Tag: books

Apologies to all my loyal blog members, and thank you for your patience over the last few weeks…

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Those of you who have tried to access my blog site during May and June experienced a very slow response, or, occasionally, no response at all, throughout the day. I have been investigating potential solutions, including using FPM (FastCGI Process Manager) to speed up the PHP programs. I was close to implementing this solution, but had actually made no changes, when the response times suddenly improved dramatically earlier this week. The performance improvements have been very welcome, but I have no explanation for them yet.

I do still intend to implement FPM, but there is less urgency now.

So, while the blog site is user-friendly again, don’t miss out on the pre-publication discounts on the new Altair SLC ebooks at The Book Table. More details can be found at Download pre-publication copies of my new books at discounted prices.

PS. You may have read that Altair SLC has been rebranded by Siemens as Rapidminer SLC, but this name has yet to appear in the software itself or its documentation, so the book titles will remain the same for now!

Saving money buying books directly from the publisher and this blog site

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The book prices shown below were correct at time of writing, but should be verified before purchasing. All books can be purchased using links from this blog site at The Book Table.

Note that Amazon is convenient, but usually more expensive, so you will pay more there, and authors will receive lower royalty payments. It is, of course, your choice, but please support independent authors by buying their books on publisher sites, or directly from their blog sites, and save money at the same time!

Publisher
Title
Format		Amazon price £Publisher price £Blog price £
Out of print
Saving Time and Money Using SAS (2007)
PDF ebook——7.50
Lulu.com
Power User’s Guide to SAS Programming (2011)
PDF ebook—3.753.00
Power User’s Guide to SAS Graph Templates (2013)
PDF ebook—3.753.00
Apress
SAS Programming and Data Visualization Techniques (2015)
Paperback48.9949.99—
ebook (various)46.5439.99—
Lulu.com
SAS Programming Experiences, 2nd Edition (2025)
Paperback37.4723.85—
PDF ebook—7.507.00
Altair SLC, 2nd Edition (2025)
Paperback21.5414.01—
PDF ebook—5.505.00
Advanced Altair SLC, 2026 Edition (2026)
PDF ebook——6.50(a), 7.00
Altair SLC for Business Users, 2026 Edition (2026)
PDF ebook——6.50(a), 7.00
Altair SLC for Companies, 2026 Edition (2026)
PDF ebook——6.50(a), 7.00

(a) sale price until 31Jul2026

My paperback books now have permanently lower prices on Lulu.com than on Amazon!

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Since November 2025 I have been reducing the prices of my paperbacks on Lulu.com in “odd” months, because I felt that the price hiking used by Amazon and other resellers was unfair to both my readers and me.

I have now found a way to permanently reduce the prices on Lulu.com by creating duplicate book projects, one for resellers only and the other just for Lulu.com. The book contents are identical, but the Lulu.com only versions will be printed on heavier paper (80gsm) and priced lower. The reseller versions will still be printed on 60gsm paper.

Book titleAmazon and other resellersLulu.com only
SAS Programming Experiences, 278 pages60gsm paper, £37.7380gsm paper, £23.32
Altair SLC, 112 pages60gsm paper, £21.0880gsm paper, £13.76

So which version would be the best choice for you?

March’s paperback 30% discounts on Lulu.com will expire on 30 March

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Please do not buy these paperbacks from resellers now they have become available, like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., as the resellers over-inflate their prices, but wait for discounted prices for the paperbacks on Lulu.com between the 1st and 30th day of “odd” months (Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep and Nov), or download the equivalent ebooks instead (always discounted) from the Book Table, which is where the lowest prices for my paperbacks and ebooks can always be found.

More details can be found at 2nd Edition paperbacks now have 30% discounts on Lulu.com in “odd” months.

You may ask why I am discounting the book prices. I consider the discounted paperbacks on Lulu.com and discounted downloads on this site to be a win-win: you pay a much lower price than on Amazon and I get a higher royalty payment!!

Please support your independent authors and publishers! Thank you.

January’s paperback 30% discounts on Lulu.com will expire on 30 January

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Please do not buy these paperbacks from resellers now they have become available, like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., as the resellers over-inflate their prices, but wait for discounted prices for the paperbacks on Lulu.com between the 1st and 30th day of “odd” months (Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep and Nov), or download the equivalent ebooks instead (always discounted) from the Book Table, which is where the lowest prices for my paperbacks and ebooks can always be found.

