Tag: programming

Apologies for the downtime, but I bought a bigger, better server for my blog site! What could possibly go wrong?

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My previous server was a Gen8 ProLiant server from HP, and I had been running my blog on it since October 2015. I found a Gen10+ ProLiant server with the same configuration of drives, but with processing power x2 and memory x4, at a very reasonable price. I considered the upgrade to be just plug-and-play, but I had forgotten that, even though all the drives would be from the old server, the BIOS was different!!

I am currently running Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS, which works on ProLiant servers, but requires specific BIOS settings:

  • Ubuntu Server 20.04 prefers to have a Legacy BIOS.
  • HP’s Intelligent Provisioning is incompatible with Ubuntu Server, so has to be disabled.
  • My fiddling with the UEFI BIOS and Intelligent Provisioning reordered the drives, so my SDA became SDE for /boot, SDB became SDA for / and /home, SDC became SDB for /mnt and /mnt/home, SDD became SDC for /var1 and /opt1, and SDE became SDB for /mnt/var1 and /mnt/opt1. However, there were also many other variations until the server finally booted with all of the drives visible.

Anyway, barring some brief outages for teething problems, my blog server should now be quicker and more stable.

In the next few weeks look out for the following:

  • Second editions of my recent books can be downloaded at discounted prices until 31May2025 from the Book Table.
  • Issue 79 of VIEWS News is scheduled for publication around the end of May 2025. Issue 78 was published earlier this month.
  • The GA release of Altair SLC 2025 was published earlier this month.

Sale price of downloaded ebooks has been reduced by GBP 1.00 today until 31May2025

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Today I set up new sale prices for downloading the 2nd editions of my latest ebooks (see ‘2nd Edition ebooks of “SAS Programming Experiences” and “Altair SLC” have been published today’).

From today until 31May2025 the sale prices for downloading these ebooks from my blog site will be GBP 1.00 less than usual:

Remember that this sale will end automatically on 31May2025 (UK time)!!

Enjoy………….Phil

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

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2nd Edition ebook versions of my 2024 books, “SAS Programming Experiences” and “Altair SLC”, have been published today on Lulu.com and my blog site. Paperback versions will be published shortly on Lulu.com and 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.

Follow the links below for more details:

Did you download the First Edition ebook from my blog site? If you did, then please find your confirmation email for that ebook, because the download link will now download the Second Edition at no extra cost!!

VIEWS News 78 (2025Q1) has been published!

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VIEWS News issue 78 has now been published.

This newsletter is the home of Foundation SAS and brings you information about making the most of SAS 9 and Altair SLC. This issue is another one that has been delayed, but this time due to software issues on my blog server, which have now been resolved. This newsletter issue includes an InfoGeographic map from LeRoy Bessler, and I have discovered an AI assistant that seems to write working SAS programs. As usual I have publicised some SAS-related events for the next few months, and I have also added some more SAS formats, options and functions that you may or may not have come across before, but you might find interesting, and even useful.

If you would like to contribute an article, to re-visit and improve an existing article, or just discuss the possibility of doing so, please feel free to send an email to me at view-uk@hollandnumerics.org.uk or phil@hollandnumerics.org.uk. Publication deadlines are the 14th day of February, May, August and November each year.

To be able to read this and all previous issues you will need to follow these steps:

  1. If you have not already registered on this blog site, go to blog.hollandnumerics.org.uk and register for free membership.
  2. Once successfully registered, click the menu item [Subscriptions for Forums and Features] > [Request access to the VIEWS UK forum] to request free access to the VIEWS UK forum, then add your name and email address to the form before clicking [Send].
  3. On receipt of a request for an existing blog member I will register them for free access to the VIEWS UK forum, and then send them an email to confirm this.
  4. The next time they log onto the blog site they will see VIEWS UK in the forum list, where you will find the latest issue of VIEWS News, forum topics to find the backissues, functions and formats in every published issue, and a tag cloud covering every forum on the site to which you have access, including VIEWS UK and the VIEWS News issues.
  5. They will also be automatically informed of any VIEWS UK updates.

Enjoy!……………..Phil

Free advertising for active recruiters globally! SAS-related Jobs from Recruiters in the UK, Europe, India and Philippines in January 2025

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Looking for a SAS-related job?

There are a number of SAS-related jobs in the SAS Jobs Listing this month in the UK, Europe, India and Philippines and the links are open to all site visitors:

CountryJobs AdvertisedFrom Company
EuropePharmaceutical contract positionsClinChoice
EuropePharmaceutical permanent positionsClinChoice
UKPharmaceutical contract positionsClinChoice
UKPharmaceutical permanent positionsClinChoice
PhilippinesPharmaceutical permanent positionsClinChoice
IndiaPharmaceutical permanent positionsClinChoice

Please use the links in the SAS Jobs Listing to apply for these positions. All recruiters have contact details and links to their web sites on each job post.

Recruiters looking for candidates

I’m always looking for new recruiters to post SAS-related jobs on this site covering India, UK, the Americas (particularly USA), Europe and the Rest of the World.

