conference. Omni Richardson Hotel. Richardson. Texas Schedule of Events for Tuesday, October 27

Renaissance 1 Renaissance J Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Ballroom A-B Ballroom C Ballroom 0 Ballroom E Ballroom F Ballroom G

----- ---- --

7:00-8:00 a.m. Check-In, Late Registration & Continental Breakfast at Foyer

8:00-8:50 a.m. Coders' Corner: - - - " " - " " - " " - - " William Gjertsen - Hands-On Formal Online "JMP Reveals the Workshop Demonstration -

Clarence Jackson· Truth: Statistics Can (by ticket only): "How to Make any Be Fun'" Tony Brown, SAS Program A "MovingSAS "Establishing a Macro", Information to Repeatable

Microsoft Warehousing Christopher Roper - Word/Excel/etc. Process" "SQl Query Window Using ODE", Classes: How to presented by Add the SQl Destiny Corporation Calculated Column Expression Builder Class in Custom SAS/.AF

9:00-9:50 a.m. Christopher Roper - " " - " - - - O.M. Little - Formal Online Clarence Jackson - "CATALOGER: An "Laboratory Data Demonstration -"How to Set Up a Application Management and SAS .A:utoCall Development Tool to Reporting" Paul Kent, Library", Search, Compare, "Using ODS with

and Document SAS Base SAS Reporting Christopher Roper - Catalogs and Data Procedures in "SQL Query Window Files" Version 7" Classes: How to Add the SQL WHERE Expression Builder Class in Custom SAS/.AF Applications"

.... 9:50-10:00 a.m. Break --- --_ .... __ .. _--

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SCSUG '98 Schedule of Events for Tuesday, October 27, continued

Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Ballroom A-B Ballroom C Ballroom 0 Ballroom E Ballroom F Ballroom G

-- ----

10:00-10:50 a.m. Tony Brown - Loretta Schlatzer - Rona Tracy- Hands-On Formal Online "Data Warehouse "SAS Institute "Robust Iterative Workshop Demonstration -Efficiency Quality Partners - Calculations for the (by ticket only): Techniques With the Who Are They? " Mean and Standard Glen Walker, SAS System" Deviation" "Accessing the "Rapid Applications I

Output of Development Using Procedures", SAS Component presented by Object Mode (SCOM) Destiny Corporation in SAS/AF Software"

11 :00-11 :50 a.m. Marge Scerbo & Debbie Buck - - · · - . · . Keith Poche - Formal Online Stuart Levine - "Getting Started as "Untitled Paper" Demonstration -"A Health Care an Independent Claims Data Mart: Consultant: Maura Stokes, Construction and Opportunities, "The New ADX Exploitation" Challenges, and Interface for Design

Considerations" and Analysis of

0'1 I Experimental DeSign !

Software" 12:00 noon-1:30 p.m. . . . . . . . - · · · · · · Luncheon . · . . · . - - - . - · . - . . . . . . • I

Roundtable Discussions

1 :30-2:20 p.m. Hoy Rogers- David S. Riba and . - · - - - - User Demo: Hands-On Formal Online ! ''The Challenges of other panelists - Workshop Demonstration -

GUI Testing" "Panel Discussion on Carolyn Courtney - (by ticket only): the Role of the "HRPLUS:A PhUip Easterling, Internet in SAS Customized View for "Advanced Macros", "SAS Enterprise Consulting" a Generalized presented by Miner"

Solution" Destiny Corporation 2:30-3:20 p.m. Randy Rist- . - - · · · · - - - - - · . . · . - · . . Formal Online

"A Comparison of Demonstration -Techniques for Extracting and Gary Young, !

Scoring Data From "Solving Business I a Teradata Problems With

Database Using SASllntrnet Software" SAS"

3:20-3:30 p.m. Break - · · · · · · - · - - - · - - · - . - - . . . - - · - - - . - - - - . 3:30-4:20 p.m. Closing Session - · · - - · - - · · - - - - - · - - · - - - . . - · - - . - - - - . ---- -- - - -- '---

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Abstracts of Papers for Presentation at SCSUG '98 Listed Alphabetically by Last Name of (first listed) Author

"Gut Testing of SAS Software", Dawn Amos, Stuart Austin, JoAnna Longman, Allen Malone, Sue McGrath, Jim McNealy, and Natalie Morgan (to be presented by Hoy Rogers, SAS Institute Inc.)