More details can be found at 2nd Edition paperbacks now have 30% discounts on Lulu.com in “odd” months.

You may ask why I am discounting the book prices. I consider the discounted paperbacks on Lulu.com and discounted downloads on this site to be a win-win: you pay a much lower price and I get a higher royalty payment!!

Please support your independent authors and publishers! Thank you.

November’s paperback 30% discounts on Lulu.com will expire on 30 November

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Please do not buy these paperbacks from resellers now they have become available, like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., as the resellers over-inflate their prices, but wait for discounted prices for the paperbacks on Lulu.com between the 1st and 30th day of “odd” months (Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep and Nov), or download the equivalent ebooks instead (always discounted) from the Book Table, which is where the lowest prices for my paperbacks and ebooks can always be found.

More details can be found at 2nd Edition paperbacks now have 30% discounts on Lulu.com in “odd” months.

You may ask why I am discounting the book prices. I consider the discounted paperbacks on Lulu.com and discounted downloads on this site to be a win-win: you pay a much lower price and I get a higher royalty payment!!

Please support your independent authors and publishers! Thank you.

STOP PRESS: Apologies for my blog site not being accessible between 31Oct2025 and early 02Nov2025. The site’s mySQL database became corrupted, so the blog site is now using a more stable and compatible MariaDB database. Fortunately, no data has been lost.

2nd Edition paperback books of “SAS Programming Experiences” and “Altair SLC” have been released to resellers, and today I saw them on Amazon. However, read this blog post first and be savvy buyers!

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2nd Edition paperback book versions of my 2024 books, “SAS Programming Experiences” and “Altair SLC”, have been released to resellers today. I have already seen them today on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, so they should be appearing soon on Barnes & Noble, etc. too!

Please do not just go to the resellers first to buy them. The paperback book prices are now 100% higher than for the 1st Editions, because Amazon and other resellers charge much higher distribution fees. Prices of the ebooks are unchanged for the 2nd Editions. However, I will endeavour to apply discounted prices regularly on Lulu.com and this blog, which will be advertised on the Book Table web page.

In particular, please consider purchasing ebook downloads from this blog site. Why? Because a download from here is cheaper AND allows you to download any future editions for free using the link in your confirmation email!

The Second Edition of each book now includes information about both the 2024 and 2025 releases of Altair SLC, and have been reviewed by Altair specialists.

Follow the links below for more details:

September’s paperback 30% discounts on Lulu.com will expire on 30 September

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Please do not buy these paperbacks from resellers (when they eventually become available), like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., as the resellers overinflate their prices, but wait for discounted prices for the paperbacks on Lulu.com between the 1st and 30th day of “odd” months (Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep and Nov), or download the equivalent ebooks instead (always discounted) from the Book Table, which is where the lowest prices for my paperbacks and ebooks can always be found.

More details can be found at 2nd Edition paperbacks now have 30% discounts on Lulu.com in “odd” months.

You may ask why I am discounting the book prices. I consider the discounted paperbacks on Lulu.com and discounted downloads on this site to be a win-win: you pay a much lower price and I get a higher royalty payment!!

Please support your independent authors and publishers! Thank you.

This month’s paperback 30% discounts on Lulu.com will expire on 30 July

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Please do not buy these paperbacks from resellers (when they eventually become available), like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., as the resellers overinflate their prices, but wait for discounted prices for the paperbacks on Lulu.com between the 1st and 30th day of “odd” months (Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep and Nov), or download the equivalent ebooks instead (always discounted) from the Book Table, which is where the lowest prices for my paperbacks and ebooks can always be found.

More details can be found at 2nd Edition paperbacks now have 30% discounts on Lulu.com in “odd” months.

You may ask why I am discounting the book prices. I consider the discounted paperbacks on Lulu.com and discounted downloads on this site to be a win-win: you pay a much lower price and I get a higher royalty payment!!

Please support your independent authors and publishers! Thank you.

2nd Edition paperbacks now have 30% discounts on Lulu.com in “odd” months

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The original editions only included details of the 2024 versions of Altair SLC, but with the release of 2025 versions of Altair SLC, it seemed right to revise my SAS Programming Experiences and Altair SLC paperbacks and ebooks to include the new features of Altair SLC 2025.

