http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/ SAS Publishing Blog en Serendipity 1.0.3 - http://www.s9y.org/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:24:14 GMT http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/templates/wwwgeneric/img/rss_banner.png http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/ 1 1 saspublishinghttp://feedburner.google.com http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/pe3ebrsWt8c/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/33-I-am-thankful.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=33 0 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=33 nospam@example.com (Christine Kjellberg) Contributed by Christine Kjellberg, Marketing Operations Specialist

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, it’s a time to remember all that we are thankful for. Of course, I think we should remember all year long what we are truly thankful for and what matters most in our lives, but I digress. One of the small things that I am thankful for this year is this past week’s assignment.

Chapter 3 in the Certification Prep Guide is devoted to Editing and Debugging SAS Programs. Thankfully, this is a concept that I have grasped a hold of the first time around. Well, maybe it wasn’t the first time, as I did take a Programming I instructor-based course earlier this year. But I did retain the information and was able to move through the chapter quickly.

I understand the importance of a well-structured and laid out program. It’s easily read now and years later if someone needs to re-write or copy any code. This is a point that Ron Cody makes numerous references to in Programming by Example, and I’m sure in his other titles as well. I’ve seen programs that were so inconsistently written I can’t imagine having to come back to that, sometimes years later, and trying to update it. So another thing I should add to the list of things we should be thankful for are well-written and structured SAS programs.

If you want more information on debugging SAS programs, please look at Michelle Burlew’s book Debugging SAS Programs or Ron Cody’s book Cody’s Data Cleaning Techniques. Also, don’t forget the SAS Help and Documentation included within your software for debugging too.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. ]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:24:14 -0500 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/33-guid.html authors base certification christine kjellberg michelle burlew proc certify ron cody thanksgiving http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/33-I-am-thankful.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/csoKNaKx3LI/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/32-In-My-Own-Words.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=32 0 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=32 nospam@example.com (Stacey Hamilton) Contributed by Stacey Hamilton, SAS Press Acquisitions Editor

I can still remember most of the lines of the poem:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
and sorry I could not travel both . . .

I’ve forgotten what I ate for lunch yesterday, so for me to remember the words of Robert Frost's “The Road Not Taken,” a poem we were required to memorize in sophomore English in 1985, is a miracle. But that isn’t really my point. The point I hope to make here is that I don’t think memorization is enough. Yes, I memorized all the lines to Frost’s poem, but could I have told you at the time what the poem means? I doubt it.

This is one of the main challenges I face when I study the Certification Prep Guide, or Ron Cody’s Learning SAS by Example. I read the words and take copious notes, but do I understand what I read? I am afraid I am just memorizing terms like LIBNAME and DATA step and program data vector (!) and not really “getting it.” Is it because I don’t use this stuff in my day-to-day job? But then I think: I never really understood physics, but I ended up with good grades in the class because I learned to study what I expected to be on the test (much like I did when I took my driver’s license exam [note: that is a joke]). Is this how I am going to end up approaching this challenge?

One way I’ve found that makes the content more relevant is to try to explain terms and the reasons you might run a particular procedure in my own words. I tried to use this technique in our last study session. It certainly helped me to better understand what I’m reading, and I hope it helped my study partners as well.

I’ll close with Frost. I do understand the poem now, and I think that my journey toward taking the certification exam is indeed the “grassy” path that wants wear. I only hope that taking this road “less traveled by” doesn’t get me lost. If you have any ideas how I can make this content more real to me, I welcome them. Also, for those of you who have taken the certification exam (and passed), I’d like your perspective on how much memorization you had to do and if it is even possible to study “to the test,” so to speak.

]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:31:29 -0500 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/32-guid.html base certification proc certify robert frost stacey hamilton http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/32-In-My-Own-Words.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/IkQnDi7h8DQ/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/30-Two-new-titles,-one-relieved-editor.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=30 0 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=30 nospam@example.com (John West) Contributed by John West, Acquisitions Editor, SAS Press

I’m excited to announce that SAS Press will have two more new books available for sale soon! Output Delivery System: The Basics and Beyond by Lauren Haworth, Cynthia Zender, and Michele Burlew, and Combining and Modifying SAS Data Sets: Examples, Second Edition by Michele Burlew will be available November 16th.

Geared toward all levels of SAS users, the example driven Output Delivery System: The Basics and Beyond is a greatly expanded version of Lauren Haworth’s 2001 book, Output Delivery System: The Basics. So if you have that book, you’ll definitely want the new ODS book! The new book was developed using SAS 9.2 and, at 636 pages, it is double the size of the first book. In addition to material for new ODS users, the new book also includes much more advanced material and new features of ODS, including information on the ODS Graphics Framework and the new ODS Statistical Graphics procedures. Like the original ODS book, the new book has the same easy-to-use, two-page layout, with explanations and code on the left side and the resulting output on the right side.