Testing the graphical user interface (GUI) of SAS Software has many challenges. Testing the GUion several different hardware configurations adds to the challenges. This paper will discuss the methods used in testing the GUI of SAS Software using tools developed with SAS Software as well as vendor supplied testing tools. The challenge of automating GUI testing will be discussed as well as creating and maintaining good GUI tests. The OA Division has many decades of testing experience within the ranks. The topic of testing the graphical user interface is a challenge that has faced all testers, as the SAS System has become more GUI oriented. The OA Staff would like to share that knowledge with the SAS User Community as they have increasing testing demands while developing SAS Applications.

"Sometimes You get What You Want: SAS VO Enhancements for Version 7", Steve Beatrous, SAS Institute Inc., cary, and Billy Clifford, SAS Institute Inc., Austin.

This paper presents a high level overview of new database features added to Version 7. Some of the features presented in this overview have been top-vote getters when they appeared on the SASWare Ballot (such as long mixed-case column names and versioning). Some of the new features were added to make the SAS System more of a DBMS (such as integrity constraints).

"Data Warehousing Efficiency Techniques with the SAS System", Tony R. Brown, SAS Institute Inc., Dallas

This paper will be aimed toward the mid-range to advanced SAS users and warehouse administrators. It will cover the topics of technically implementing a subject-based star schema using the SAS System. Supporting topics will be:

• subject selection • star-schema modeling with SAS data sets • utilizing indexing for efficient query retrieval • using formats and other techniques to prevent table joins in star schemas • using advanced SAS functions to optimize SOL reporting, integration, management • efficiency with the warehouse administrator

The paper will include a section on cost/performance of efficiency techniques.

"Getting Started as an Independent Consultant: Opportunities, Challenges, and Considerations",

Deborah B. Buck, D.B.&P. Associates, Houston Independent consulting is an enjoyable and rewarding life, if you go into it prepared and willing to work hard. Before deciding to become an independent consultant, there are a number of items you should address. These include: the market for your skills, your technical and personal skills, your time-management capabilities and risk-taking tolerance, and why you are conSidering a consulting career. Being an independent conSUltant has many benefits, including monetary reward, setting your own hours, being your own boss, and not having to commute every day. With these benefits, however, comes a set of challenges addressed in this presentation. Is there a potential client base for your skills and abilities? Are you confident with "marketing" yourself? Do you have the skills necessary to succeed as a consultant? Do you have business skills? Are you self-motivated, disciplined and a good time-manager? Are you a risk-taker? What type of consulting business are you interested in? Although there are a number of consulting options, the type of consulting that this presentation will focus on is that of an independent consultant.

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"So Many PROCs, So Little Time: A Primer of Efficient Report Writing in Base SAS" Deborah B. Buck, D.B.&P. Associates, Houston

Almost any report can be generated in at least two ways in SAS, and almost every report can be written using the DATA step report writing capabilities (using the FILE-PUT mode), but why reinvent the wheel if a PROC exists to give you the desired report with a minimal amount of effort? Important considerations in determining the best approach for a specific report include:

• Is it a detail or summary report? • What information do you need in the report? • Does the report require a specific layout? • Does the report require statistics, cross-tabulations, or hierarchical grouping? • Does the report require customized information?

Examples will be presented of differing types of reports with discussion of the most efficient programming for each (in terms of programmer time).

"HR PLUS: A CUstomized View on a Generalized Solution", (User Demo) Carolyn Courtney, Courtney Systems and Programming, Dallas

HR PLUS is a SASJAF system developed to meet the following challenge: Take an outdated, but still widely used, mainframe AF system. Salvage the best of that system (which tumed out to be the heart of any good SAS system: meaningful data, good data organization, and the basic components of report construction). Renovate and redesign the system for a Windows environment using the latest SAS tools and methods. Expand the power of your customized AF development by linking to the best desktop features of SAS for Windows: viewtable; multi-dimensional report and other EIS objects; the inherent features of catalogs; and information sharing options such as e-mail, HTML, and GIF. Tie it all together in a seamless customized package that is accessible to non-programming, non-analytical end users. And •.. as important as all of the above... keep it fun - for you and your user.

"Presentation Quality Graphics with SASIGRAPH", Keith Cranford, Marquee Associates LlC, Austin

The SAS?GRAPH Annotate Facility along with hardware fonts can be used to produce presentation quality graphics that equal the commonly used graphics software packages such as Harvard Graphics. This paper will give some guidance in the use of these tools. The Annotate Facility will be used to label points and produce accompanying tables, as well as overlay line graphs, histograms, and pie charts. The use of hardware fonts will be illustrated to take advantage of system fonts such as Times Roman and Arial. Aspects of publishing these graphs in PDF and GIF formats will also be discussed.