Some of the windows in Altair Analytics Workbench have changed significantly between 2024 and 2025, but the major difference you will see is that the 2nd Editions will be available shortly on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Ingram, etc.

However, please do not buy these editions there, as the resellers inflate their prices, but wait for discounted prices for the paperbacks on Lulu.com starting on 01Jul2025 (which should be in every “odd” month: Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep and Nov, from 1st to 30th each month), or download the equivalent ebooks instead from the Book Table, which is where the lowest prices for paperbacks and ebooks can always be found.

You may ask why I am discounting the book prices. I consider the discounted paperbacks on Lulu.com and discounted downloads on this site to be a win-win: you pay a much lower price and I get a higher royalty payment!!

Please support your independent authors and publishers! Thank you.

2nd Edition paperback books of “SAS Programming Experiences” and “Altair SLC” have been published today

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2nd Edition paperback book versions of my 2024 books, “SAS Programming Experiences” and “Altair SLC”, have been published today on Lulu.com. They will also be available shortly for global distribution (including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.).

The Second Edition of each book now includes information about both the 2024 and 2025 releases of Altair SLC, and have been reviewed by Altair specialists.

Follow the links below for more details:

Please note that the paperback book prices are now 100% higher than for the 1st Editions, because Amazon and other resellers charge much higher distribution fees. Prices of the ebooks are unchanged for the 2nd Editions. However, I will endeavour to apply discounted prices regularly on Lulu.com and this blog, which will be advertised on the Book Table web page.

I have Retired, the Sun is Shining, and the World has not Ended!! 10 Ways to Get the Most SAS Value from my Retirement…

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To me retirement only means not earning a salary from my SAS programming, which will, from now on, become a pure hobby. I will also be concentrating on programming using Altair Analytics Workbench and Altair SLC, rather than using SAS Software.

However, there are still ways for everyone to get SAS Value from my 40+ years of SAS programming:

No.1 = 1/2 day SAS training, including digital training materials, for GBP 1,800

No.2 = 1 month of confidential online support with unlimited questions for GBP 720

No.3 = 1 hour of 1-to-1 SAS video discussion for GBP 100

  • Book your hour of SAS video discussion.
  • Video discussions use Jitsi Meet, which is limited to 100 participants.
  • Topics include:
    • Base SAS syntax
    • Base SAS functions
    • Base SAS formats and informats
    • Base SAS procedures
    • Data step merging
    • PROC SQL syntax
    • PROC SQL merging
    • PROC SQL updating
    • Macro introduction
    • Macro syntax
    • Macro variables
    • ODS Graphics introduction
    • ODS Graphics procedures
    • Altair Analytics Workbench and Altair SLC introduction

No.4 = 1 confidential remote question for GBP 72

No.5 = 1 ebook copy of course notes to one of my SAS courses from around GBP 11

  • My SAS course notes are published as ebooks on Lulu.com, who, unlike Amazon, etc., do not take massive commissions, so I receive most of the published price.
  • See my Book Table for more details.

No.6 = 1 ebook copy of one of my SAS books directly from my blog site for around GBP 12.50

  • “Saving Time and Money using SAS” is no longer sold in softback, but you can download the ebook directly from my blog site.
  • See my Book Table for details of this and other ebooks.
  • More ebooks about Altair SLC are currently being developed.

No.8 = 3 months of subscription to the SAS Programming Forum, including access to my online SAS course collection, for 3 x GBP 5

  • Details of what the SAS Programming Forum is can be found here.
  • See how to subscribe to the SAS Programming Forum, including my online SAS course collection, here.

No.8 = 1 copy of one of my SAS paperback books from around GBP 10.25 or SAS ebooks from around GBP 4.75 from Lulu.com

  • See my Book Table for more details.
  • More books and ebooks about Altair SLC are currently being developed.

No.9 = 1 copy of one of my SAS softback books from a reseller from around GBP 25

  • Although these options appear to be lower in the list than expected, I receive very little from softback books sold, because I received an advance when they were published.
  • See my Book Table for more details.
  • More books about Altair SLC are currently being developed.

No.10 = 1 copy of one of my SAS ebooks from a reseller from around GBP 3

  • Although these options appear to be lower in the list than expected, I receive very little from ebooks sold by resellers, because I received an advance when they were published.
  • See my Book Table for more details.