The second book that will be available this month will be Combining and Modifying SAS Data Sets: Examples, Second Edition by Michele Burlew. Yes, Michele has been very busy working on two books at the same time! Building on the popularity of the first edition, Michele has revised this popular examples book to include expanded content and new features of SAS software. Completely updated for SAS 9.2, the new edition presents examples that show solutions to common programming tasks that involve combining, modifying, and reshaping data sets. Some unique features of this book include:

• Examples are grouped by task, not by code, so you can easily find a solution to a particular task
• Alternative solutions are presented in addition to the main examples
• Most examples that combine and modify data sets include both a DATA step and a PROC SQL solution
• Many examples include a "Closer Look" section that describes in-depth how the example helps you complete the task
• Each example stands on its own so you do not need to read the book from beginning to end.
]]> Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:08:21 -0500 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/30-guid.html authors john west new books ods sas press http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/30-Two-new-titles,-one-relieved-editor.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/VknFa82-3cI/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/29-Ive-been-writing-in-a-bubble!.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=29 0 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=29 nospam@example.com (Jonathan Hornby) Contributed by Jonathan Hornby, Director of Worldwide Marketing for Performance Management at SAS

Radical Action for Radical Times came to life after the Lehman Bros collapse of 2008. I had just got back from vacation and couldn’t believe the depth and speed of ramifications rippling out.

A few years earlier I had collaborated with Joel Barker – the guy that popularized “paradigm shifts." He taught me how to think through cascading consequences and the implications for strategy. A very simple approach based on the wisdom of crowds. Once you latch on to this way of thinking, you quickly begin to see how events could unearth opportunities and threats – fast. To learn more, read chapter 2 of Radical Action for Radical Times here.

Back to the collapse. Given the frequency of layoffs, firms announcing “unprecedented economic uncertainty” and bankruptcy, I realized many would panic. I feared we could enter an economic spiral of doom – more layoffs and disposals beget more fear, creating more pressure for business, which in turn leads to more layoffs. You get the picture. One year on, we are not out of the woods yet – there are shoots of recovery but it could all go downhill fast.

I personally believe many of the reactions are unnecessary. We are beginning to witness firms cut muscle and bone – not fat. Back in 2007, SAS commissioned Business Week to conduct a survey on the subject of performance management. There were 2 startling statistics:

1. Less than 50% of executives understood what drove cost, profit or value
2. Only 20% of CEOs and CFO believed they had the agility to adapt

Put another way, 50% of the time a company could be destroying profit, and even when pointed out only 20% will be able to change successfully.

This rang true with my own experience. In the field of activity based management if you stack up your customers in terms of how they contribute to profit, you will typically observe the following:

• 20% of your customers deliver 500% of your final declared profit
• 60% merely break even
• The final 20% destroy 400% to bring you back to 100%

If organizations could simply stop doing unprofitable business, perhaps they didn’t need to layoff all those staff. Perhaps they didn’t need to divest assets.

A fundamental problem here is that most organizations confuse revenue with profit - the higher the revenue, the better the customer right? Wrong. They are also pressured by financial markets to deliver in the present, not future. But if you don’t manage for the future, you might not have a future! Perhaps the biggest culprit is this – we all assume someone far cleverer than ourselves has accounted for all these deficiencies in our own organization – think again!

I could go on, but I won’t. There are many issues with how we “manage." Radical Action for Radical Times exposes many of them and provides alternatives that allow you to prosper in good or bad economic times. They may be radical for some, common sense for others, but I can guarantee at least one idea will capture your imagination and change your perception – I just don’t know which.

What was to be done?

I had a sense of what was needed. I didn’t have all the answers, but more importantly, who would listen? I’m not a professor at a respected university. I hadn’t written a single book. I work for a software company that helps organizations make better decisions. Who would listen … particularly amidst all the noise about how bad the banking system was?

To get the ink flowing, I decided to leverage the knowledge and fame of others. I reached out to International Speakers Bureau – a group with direct access to thought leaders, book authors and management gurus. Together we recruited 10 thought leaders to join me on a series of webcasts. Everyone gave their time freely – we were on a mission to help others. It took a little over a month to recruit the speakers then we went live on January 7, 2009. In all we captured four hours of discussion over five weeks. Over 1,000 people watched the series within the first month.

But that was just the beginning. After each webcast, I spent hours with my new found friends. I wanted to get into their minds and cover topics and ideas we simply couldn’t fit into the show. Those ideas became the book Radical Action for Radical Times. I had a ton of fun and couldn’t learn enough – my mind was a sponge.

The book took just four months to write; editing then publishing a further five. Having read others comments on how long such an exercise typically takes, I’ve come to the conclusion that I must have written the book in a bubble – totally oblivious to the normal cycles. Having your own in house publishing team certainly helps!