"PC Hands-On Workshops", Destiny Corporation (presented by Dana Rafiee), Wethersfield, CT

Destiny Corporation will be presenting separate, two-hour tutorial workshops, in which you may run actual programs on a PC as the presenter covers material, on the following subjects:

• "Advanced Macros", • "Functions in SAS", • "Accessing the Output of Procedures", • "Moving SAS Information to MSWordJExcel Using DDE" • "PROC TABULATE Introduction", • "Sal Basics",

"JMP Reveals the Truth: Statistics Can Be Fun!", Bill Gjertsen, SAS Institute Inc.

JMP is an interactive statistical analysis program that promotes the visualization and discovery of important patterns and outliers in your data. It accomplishes this through unique graphics and the dynamic linking of points to provide insight. JMP's charter is to display both statistics and graphics together at one time so that data analysis becomes understandable, enjoyable, and even fun! The use of leverage plots, Gabriel bi-plots, overlaid contour plots, matrix plots of interactions,

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the dynamic linking of graphs, and the use of magnifying. and slider tools will be shown with examples from science, engineering and financial investing.

"Data Warehouse: How to Use SAS from Beginning to Almost Ending for Your Warehouse",

(Co-Keynote Uve Demo Presentation, 1998 SAS Enterprise Computing Award winner!) Akbar Golmirzaie, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR

The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville first began exploring the development and implementation of data warehousing in November, 1995. In under two years, the Computing Services Department has moved from conceptual modeling, through prototyping, to a working, evolving production system for data storage and retrieval- all at a substantial savings in time, money, and resources. Paramount in this endeavor has been the use of SAS software. From the system administration tools to those maintaining the secure server, the University of Arkansas development team found in a single software suite what previously had only been available as separate, much more expensive packages. In addition, the new SAS ODBC drivers ensure that end-users can directly retrieve, massage, and report from the now-centralized data with any ODBC-compliant software package, including of course, SAS itself. This presentation will review the data warehouse implementation on the Fayetteville campus, as well as an outlook for the future.

"SAS Data Ubraries: V6 to V7 Compatibility (Or ... Will Version 7 be able to access my Version 6 files?)",

James Holman, SAS Institute Inc. This paper will details some of the things SAS users are most interested in knowing: how Version 7 will interact with Version 6 data libraries. The paper takes the reader through some essential Version 7 definitions and distinctions regarding SAS data libraries before addressing compatibility issues of data sets, views, and catalogs under single user SAS, SAS/SHARE, and SAS/CONNECT.

"How to Make any SAS program a Macro", (Coders' Corner) Clarence Wm. Jackson, City of Dallas·

This paper details by example how to take a SAS program and make it a SAS Macro. Included will be keys to what to change, where to use macro variables, and how to make it all work together. Programs that change frequently are perfect for making it a macro.

"How to Setup a SAS AutoCa11 Ubrary", (Coders' Comer) Clarence Wm. Jackson, City of Dallas

Using a SAS AutoCall Library Facility can be very helpful if you have many small utility macros. This paper details how to setup an AutoCalllibrary.

"It's almost the Year 200o-Should I Panic?", Mike Kalt, SAS Institute Inc.

This paper will address the most frequently asked questions about Year 2000 compliance for the SAS System. Topics include:

• Is the SAS System Year 2000 compliant? • How can I test my SAS applications for Year 2000 compliance? • Do I need special licensing in order to do Year 2000 testing? • Where can I get more detailed information about SAS applications and the Year 2000?

"Keynote Presentation: Looking Into the Future with Version 7 SAS@ Software", Paul Kent, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC

Version 7 extends previous SAS System functionality with features to ready SAS applications, systems and users for the next millennium. This presentation will provide an overview of how Version 7 integrates three powerful technology areas, intelligent storage, intelligent server and intelligent client to solve customer business needs.

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"Your Base SAS® Dollars at Work - What's New and Useful in Version 7", Information Products Staff (presented by Paul Kent), SAS Institute Inc.

The BASE procedures group (IPD) at SAS Institute has been hard at work adding new and useful features to the heart of the SAS System. This talk describes this work and uses generic "business oriented· examples to place these features in a context that demonstrates their use in everyday programming. Covered are: New SUMMARYITABULATE options like percentiles, independent ordering of class variables, and the preloading of the class-variable space using formats anellor datasets, The ODS statement for producing output datasets and HTML output from all SAS procedures, High-Fidelity Printing and more ODS specific additions to PROe REPORT, PROe TABULATE and the SAS/Graph Procedures that enhance the web potential of these work-horse tools. Build trees of web pages with graphics, embedded links and cell-specific formatting (like font and color) easily, repeatably from your current batch jobs.