If you have a regular supply of SAS jobs in any of these regions, then there is a free trial which is open to all recruiters, but with 2 simple rules:

  1. The free trial will be extended by an additional calendar month only when a job is posted, and will expire automatically if no job has been posted in a calendar month.
  2. The posted jobs must be in some way SAS-related.

Please register for Free membership, and then send your jobs to phil@hollandnumerics.org.uk before 05Feb2025 to be included in this post next month! You will be manually upgraded to a Recruiter member if you’ve never taken part in this free trial before.

The current regional breakdown of registered blog members is as follows, but note that the SAS Jobs Listing is open to all site visitors:

PositionRegionPercentage of MembershipMembers
1Indian Sub-continent38.3%163
2The Americas22.3%95
3UK21.8%93
4Europe11.0%47
5Rest of the World6.6%28

I am researching for 3 new Altair SLC books

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I am researching for 3 new Altair SLC books to add to my recently published book about Altair SLC. They will look into a range of aspects and programming using full licences, unlike my previous book that concentrated on the free Community Edition (now called the Personal Edition), and also more advanced aspects available in the Personal Edition, but not included in my previous book, such as Workflows, clinical data analysis and ODBC database connections.

What information would you like to read more about in the new books?

I have already been trying out the Communicate and Link features of Altair SLC, and hope to extend this to the Hub very soon.

My provisional book titles are:

  • Advanced Altair SLC
  • Altair SLC for Business Users
  • Altair SLC for Companies

Thanks in advance….…Phil

Altair Community post: I am researching for 3 new Altair SLC books

Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler (paperback)

Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler (paperback)

The book concentrates on Altair SLC, looking at the pros and cons of using Altair SLC to develop SAS programs. Code samples are provided throughout this book, so you can learn more about Altair SLC and SAS programming by following these examples.

Topics included:

  • What is Altair SLC?
  • Introduction to Altair Analytics Workbench
  • Altair SLC for Clinical Trials
  • Generating Graphics with Altair SLC
  • Using Altair SLC with R and Python

Download for free the SAS programs in this book from here.

Note: these chapters are included in SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User, so, if you have already purchased this book, then you already have these chapters!

Order Now!
About the Book

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The book concentrates on Altair SLC, looking at the pros and cons of using Altair SLC to develop SAS programs. Code samples are provided throughout this book, so you can learn more about Altair SLC and SAS programming by following these examples. Topics included:
  • What is Altair SLC?
  • Introduction to Altair Analytics Workbench
  • Altair SLC for Clinical Trials
  • Generating Graphics with Altair SLC
  • Using Altair SLC with R and Python
Download for free the SAS programs in this book from here. Note: these chapters are included in SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User, so, if you have already purchased this book, then you already have these chapters!
Details
Author: Philip R Holland
Genre: Computer Programming Language
Tags: Altair Analytics Workbench, Altair SLC, data step, graphics, ODS Graphics, PROC SGPLOT, programming, Python, R, Recommended Books, sas, VSCode, windows
Publisher: Lulu.com
Publication Year: 2024
Format: Paperback
Length: 104
List Price: £10.25
Phil has used SAS on all of the platforms, mainframe, UNIX, and Windows. If Mac was a platform, Phil would take you as reader there, too. He takes you to Altair SLC, R, and Python, where you can be a user of the SAS language, and those two ever more popular adjuncts to SAS, without the expense of a SAS licence, and clarifies the differences between SAS Software and Altair SLC. The book includes a graphics capabilities tour with the various tools in its scope. Nowhere else available is the chapter devoted to Altair SLC for Clinical Trials, which is like a book-guided Hands-On Workshop self-help get-acquainted tutorial. The book will take you to places that nobody else would take you. Explore it and explore SAS.
– LeRoy Bessler, Bessler Consulting and Research
Order Now
Buy from Lulu
Share
Facebook Twitter Google+
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler (PDF) – Second Edition

Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler (PDF) – Second Edition

The book concentrates on Altair SLC, looking at the pros and cons of using Altair SLC to develop SAS programs. Code samples are provided throughout this book, so you can learn more about Altair SLC and SAS programming by following these examples.

Topics included:

  • What is Altair SLC?
  • Introduction to Altair Analytics Workbench
  • Altair SLC for Clinical Trials
  • Generating Graphics with Altair SLC
  • Using Altair SLC with R and Python

Download for free the SAS programs in this book from here.

Note: these chapters are included in SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User, so, if you have already purchased this book, then you already have these chapters!

Order Now!
About the Book

Loading

The book concentrates on Altair SLC, looking at the pros and cons of using Altair SLC to develop SAS programs. Code samples are provided throughout this book, so you can learn more about Altair SLC and SAS programming by following these examples.

Topics included:

  • What is Altair SLC?
  • Introduction to Altair Analytics Workbench
  • Altair SLC for Clinical Trials
  • Generating Graphics with Altair SLC
  • Using Altair SLC with R and Python

Download for free the SAS programs in this book from here.

Note: these chapters are included in SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User, so, if you have already purchased this book, then you already have these chapters!