As soon as I wrote the last chapter, we took the ideas on the road. I was too impatient to wait for it to be published – I wanted to help socialize the ideas and get instant feedback. We visited six cities in America and hosted interactive dinners for executives. I spent 40 minutes recapping key points from each chapter then opened it up to our guests – what issues were they dealing with? … how had their firms responded? … which ideas from the book captured their imagination?

As I suspected, different ideas appealed to different people. By diversifying the topics, we increased the probability of helping others. It was working! To continue the conversation, I have even started my own blog “Beyond Business."

The best part though is that all royalties are being donated to children’s cancer research. It will make a difference in more way than one.
]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:31:37 -0500 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/29-guid.html author spotlight jonathan hornby performance management publishing radical action for radical times http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/29-Ive-been-writing-in-a-bubble!.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/rOgMWAPOJhE/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/28-The-Creeps.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=28 1 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=28 nospam@example.com (Christine Kjellberg) I realize that Halloween is a week behind us, but thinking of some of things I saw last week I still get the creeps. For example, we had a pumpkin decorating contest here in our building at SAS. Well, one contestant called their pumpkin “The Rat” – and on the outside of the pumpkin there were two, large plastic snakes. You were invited to lift the lid off this pumpkin and look inside, but honestly, those snakes were so realistic they gave me the creeps and I couldn’t get near it (looks gross, doesn't it?).

Every now and again, I see ways of programming creeping into my everyday life and sometimes it makes me laugh, while other times I just have to shake my head. You know you might be “enjoying” programming a little too much when you start sending if – then scenarios written in SAS code in personal emails!

Our assignment this week was to cover Chapter 2 in the Certification Prep Guide and the correlating chapter in Ron Cody’s book, Learning SAS by Example which was chapter 4. The main topic of these chapters were referencing files and creating permanent data sets. While the consensus was that the Prep Guide was just a tad dry, we found Cody’s book to give us the clarification that I know I needed. Thanks Ron for writing a book that makes learning SAS a little bit easier.

This week in our study group session we spent some time discussing data null. There was some confusion as to whether or not this step was used that much in the real-world, so today we are asking you to give us a simple example of when you use this step. It was later explained to me by someone with years of programming experience the benefits of using this step; mainly, the fact that by using data null you are not using disk space to generate a new dataset. While the creation of a new dataset isn’t that big of a deal in a classroom environment when our data is small, I image that when your data sets are larger it makes a huge difference.

So, share with us your simple, real-world application for data null and let us know how SAS programming is creeping into your life outside of work. ]]> Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:00:53 -0500 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/28-guid.html certification christine kjellberg proc certify sas http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/28-The-Creeps.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/66NVAEwQBC8/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/27-A-Whole-Lotta-Happy!.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=27 0 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=27 nospam@example.com (Julie Platt) Contributed by Julie Platt, Editor-in-Chief, SAS Press

The North Carolina State Fair just closed. This year’s theme was a “A Whole Lotta Happy” and drew in a record-breaking 900,000 people. Whether you go there for the rides or the games or the exhibits or the animals or the giant pumpkins or the latest fried concoction, the State Fair offers something for everyone. Every year, the fair is a little different, reflecting feedback from attendees and new ideas. Favorite attractions are brought back and new features added. Without fail, the experience delights those who attend.

The SAS Press library offers a whole lotta happy for SAS and JMP users. The library has been built over the past 20 years based on feedback from SAS and JMP users worldwide. Authors have contributed a great variety of content—examples, case studies, tips and techniques, guided how-to, concepts, and real-world data. The content is available in a variety of formats—print, pdf, and epub. Author pages, discussion forums, social media, and conferences offer direct connections with the authors, themselves.

What are the next greatest concoctions to delight SAS and JMP users? Be on the lookout for these in the next few weeks:

• Combining and Modifying SAS Data Sets: Examples, Second Edition, which completes the Base SAS examples book trilogy.
• Output Delivery System: The Basics and Beyond, an updated and greatly expanded edition of Output Delivery System: The Basics.
• Free Author webinar that will hit some highlights from Output Delivery System: The Basics and Beyond on November 19!
• Elementary Statistics Using SAS, a revision of the ever-popular SAS System for Elementary Statistical Analysis.

As always, come join in the happy at support.sas.com/publishing and become a fan on Facebook! ]]> Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:43:49 -0500 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/27-guid.html authors coming soon jmp julie platt nc state fair sas press webinar http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/27-A-Whole-Lotta-Happy!.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/avHYhS-buj0/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/26-Whats-up-with-PROC-CERTIFY.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=26 1 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=26 nospam@example.com (Dan Harrell) Contributed by Dan Harrell, project leader for Documentation Development’s certification guides

I’m sure you are eagerly following Christine Kjellberg and Stacey Hamilton’s journey to become certified 9.2 base SAS programmers? Tracking their adventure is more fun than reality TV. Who needs “Survivor” or “Big Brother” when we have Christine’s and Stacey’s march to Tribal Council?