"An Overview of Techniques to Introduce External Data Into the SAS System", Andrew T. Kuligowski, Nielsen Media Research

The SAS System has numerous capabilities to store, analyze, report, and present data. However, those features are useless unless that data is stored in or can be accessed by the SAS System. This presentation will provide a brief introduction to many of the methods that can be used to pass data into the SAS System. Topics include the menu-driven SAS Import Wizard, the INPUT and INFILE statements, DOE, ODBC, and others.

"Laboratory Data Management and Reporting" O.M. Little, OML Associates, Dripping Springs, Texas

Deaths during new drug clinical studies in 1993 caused more than a little embarrassment in many quarters, not to mention the impacts upon the families experiencing the losses. The Food & Drug Administration is very explicit regarding laboratory data in clinical studies: FDA wants two specific displays. These are 'By-patient' and a 'By-test' listings. These requirements have existed for many years. One of the difficulties with laboratory data is that it has an insomnia-eliminating feature. Anyone reviewing laboratory data is as serious risk of deep sleep. The FDA has a flexible attitude toward the presentation of the laboratory data. The FDA's idea is to welcome 'all comers', and study all possibilities in the presentation of laboratory data. A variety of concepts have been applied. Acceptable attributes are:

1. Computer process the data, make everyone's life simpler, 2. Present the data in a manner that facilitates interpretation, 3. Fully identify the presentations to ease following the presentations, 4. Help those at the working level -- in the clinics and offices deal with the output, 5. Ensure that presentation complies with the FDA's guidelines, but also facilitates

understanding and summarization to all -- clinicians, data processors, medical writers and regulatory types.

To address these criteria, a semi-graphical approach with selected listings and preliminary non­parametric testing is proposed:

(1) The 'by-patient' listing is pretty simple and straight-forward; provide plenty of details for each patient and every known data point. Physicians use these displays.

(2) Creativity is allowed with the 'by-test' presentation. Rather than more listings, this is the place for a graphical presentation of all data for each test, supplemented by an exception report. The exceptions being, a listing of the NON-NORMAL values. There is no sense in reading normal values. These were presented in the 'by-patient' listing.

One approach with the 'by-test' display is to plot all values, then list outliers. Outliers are of genuine interest to the regulators. They want to know, who was not normal, how frequently and to what extent were these out of range? A listing to supplement the plot provides the necessary details. Any statistical testing at this point can only be non-parametric: some tests are counts, and non-parametric tests require no assumptions.

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"SAS Programming Tips: Using SAS to Automate Third-PaTty Reporting Software", Mark MacMullen, MBNA Hallmark Information Services, Dallas

This presentation is a continuation of a paper which the author presented at last year's conference, ·SAS Programming Tips for Finding Variables in the DATA Step: A Tutorial". That paper explained some of the ways of selecting data from text files. This paper will discuss methods for automating manual processing when using third-party software in a mainframe environment.

"Untitled Paper", Keith M. Poche'

Graphically exploring repeated measures data using principal component methods. Although it uses multivariate statistics for computations, it also uses SAs/GRAPH graph to display plots of data. A SAS macro is used to perform the computations.

"The DA TA Statement: Efficiency Techniques", (Beginning Tutorial) David S. Riba, JADE Tech Inc., Clearwater, FL

One of those SAS statements that everyone learns in the first day of a SAS beginner's class, the DATA statement rarely gets a second look. However, this Base SAS statement has evolved in recent releases of the SAS System. If you have not looked at the options on the DATA statement recently, you will probably be surprised. This beginning tutorial examines the DATA statement and the different options that are valid for use with it. Each option will be discussed and illustrated with examples of how (and when) to use them. Among the topics that will be discussed are data set indexing, compression, and views.

"Panel Discussion on the Role of the Internet in SAS Consulting", (Panel Discussion -Consultants)

David S. Riba, JADE Tech Inc., Clearwater, FL The Internet is one of those unavoidable factors in the modern world. Everyone talks about it, and some have even found uses for it in the pursuit of consulting opportunities. However, there is still considerable discussion about the value of the Internet in the development and ongoing maintenance of a consulting practice. A panel of SAS consultants has been assembled to discuss the issues involved in using the Internet productively to advance a SAS consulting practice. The panelists will explore issues such as:

• How important is having a website to your business? • How effective is a website in marketing your business? • What facets of a business are best handled using a website? • What elements of a website are essential to make it useful? • What types of information about your business should a website include?

If time permits, we will also examine current websites of several successful SAS consultants. Audience participation will be encouraged.

"Slug Hunting - Using SAS to Evaluate Your Database Access Strategies in DB2", Kathe Richards, Texas State Comptroller's Office, Austin

Do you ever sit there, waiting for your 25 rows of data to return from a DB2 table, and wonder, "What is it doing in there?" This presentation is about some ways to find out, and also about some suggestions concerning what to do next. It will cover methods for evaluating and improving SAS performance in DB2 queries, and will include examples of code, as well as some suggestions concerning strategies. For example, running and interpreting "explains", using the catalog tables to get additional information on tables and indexes, etc.

"A Comparison of Techniques for Extracting and Scoring Data from a Teradata Database Using SAS",

Randy Rist, J. C. Penney Co., Dallas This paper compares eleven (11) of twenty-one (21) methods for extracting and scoring data from a Teradata database. These twenty-one (21) methods are the product of three ways of writing SAS code for reading and scoring Teradata output and seven (7) Teradata extraction techniques.

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An extraction method is defined by the type of output and the Teradata Access Utility that produced it. This study suggest that the least efficient way to extract and score data from the Teradata data base uses 17 times more storage and 6.2 times more elapse time than the most efficient way tested. The most efficient extraction and scoring method tested employed the Teradata FASTEXPORT utility, an 'OUTMOD' 'C' code exit to redirect the binary output to Unix 'Standard Out' where the data is piped to a SAS Data Step for pivoting, scoring and storing in a SAS Data Set. The SAS PROC ACCESSlODBC using the NCR-ODBC drivers was the next most efficient method. Code for the most efficient method of extracting and scoring data is included as an appendix. It is concluded that close attention to implementation techniques can result in great cost savings, faster turnaround and therefore, happier clients.

"CATALOGER®: An Application Development Tool to Search, Compare, and Document SAS® Catalogs and Data Files",

Christopher A. Roper, Oualex Consulting Services Inc., Hillsville, VA This paper will present an application written entirely in SAS that greatly enhances the developer's ability to develop, compare, and manage SAS catalog entries and datasets. This application has point and click capabilities for printing catalog entries, including images of frame entries and complete descriptions of associated widgets directly into Microsoft Word® documents, creating publication quality documentation at the push of a button. The batch printing facility allows for printing of all catalog entries of virtually any type, including Program, Source, SCl, and Slist (including expanded sublists) entries. The text searching facility will search through all text-based entries for character strings and allow point and click access to the locations in any catalog entry containing the text string. Additionally, interactive, side-by-side comparisons of catalog entries in separate, independent windows on the same SAS/AF screen greatly enhances the application developer's ability to manage and compare different versions of SAS catalogs.

"Data Tables: Highlighting Techniques", Christopher A. Roper, Oualex Consulting Services Inc., Hillsville, VA

Data tables are arguably one of the best looking widgets in SAS®. This makes them a popular choice for replacing the venerable Extended Table widget as a selection list, or front end to a data set. The modellviewer paradigm is an extremely flexible tool that gives the Data Table, and it's parent class the Table Editor, an extensive utility across a broad range of applications. Combined with the abundance of methods available to the Data Table class, this widget can add a very nice touch of polish to an application, giving it the professional, finished appearance a client demands and deserves. This paper will illustrate five scenarios for using highlighting to make the Data Table object more attractive and functional for your information consumers.

"Qu/ZZER: A Fun, Fast-Paced Game", (An After-Hours Event!) Christopher A. Roper, Oualex Consulting Services Inc., Hillsville, VA

Ouizzer is a fun, fast paced game in the format of the popular TV game show Jeopardy!®. Written entirely using SASIAF and Frame, this application offers the opportunity to have a little fun while demonstrating the range of capabilities in the SAS system. The questions and answers are all related to the SAS system and are geared to be challenging enough for even the most experienced SAS expert, and yet simple enough for novice SAS users to be able to participate. There are two rounds of twenty-five questions, and a final quizzer round of one question where a team can bet it all. Contestants test their knowledge of SAS in a competitive, yet friendly environment of fair play, and unwittingly may leam a little more about the SAS system in the process.

"SQL Query Window Classes: How to Incorporate the SQL Column Expression Builder Class in Custom SASIAF Applications",

Christopher A. Roper, Oualex Consulting Services Inc., Hillsville, VA SOL (Structured Ouery language) is the standard language used for querying all major databases, including SYBASE, ORACLE, RED BRICK, D82, and others. The SAS Ouery window creates SOL expressions using SAS/AF Classes that are available to the SAS/AF developer. One of these class entries is the Expression Builder Class, named OWCLEXPR.CLASS in the

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SASHELP.SQL catalog. This is the class used by both the Query window and SAS/ASSIST to create calculated columns using SQl. This class may be called by any SASIAF entry to present the same interface the SAS Query window uses to build calculated columns for SOL queries. This paper will cover what the Expression Builder Class is, how to incorporate it into a SASIAF application, and the nuances of using this class effectively .