So, how is it going with Christine and Stacey? Lots of reading and studying I’m sure.

I asked several SAS employees who have passed the Base Certification exam for some tips to pass on to Stacey and Christine. Here are their comments:

Chris Laurey
“I studied for the certification exam by using the Base SAS Certification Prep Guide. This book was VERY useful, because it had topics by chapter and practice questions. I got the certification about 4 or 5 years ago now. I recommend this book to anyone who is studying for the exam. The biggest piece of advice I have is to work practice questions. I think that this is most helpful.”

Terri Laurey (Terri is Chris’ wife, and yes, the couple who studies and passes the SAS Certification exam together STAYS together.)
Terri passed the Base exam in May 2005 and the Advanced exam in November 2005

"For the Base exam – at that time I took it, there was a SPEL program that was designed specifically to teach you stuff for the exam. There was a practice exam at the end. It was a full e-course and not the list of Base programming classes and the separate exam. I’m not sure if they have it now – But, from what I see I think the equivalent for today would be:
• SAS Programming Introduction: Basic Concepts
• SAS Programming 1: Essentials
• SAS Programming 2: Data Manipulation Techniques
• SAS Certification Practice Exam: Base Programming for SAS 9

Tips for the Base exam:
• On the exam READ CAREFULLY! The exam tests your attention to detail.
• Always remember the semicolon “;”. It will always be your best friend.
• As in any multiple choice – the best technique is process of elimination. Even if you know the right answer, cross out the ones that are completely wrong and work your way from
there. This is a general standardized test taking technique.
• Don’t assume that because you program in SAS everyday that you can pass the exam. I have met several individuals who program in SAS all the time, but did not pass the Base
exam on the first try. The reason is that the exam also tests your knowledge of very specific components and what you do from day to day does not cover the full scope of SAS.
• Don’t rush on the exam. You have plenty of time on the Base exam.”

Michael Harvey
Michael passed the Base Certification exam in July 2008

“The online review material and practice exams helped quite a bit. The thing that helped me the most was taking the Certification Review training class. We not only reviewed the material, we were taught an effective strategy for taking the test. I approached the exam with a lot of confidence after taking the review.

Take the recommended classroom training if you have the time – it helps to be able to discuss the material with experts. Otherwise it’s like taking the SAT or GRE: prepare, get a good night’s sleep the night before you take the exam, and pace your responses so that you have time to review them before the clock runs out.”

Lisa Davenport
Here are some tips and insight from the writer of the Base SAS Certification Guide

“When using the Base SAS Certification Prep Guide, study at your computer while running your SAS application. This will allow you to do the following:

• Work through the examples as you go through each chapter
• Compare your output to the output shown in the book
• Do the sample exercises on the CD for each chapter
• Get hands-on practice reading the SAS Log and debugging programs."

Lisa has many other great suggestions:

• Two heads are better than one, so consider finding a study buddy or creating a study group. Try to get together on a regular basis to work together debugging programs and
understanding difficult concepts.
• Make a study plan and schedule weekly goals for how much you want to have covered each week (e.g. number of pages or chapters in the Prep Guide). If practical, include your
study buddy or group in the schedule.
• Bookmark places in the Prep Guide where you may need more practice or have questions.
• Look at all your exam preparation options and decide if want to use tools other than the Prep Guide to prepare for
the exam.
• Familiarize yourself with the exam. This will help you feel prepared, boost your self confidence, and get rid of any unknowns about what to expect on test day. Visit The SAS Global
Certification Program Web site.

Stacey and Christine, I hope these tips will help you in your studies and preparation for taking the Base SAS Certification exam. Good luck, we are all cheering for you! ]]> Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:16:16 -0500 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/26-guid.html certification dan harrell exam proc certify publishing sas http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/26-Whats-up-with-PROC-CERTIFY.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/ZGWDAv1ZJQs/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/25-Live-from-PBLS.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=25 0 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=25 nospam@example.com (Stacey Hamilton) Contributed by Stacey Hamilton, Acquisitions Editor, SAS Press

Our day started in the exhibit hall with a delicious Tex Mex breakfast and lots of visitors interested in buying the speakers' books, which we have in stock for purchase. We have Wiley and SAS Business Series titles, including Thornton May's The New Know, as well as titles by Malcolm Gladwell, Martha Rogers, and Geoffrey Moore, among others. I had the pleasure of meeting Martha yesterday and Geoffrey this (Thursday) morning. Martha came in to buy a copy of Jonathan Hornby's Radical Action for Radical Times, to which she was a contributor. I met Geoffrey, who is also a contributor to Jonathan's book, at the very early hour of 7 a.m., and he talked to me on camera about what it was like to work with Jonathan on the book and discussed some of the concepts addressed there. See my photo with Thornton May, he was a great interview that I look forward to sharing with all of you!

Yesterday, during the evening reception, Dr. Goodnight and Jim Davis walked through the exhibit hall, greeting and chatting with customers. That was fun to see, with some customers getting out their cameras to snap a photo. I was tempted to take my little HD camera over there, but I suspect they were a little busy. But the reception was lovely and we appreciate the Caesar's employees who take the time to bring us appetizers in the publishing booth. It was much appreciated.

Although we didn't give away all the books in our Twitter giveaway, we did give away 3, and I was able to help one woman set herself up on Twitter, using tips shared with me by SAS Publishing's own Kirsten Hamstra and Shelly Goodin. We have another giveaway today, so we'll see how it goes.

So the final day of the conference has begun, and the network hall is starting to fill up, so I'll sign off now. I did realize this morning--to my dismay--that I've not been outside since Sunday. And I think that is just a little weird. Tomorrow I'll be posting my final blog from Las Vegas, as Halloween festivities will commence Friday night. I'll be back in Cary on Sunday, and I hope to post a wrap-up next week.

Viva Las Vegas! ]]> Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:36:03 -0400 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/25-guid.html authors conferences pbls stacey hamilton thornton may twitter http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/25-Live-from-PBLS.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/tVq4iCNCKEU/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/24-Live-from-M2009-Day-3.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=24 0 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=24 nospam@example.com (Stacey Hamilton) Contributed by Stacey Hamilton, Acquisitions Editor, SAS Press

Tuesday was a great day at M2009. I was able to talk to SAS Press author Randy Collica, who is working on a new edition of CRM Segmentation and Clustering Using SAS Enterprise Miner. I interviewed him and Curt Hinrichs, another SAS Press author, who is a coauthor of the upcoming JMP Essentials: An Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide for New Users. Although my interviewing skills leave quite a bit to be desired, Randy and Curt were great. I look forward to seeing their interviews on our SAS YouTube channel.

One of the oddest things about yesterday were the birds. When we arrived in the exhibit hall in the morning, two sparrows had somehow gotten into the room and were dive-bombing the ice buckets. Kind of cool, but not really good for business, so Caesar's staff removed the ice buckets. Eventually, at about 11, they turned all the lights out in the hall and opened the doors in the hope that the birds would leave (apparently sparrows fly toward the sun [at least that is what someone told me]). I believe it worked, because I didn't hear a peep the rest of the afternoon. I hope they made it out of the hotel.

I tell the bird story because it is a great segue to the success of our Twitter giveaway. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people on Twitter at the conference. We had six very happy winners yesterday. Check out our M2009 photo album on Facebook to see them with their prized SAS Publishing data mining books.

Tuesday night's PBLS opening reception was great fun. Cirque de Soleil performers wandered the room (see left), and others performed what I can only call feats of strength. So now it is day one at PBLS, and the exhibit hall has undergone a shocking transformation in the span of one night. The room has a completely different look, with new signage and a more open feel. I look forward to our Twitter giveaway this morning and to interviewing some more authors. A nice surprise this morning was meeting SAS Press author Bobby Hull. I had no idea he was going to be here. But we have an interview scheduled for this afternoon, where I'm sure he'll be talking about his new title, Manufacturing Best Practices: Optimizing Productivity and Product Quality. Watch out Oprah, here I come! ]]> Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:31:40 -0400 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/24-guid.html authors conferences data mining m2009 pbls sas sas press stacey hamilton http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/24-Live-from-M2009-Day-3.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/BsIHJIStQts/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/23-Live-from-M2009-Day-2.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=23 0 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=23 nospam@example.com (Stacey Hamilton) Contributed by Stacey Hamilton, Acquisitions Editor, SAS Press

I’m tired. But in a good way. We had a great day in the SAS Publishing booth. We had a lot—and I do mean a lot—of traffic in the booth, much of it thanks to the early-bird book giveaway special. And I got to talk to a lot of cool people, some of whom had some really good book ideas. But what was really fabulous was the enthusiasm for our Twitter promotion. Congratulations to our 6 winners (I did notice that I misspelled “winner” in one of my Tweets today—that makes me feel really bad). Be sure to watch the @SASPublishing account Tuesday morning at M2009. We’ll be giving away another six books, and if today is any indication, they’ll be gone by noon (as of 9 a.m. PST, already 2 winners!).

Another highlight of the day was getting to interview on video John Elder and Don Henderson. Both are awesome speakers, and they made my first two interviews (ever) go very smoothly. Watch for these on Facebook and the SAS YouTube channel next week.