. "SQL Query Window Classes: How to Incorporate the SQL Where Expression Builder Class in Custom SASIAF Applications",

Christopher A. Roper, Qualex Consulting Services Inc., Hillsville, VA SQL (Structured Query Language) is the standard language used for querying all major databases, including SYBASE, ORACLE, RED BRICK, DB2, and others. The SAS Query window creates SQL expressions using SAS/AF Classes that are available to the SAS/AF developer. One of these class entries is the Where Clause Builder Class, named QWWHERE.CLASS in the SASHELP.SQL catalog. This is the class used by both the Query window and SAs/ASSIST to build SQL where clauses. This class may be called by any SAS/AF entry to present the same interface the SAS Query window uses to build where clauses for SOL queries. This paper will cover what the Where Clause Builder Class is, how to incorporate it into a SAS/AF application, and the nuances of using this class effectively.

"A Health Care Claims Data Mart: Construction and Exploitation", Marge Scerbo, CHPDM, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Stuart Levine, SAS Institute Inc.

Health care claims data are complicated animals. The eccentricities of this data include differences in the types of claims files and the services which populate those files, variations in the type of providers who service the population and the information needed about each type of provider, and finally, the actual populations of health care recipients and all of their individual specifications. Being able to sort through all of this data (and there is usually a lot of it!) and answers queries from insurers, providers, analysts, etc., and other people within your organization can be a real challenge. In the past, the solution was to have people submit requests for one or more programmers to extract data and run analyses. The problem was twofold: programmers were overwhelmed with requests, and worse, the data and/or analyses requested were not the correct solution to the problem. This paper will highlight how this challenge was met through the development of a Data Mart. This includes the steps taken in the design of the Mart, its base tables and MDDBs (Multi-Dimensional DataBase), the definition of SAs/EIS objects that can exploit MDDBs, and other specific customizations that were developed to allow one organization, the UMBC Center for Health Program Development and Management, to address these data access issues.

"SAS User-Defined Formats", Michel F. Schexnayder, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

SAS user-defined formats provide a too which can save programming and execution time as well as improve the appearance of output. User defined formats enhance the appearance of reports by substituting intelligible descriptions in place of obscure codes. The PROC FORMAT CNTUN= option converts a code table into a user-defined format. A SAS permanent library is the appropriate place to store user-defined formats. With the growth of this format library comes the need to document its contents. This documentation consists of: How can the format be updated? Where did the descriptions come from? When was the format last updated? SAS automatically provides some of the needed documentation. User-defined formats can subset a secondary file before sorting and merging with a primary file.

"SAS Institute Quality Partners - Who Are They?" Loretta Jo Schlatzer, SAS Institute Inc.

Institute Quality Partners are independent consulting organizations whose primary business is in providing consulting services using SAS software. Quality Partners must meet specific criteria in order to participate in the program. In addition, they must adhere to additional program requirements to ensure continued participation in the program. This criteria includes minimum

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education, participation at user group & business meetings, sponsorship by an Institute employee and customer references. One of the goals of the program is to identify those consultants who have proven SAS skills as well as business and subject matter expertise. This helps to ensure the SAS user community that when an altemative resource is required, SAS expertise is available, and that by selecting a Quality Partner they are more assured of the quality of service that will be provided. Quality Partners receive many 'perks'. These perks include: access to technology, training discounts, publication discounts, referrals, advance information via the QP Listserv and QP Newsletter. Additional discussion on the role of the Quality Partner, availability of QP'ers (via the QP on-line registry), determining how to find the right SAS expertise for the job, etc. Also, the program is expanding to include regional & global Quality Partners -- the similarities/differences, as well as other changes in the program (i.e., updated QP logo, availability of products), upcoming OP conference to be held in July, and QP FESTS, which are 1/2 day sessions to be held in regional offices designed specifically for Ouality Partners to keep them informed of the latest enhancements and product capabilities -- and provide an opportunity for interaction with local SAS Institute personnel -- The OP Fests may include opportunities for OP'ers to invite customers.