Now to the important part: dinner. We headed to Joe’s Seafood and Prime Steak Restaurant. I tried to think of my eating experience there as sort of a “throwdown” with Bobby Flay, whose Mesa Grille restaurant we visited last night. Although the meals at both places were spectacular, I think Joe’s gets the edge thanks to their awesome service and atmosphere. Sorry, Bobby! I’m a huge fan, but Joe’s edged you out a bit tonight.

As I’m sure most of you know, the Giants lost Sunday night, which sort of killed my gambling spirit, until I found the penny slots tonight. Wish me luck and a little bit of sleep tonight.
]]> Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:52:29 -0400 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/23-guid.html conferences data mining m2009 sas stacey hamilton twitter http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/23-Live-from-M2009-Day-2.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/dKjInF8570Y/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/22-Live-from-M2009-Day-1.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=22 3 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=22 nospam@example.com (Stacey Hamilton) Contributed by Stacey Hamilton, Acquisitions Editor, SAS Press

I had every intention of blogging daily from M2009 and PBLS, but I never found a free moment yesterday to write down anything. I don’t like to think about it because it makes me exhausted, but I think I stayed awake for 24 hours yesterday. After a delay in Dallas, I landed in Las Vegas at about 4 p.m. West Coast time, and after getting over the fact that I am on the 24th floor at Caesar’s Palace, I hit the ground running.

The highlight of last night was not, unfortunately, my big win at the poker table (because that didn’t happen). It was the Penn and Teller show at the Rio. As you probably know, they are master illusionists who let the audience in on some of the secrets of their “magic.” I was fortunate enough to be called on stage to participate in an illusion, which I thought was thrilling (and I got my picture taken with both of them - see me with Penn on the right).

This morning it was back to work as my SAS Publishing colleague Chuck London and I set up the publications booth in the exhibit hall (look for photos in tomorrow’s blog post). The space we have there is huge. We have a nice couch and comfy chairs, which give the whole space a welcoming vibe. As a bonus, we were able to meet a couple of M2009 attendees this morning. This year the organizers of M2009 offered an “early bird” special, which was a choice of two SAS Press books, to those who registered early. I believe those who signed up early numbered about 120, so I expect we’ll have brisk traffic tomorrow in the booth, which will be great. I love interacting with our customers, and I hope to meet some very interesting people this week.

Tonight we’re heading to Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grille for dinner, and I bet $20 on the Giants, who had better win tonight. Otherwise my gambling days are going to be over before the conferences even begin!

Vegas is a great city, and Caesar’s is a great place to host a conference. I look forward to a great week! ]]> Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:04:10 -0400 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/22-guid.html conferences data mining m2009 penn teller sas stacey hamilton http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/22-Live-from-M2009-Day-1.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/SpfIYx4zbto/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/21-The-right-attitude.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=21 0 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=21 nospam@example.com (Christine Kjellberg) Contributed by Christine Kjellberg, Marketing Operations Specialist

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude – Thomas Jefferson

How true this saying is for all of us in various situations. Our study group met this week for the second time and we realized that we had lofty ambitions by thinking we could study and, more importantly, retain nine chapters worth of material in two weeks. Also, we have only scheduled an hour to discuss the material we have covered. Clearly we were not going to be able to discuss that amount of material in an hour. In Stacey Hamilton’s last post, The right note, she posed the question of whether our undertaking of material was too much or not enough. Well, we realized this week that it was too ambitious of an attempt for the first session.

So we readjusted our plan with our study mate and thoroughly discussed the first chapters of both books, Certification Prep Guide and Learning SAS by Example. One question that we all got incorrect is the below.

How many program steps are executed when the program below is processed?
Data user.tables;
Infile jobs;
Input date name $ job $;
Run;
Proc sort data=user.tables;
By name;
Run;
Proc print data= user.tables;
Run;

a. Three
b. Four
c. Five
d. Six

Each of us jumped to the same conclusion that the answer was D (6) until we looked at the answer key. Obviously when we went back and reread the question, a little more slowly and carefully this time, it was obvious the answer was A (3). We came to the conclusion, and please correct me if this is wrong, that program steps are always a statement but that statements are not always a program step. Did we get that right?

The rest of the quiz/problems in the chapter we all grasped and didn’t have questions on so we felt fairly confident in what we had learned, and most importantly, retained. The next assignment is to cover chapter 2 in the Prep Guide and the corresponding chapter in Cody’s book, which is chapter 4. These chapters cover referencing files and creating permanent data sets.

We know that we have a long way to go, but we’ve got the right attitude and know that if we just take it slowly, focus and talk with folks with more programming experience that we’ll get through this. ]]> Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:27:11 -0400 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/21-guid.html certification christine kjellberg exam proc certify publishing sas http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/21-The-right-attitude.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/EwwqcpJBeoY/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/20-The-other-side-of-Mount-Certify.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=20 3 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=20 nospam@example.com (Brenda Kalt) Contibuted by Brenda Kalt, Development Tester, Publications Product Testing

I work in Publications, and I'm looking at “PROC CERTIFY;” from the other side of the mountain. In September I took the exam and passed it comfortably. I reviewed three nights before taking it (generally missing what I should have read and reading what wasn't on the test). I studied so little because I took the practice exam four months earlier and passed it comfortably. Cold. No review at all.

What happened?

I've been using SAS since 1980. In 1982 I was hired as a technical writer and quickly specialized in the DATA step and the SAS macro facility. (I also documented procedures when Publications was tiny.) Between 1987 and 1994, I wrote or peer-reviewed almost every word that came out of the Publications Base group regarding the DATA step and the macro facility. I was the DATA step guru in Pubs.

When I left technical writing in 1997 (to be an applications developer and then a tester), I knew that I knew base SAS. But time passes, and when I told people in recent years “Yes, I know the DATA step,” I wondered what they thought. Passing a public exam gave me a credential to back up the assertion.

What about the exam itself? Previous comments have implied that the exam was hard. Or easy. From my perspective, if I had taken a V6 certification exam in 1994, I probably would have thought it was easy. When I was using my knowledge daily I could have looked at a multiple-choice question and known the right answer. In 2009 I said “Probably D,” but I confirmed it by saying “It can't be A because of such-and-such; it can't be B because of something else; it can't be C because of another thing; so it's D.” That strategy took much more mental effort and more time than knowing the answers off the top of my head. I rechecked one answer and ended the exam with two minutes to spare.

(FYI, my weakest areas were the procedures and engines. I didn't work with them much either as a technical writer or as an applications developer. When I reviewed, I looked for the latest developments in the areas I knew and didn't realize I had blind spots.)

At a detailed level, the questions were well designed. I strongly compliment the people in the Education Division who created them. Each one required knowing several different facets of Base SAS. The wrong answers were plausible--something I understand is hard for experts to create because they've forgotten beginners' thought processes. Instructors in the Education Division hear beginners' mistakes every week.

The practice question that Stacey Hamilton posted about YEARCUTOFF= is realistic. Here's another sample (not an actual exam question, of course):

The setup showed a DATA step that contained various forms of KEEP and DROP plus some basic programming statements. The question was “How many variables will be in the output data set? A. 10 B. 11 C. 14 D. The step does not execute due to a syntax error.”

Hmm. A person who didn't understand the effect of placement on KEEP and DROP would count 14 variables. A person who thoroughly understood them would count 10. A person who read the code closely would also notice that one programming statement contained a misspelled variable name. The person would have to know how SAS creates variables to judge the effect of that error. If the misspelling didn't create a syntax error, were there syntax errors in any of the other programming statements?

When I first saw questions like this, I thought “Unfair! A trick question.” Then I realized, “No. People get jobs on the basis of the knowledge implied by Base SAS certification. A person who advertises him/herself as an expert in SAS programming has to work at this level.” SAS users, think of every irritating mistake you've ever made in using Base SAS, and know that you're responsible for spotting it in advance. You will be tested.

For me, having actively worked with Base SAS was the key to success. I personally could not have translated study into answering the questions in the time given. Those who can, I admire.

As an experiment, here's an exam-style exercise (without the multiple-choice answers).

Make a text file on your C: drive containing these book titles:

The Executioner's Song
A Short History of a Small Place
Angela's Ashes

Write a SAS program that puts them into a SAS data set and displays them in alphabetical order (the exam used PROC PRINT for display when it wasn't testing procedure knowledge). Run it. Look at the output. Are all the words in each title there? Are the titles in alphabetical order? So far so good, except that looking for The Executioner's Song under T isn't helpful. Now change the SAS program to print the complete titles in order by the first significant word.

There are several ways to do this, from brute-force to slick. All of them require reading from an external file, choosing the correct style of input, identifying the first significant word in the title, alphabetizing by it, and displaying the result--multiple elements of Base SAS software, as in a certification question. Running the example translates what you're studying into practical SAS programming. It also gives you feedback as to whether your code is correct. When you can do this without looking at the documentation, you are climbing PROC (no, MOUNT) CERTIFY. ]]> Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:11:31 -0400 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/20-guid.html base brenda kalt certification exam proc certify sas http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/20-The-other-side-of-Mount-Certify.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/lTbmRhQ6YXw/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/19-The-right-note.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=19 0 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=19 nospam@example.com (Stacey Hamilton) Contributed by Stacey Hamilton, Acquisitions Editor, SAS Press

Have you seen that new show Glee? It is a musical-comedy about a glee club struggling to survive in a cheerleader-dominated world. Fox describes it as “a new comedy for the aspiring underdog in all of us.” I’m feeling like an aspiring underdog these days. But, like the kids in the glee club on the show, at least I have my partners in martyrdom to keep me motivated.