"How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love (?) Macros", (Poster) Ann Stephan, Texas State Comptroller's Office, Austin

Some in-house users requested a job which would allow them to enter a zip code & get a report showing taxpayer locations within that zip (with their master address information.). The original report listed both active and out-of-business locations. Then they decided that sometimes they wanted locations only (no masters). When there were a just a couple of selections, it was easy just to copy the original program - make a few changes & then save it under a different name, and they could execute it whenever they needed to. When anything changed - such as a data conversion from VSAM to DB2, all of the individual programs had to be changed, but we did it. Then the section decided that sometimes they wanted only Active locations. Then they decided that they wanted the same report for a certain city, county, special purpose district & transit authority. The thought of replicating all of that code over and over just wasn't so appealing, so I decided it was time to do some research. The first thing I discovered was %lNCLUDE - which allows one to store code in a PDS and then :include it in a job. This means that several jobs with varying selection criteria can call the "common" code. If changes are needed in the "common' code, you only have to change it once, and all of the programs acceSSing it will use the updated code. This worked great, until I realized that I needed to get the user-provided parameters into the code which was being "included". So, atter attending numerous classes and presentations, I finally I saw a use for the dreaded 'M' word (macros).

"Making DBRMs More Readable (or Playing With Strings)" (Poster) Ann Stephan, Texas State Comptroller's Office, Austin

A database request module, or DBRM, is created by the DB2 precompiler and contains information about SOL statements used. When programmers are attempting to debug SOL problems, they need to be able to locate the SOL used, cut and paste it, make changes, and then test the result. When first encountered by the author, a DBRM looked like a jumble. This poster explains how the author used SAS string-manipulation methods to generate a satisfying solution to the problem of making DBRMs more intelligible.

"Implementing Robust Statistical Calculations for Minimizing the Effect of Outliers", Rona Tracy, Oklahoma State Department of Votech Education

Traditional mean and standard deviation calculations are not considered robust because they have very low resistance to outliers. This presentation will discuss the SAS code for implementing Huber's m-estimate for the mean and a variation of the mean absolute deviation to replace the traditional calculation.

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"Dressing Up Your Version 6 Objects to Be Version 7 Components", Glen R. Walker, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, and Tammy L. Gagliano, SAS Institute Inc., Chicago, IL

Version 7 SASIAF software exploits the SAS Component Architecture (SCOM) to provide application developers with a RAD tool for OO-based applications. We have made sure that all existing applications will continue to run under Version 7 with no changes from the developers. However, to derive benefits from the new technology, the old components will have to be upgraded to support the new features. In this paper we will discuss the few simple steps needed to make your existing components to work as SCOM objects.

"Introduction to Using PROC TABULATE", Thomas J. Winn Jr., Texas State Comptroller's Office, Austin

PROC TABULATE is used to build tabular reports containing descriptive statistical information, including hierarchical relationships among variables. PROC TABULATE is more powerful for producing tabulations than PROC FREQ, and it is a more flexible statistical report writer than PROC MEANS. It is well-worth the necessary investment of time and effort for learning the intricacies and subtleties of its syntax. This presentation will describe a Simplified, step· by-step approach for coding PROC TABULATE.

"Creating SAS Reports from Data Collected Via the Intemet Using Microsoft ProntPage@ 98 Hosted on a PC Running the Microsoft Personal Web Server®",

Robert Workman, Southem Connecticut State University, David Workman, Brazil Center, University of Texas at Austin, Richard Pless, Independent Consultant, Chicago, IL

The paper describes a project to collect and analyze data. The data is used to create reports for a faculty research and scholarship information system. The project design uses data collection forms created with Microsoft FrontPage® 98. The forms are hosted on a PC running the Microsoft Personal Web Server®. Users access the web page containing the forms, enter data, and submit the form. The data is stored on the PC's hard drive in comma delimited format. SAS® is used to create summary reports. SAS procedures used included INFILE with the DSD option, which allows comma-delimited files with consecutive missing values to be read correctly.

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Formal On-Line Demonstrations by SAS Institute at SCSUG '98

The Analyst Application Maura Stokes, SAS Institute Inc.

The Analyst Application provides a point-and-click interface to the basic statistical analyses in the SAS® System. This task-oriented approach is suitable for novices, experienced programmers, and statisticians alike--and a results tree makes managing the results very convenient. Ongoing interface work for the SAS System is based on the Analyst paradigm.

Enterprise Reporter™: Creative Reporting Melissa Thrall, SAS Institute Inc.

Titles, footnotes, report headers, page numbers, company logos, summaries, groupings, calculations, graphics, presentation-quality output as well as publishing output on the Web are just a few examples of what business users are looking for in a PC reporting package. The new Enterprise Reporter software provides reporting flexibility by allowing you to concentrate on designing business style reports ... without worrying about how to access your company's data. This presentation will demonstrate the many different types of reporting features found in Enterprise Reporter software.

Establishing a Repeatable Warehousing Process Tony Brown, SAS Institute Inc.

As part of its three-pronged approach to data warehousing, SAS Institute recognizes people as your company's number one corporate asset ... provides technology that integrates easily and grows with your needs ... and offers a tested and proven methodology to ensure success in establishing a repeatable warehousing process. All the while, you are building a new corporate asset in metadata which documents all the processes involved in deploying your warehousing strategy. This approach maximizes the effective use of existing hardware, software, data, and people resources.

The Future Interface to the SA~ System for PCs - A First Glance Paul Kent, SAS Institute Inc.

This paper describes a new user interface to the SAS® System. This interface is a state-of-the-art Microsoft Windows user interface, providing a highly integrated interface with the Windows system, other Windows applications, and the Web. It provides thin-client access to all Version 7 SAS System platforms including PC, UNIX, and mainframes-and dramatically improves the SAS System's ease of use. Transparent access to data and full access to the Output Delivery System (ODS) are also provided.

The New ADX Interface for Design and Analysis of Experimental Design Software Maura Stokes, SAS Institute Inc.

The new ADX interface provides a point-and-click approach to the design and analysis of standard experiments ... an approach of particular benefit to quality engineers, researchers, and other non-statisticians. The interface offers a desktop for organizing designs, step-by-step guidance, interactive graphics, report ~eneration, and HTML output. Available as an experimental product with Release 6.12 of the SAS System on UNIX and PC platforms, it will go production

. with Version 7.

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Rapid Applications Development using SAst Component Object Model (SCOM) in SAs/Ape' Software Glen Walker, SAS Institute Inc.

In this demo you willieam how to exploit the plug-and-play nature of SCOM components to develop business applications quickly with minimal coding. The new architecture allows for the development and deployment of re-useable components. You wilileam how to use the new GUI interface to connect visual components with models using drag and drop. You will also see the new property sheet in action. This new Version 7 enhancement is a must if you are, or con­sidering becoming, a SASlA~ programmer.

SAst Enterprise MinerTM Philip Easterling, SAS Institute Inc.

This presentation will provide an overview of Enterprise MinerTM, an integrated software product that is an end-to-end business solution for data mining. A graphical user interface (GUI) provides a user-friendly process flow that empowers you to define your data mining process (sample, explore, modify, model, and assess). Enterprise Miner contains a collection of sophisticated analysis tools having a common user-friendly interface that enables you to create and compare multiple models. Statistical and mining tools include clustering, variable selection, decision trees, linear and logistic regression, and neural networks. Data preparation tools include outlier detection, variable transformations, missing value imputation, random sampling, and the partitioning of data sets (into train, test, and validate data sets). Advanced visualization tools enable you to quickly and easily examine large amounts of data in multidimensional histograms, and to graphically compare modeling results. Enterprise Miner also allows you to manage, edit, export, and execute scoring code that is generated from a trained model. In addition, you can bring other SAS models or outside models into the Enterprise Miner environment via a modeling API. Finally, you can incorporate new or existing SAS code directly into the process flow.

Solving Business Problems with SASRntrNet™ Software Gary Young, SAS Institute Inc.

This demonstration will focus on common business problems faced by many organizations, and show how SAS Institute's Web technology can be deployed to solve these problems and bring the power of the SAS® System to desktops worldwide. See how SAS/lntrNet® software can help with report distribution, application distribution and deployment of thin clients.

University of Maryland Baltimore County: A Custom SASIEIS' and SASIA~ Application that Accesses Many MDDBs Stuart Levine, SAS Institute Inc.

Release 6.12 of the SAS® System introduced us to the Multi-Dimensional Data Base (MOOB), enabling a user to 'slice-and-dice' through large amounts of data using a few of the SASlEIS® reporting objects. The Data Mart application developed with and for UMBC's Center for Health Program Development and Management (CHPDM) accesses many MDDBs, along with the SAS/EIS objects to display their data and several custom SAS/AF® entries to access these objects. However, just like many features within the SAS System, there are always things we would like to do differently than how the developers envisioned us using them. Therefore, it also contains a series of customizations to SASIEIS objects in the form of method overrides. This demonstration will highlight not only the standard SASIEIS object features and behaviors, but also will show how an MODS can be structured for faster data access, some useful customizations to the SASIEIS objects that are available for displaying MDDB data, and a custom SAS/AF screen developed to 'subset' an MODS on non-dimensional variables (I'll tell why subset is in quotes at the demo!).

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Using ODS with the Base Reporting Procedures in Version 7 Paul Kent, SAS Institute Inc.

All SAS® procedures interact with the Output Delivery System (ODS) to give you more control over output. Some, like PAOe AEPOAT and PAOe TABULATE, have new syntax to specify this, but most rely on the features of PAOe TEMPLATE. This presentation explores the ODS HTML reporting features available for SAS procedure output in general, and then highlights the extra "special effects" possible in the REPORT and TABULATE procedures.

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