Our study group met for the first time to outline a schedule of “assignments” (which I need desperately to keep me focused). The group is small—just three of us—so I suspect we’ll be getting to know each other pretty well. Our idea is to assign ourselves readings from the Certification Prep Guide and then also a companion SAS Press book (right now the book of choice is Ron Cody’s Learning SAS by Example). We are expected to have covered the material in the books before we meet so that we can have a lucid discussion and bring questions and problems to the table in the hope that the others can help.

Our first assignment is big: chapters 1 through 4 of the Certification Prep Guide and chapters 1 through 5 of the Cody book. But each of us has gotten through a fair chunk of one or the other of the two books, so it isn’t quite as daunting as it seems. For example, I am already on chapter 3 of the Prep Guide, after having completely bombed the quiz following chapter 2 (I scored 60%). Very tricky, those Prep Guide writers (I’m thinking of you Dan Harrell, future PROC CERTIFY; guest blogger). One problem was the whole 4-digit versus 2-digit year thing. Their trick question:

In order for the date values 05May1955 and 04Mar2046 to be read correctly, what value must the YEARCUTOFF= option have?
a. A value between 1947 and 1954, inclusive
b. 1955 or higher
c. 1946 or higher
d. Any value

Thinking I was smart, I answered “a.” Of course the answer is “d,” because the scenario in the question used 4-digit numbers, so that, at least from the way that I understand it, the YEARCUTOFF= option is not necessary.

An inauspicious start. I hope it gets easier.

I’d love to hear from any of you who have taken the exam using the Prep Guide. Does the amount of material we hope to cover in two weeks sound about right? Too much? Too little? We welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions. And the invitation is still open if you want to join our own little glee club. Just send me an e-mail at stacey.hamilton@sas.com or comment on this post. ]]> Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:14:53 -0400 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/19-guid.html certification proc certify sas stacey hamilton http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/19-The-right-note.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/saspublishing/~3/mNm0MPKGuis/index.php http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/18-Our-over-populated-social-mediaverse.html#comments http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/wfwcomment.php?cid=18 0 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=18 nospam@example.com (George McDaniel) Contributed by George McDaniel, Acquisitions Editor, SAS Press

Hmmm. Let’s see. Facebook. Check. Twitter. Check. LinkedIn. Check. That’s about it for me, social media Website-wise. Guess I got that covered.

What? You say there’s more? Lots more? Boy, is there ever. Wikipedia lists 157 active social networking sites. My favorite in that bunch, which I’ve not been quite bold enough to approach, is Vampirefreaks. Wikipedia also lists a few defunct sites, but surprisingly only 10 so far. Among that group is something called Capazoo. What that was I guess I’ll never know. But Wikipedia is being conservative. Traffikd.com lists “over 400” active sites, nicely categorized from “Arts” to “Women.” And who knows how many have sprung up in the past few minutes. If there are that many suppliers out there, just think how many consumers there must be. According to Eskimosoup.com, there are almost 13 million Wikipedia articles, 100 million videos on YouTube, and 14 million users of Twitter. Facebook alone claims 300 million active users. If it were a country, it would be fourth largest in the world. According to Andy Lark, 96% of Generation Y (whatever that is) belong to a social network. Twelve percent of the couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media. And there are—ready for this?—said to be no fewer than 200 million blogs! Good grief. The numbers are staggering. What hath the Internet wrought?

One answer to that question is, Something like chaos. You’ve all seen those maps of social media sites. There’s one here and the Conversation Prism has one over here. Most of these maps attempt to bring order out of the chaos by categorizing and arranging the multitudinous sites in some kind of logical way. In fact, not surprisingly, a whole Internet cottage industry has grown up dedicated to making sense of all the social media stuff out there. In the book publishing niche occupied by SAS Press , there is specific help. The Spanish-language Website Soybits.com has a subway-style map of publishing-related Websites that I think is especially clever.

But as the sheer number of these things grows, graphic images can only handle so many elements. Sooner or later, the maps designed to clarify the chaos will start to look like a fractured windshield, with billions and billions of tiny points and fault lines. What then is the increasingly overwhelmed user to do? Find a few that you like and stick with them. If you like them, chances are others will like them too and those sites will bubble up to the top of the social media heap, while the defunct list grows. That’s why I’m sticking with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

And maybe, just for Halloween, that Vampirefreaks thing. ]]> Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:25:58 -0400 http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/18-guid.html george mcdaniel publishing sas press social media http://blogs.sas.com/publishing/index.php?/archives/18-Our-over-populated-social-mediaverse.html