Details
Author: Philip R Holland
Genre: Computer Programming Language
Tags: Altair Analytics Workbench, Altair SLC, data step, graphics, ODS Graphics, PROC SGPLOT, programming, Python, R, Recommended Books, sas, VSCode, windows
Publisher: Lulu.com
Publication Year: 2025
Format: PDF
Length: 103
List Price: £5.50
eBook Price: £5.50
Phil has used SAS on all of the platforms, mainframe, UNIX, and Windows. If Mac was a platform, Phil would take you as reader there, too. He takes you to Altair SLC, R, and Python, where you can be a user of the SAS language, and those two ever more popular adjuncts to SAS, without the expense of a SAS licence, and clarifies the differences between SAS Software and Altair SLC. The book includes a graphics capabilities tour with the various tools in its scope. Nowhere else available is the chapter devoted to Altair SLC for Clinical Trials, which is like a book-guided Hands-On Workshop self-help get-acquainted tutorial. The book will take you to places that nobody else would take you. Explore it and explore SAS.
– LeRoy Bessler, Bessler Consulting and Research
Order Now
Download sale price £4.00 until 31May2025
Buy from Lulu
Download for £5.00
Share
Facebook Twitter Google+
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

3 new things I have learnt about Altair SLC this week

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  1. I have always wanted to create a neural network using the SAS language from the moment it was announced, but SAS software restricted this feature to paid-for components that I had no other use for. However, using features available in the free Personal Edition of Altair SLC and Altair Analytics Workbench, I have created a neural network to analyse the Iris data set, which uses PROC MLP, but I created it using pre-built nodes for a Workflow in Analytics Workbench.

  2. I have just watched a video demo from an Altair Employee on the Altair Community site about importing EG project files into Analytics Workbench Workflows. No version numbers were mentioned in or around this video, but it appears to be possible now, or at least soon!

  3. For business users the Linux installation of Altair SLC is treated as a server, rather than a workstation, installation. However, when I installed it I thought that the only way to access it would be as a server from a Windows-installed Analytics Workbench, but there is also a Linux version of Analytics Workbench available to business users, and it looks just like the Windows version.

More reasons to consider migrating from Foundation SAS to Altair SLC!

Keep your eyes open for more books about Altair SLC coming soon…

Using SAS Software or Altair SLC to read OpenDocument Spreadsheets

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Several years ago I wrote a conference paper about reading non‑standard spreadsheet files called “Help, I’ve Received a Spreadsheet File from StarOffice Calc…..!”, which explained how to extract the XML from a StarOffice Calc file, and then convert that XML into a SAS data set.

OpenDocument spreadsheet files can now be read with both Microsoft Office and LibreOffice (my preferred office suite), but a SAS program still has no way to read this file format directly.

I have now published a SAS program, which works in SAS Software and Altair SLC, to extract all of the individual XML sheets from an OpenDocument spreadsheet into their own SAS data sets. See the “SAS Hints and Tips” chapter in “SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User” (both in paperback or PDF formats) for details about this SAS program.

VIEWS News 77 (2024Q3/Q4) has been published!

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VIEWS News issue 77 has now been published.

This newsletter is the home of Foundation SAS and brings you information about making the most of SAS 9 and Altair SLC. This issue has been delayed, because I under-estimated how much effort organising my significant birthday celebrations would take!. It will, therefore, cover Q3 and Q4 of 2024. This newsletter issue includes a macro that everybody needs to know for categorical data with a group variable from LeRoy Bessler, and Richard Carson gives us 2 useful tips. As usual I have publicised some SAS-related events for the next few months, and I have also added some more SAS formats, options and functions that you may or may not have come across before, but you might find interesting, and even useful.

If you would like to contribute an article, to re-visit and improve an existing article, or just discuss the possibility of doing so, please feel free to send an email to me at view-uk@hollandnumerics.org.uk or phil@hollandnumerics.org.uk. Publication deadlines are the 14th day of February, May, August and November each year.

To be able to read this and all previous issues you will need to follow these steps:

  1. If you have not already registered on this blog site, go to blog.hollandnumerics.org.uk and register for free membership.
  2. Once successfully registered, click the menu item [Subscriptions for Forums and Features] > [Request access to the VIEWS UK forum] to request free access to the VIEWS UK forum, then add your name and email address to the form before clicking [Send].
  3. On receipt of a request for an existing blog member I will register them for free access to the VIEWS UK forum, and then send them an email to confirm this.
  4. The next time they log onto the blog site they will see VIEWS UK in the forum list, where you will find the latest issue of VIEWS News, forum topics to find the backissues, functions and formats in every published issue, and a tag cloud covering every forum on the site to which you have access, including VIEWS UK and the VIEWS News issues.
  5. They will also be automatically informed of any VIEWS UK updates.

Enjoy!……………..Phil

Special offer to celebrate my birthday in September failed! :-( However, I will reduce my ebook prices on 3 days in October instead! :-)

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Nobody, and I mean nobody, replied in time to my celebration post with suggestions for discounted prices for my “SAS Programming Experiences” and “Altair SLC” ebooks, so I will not be able to reduce their prices in September.

However, I will reduce my ebook prices for 3 days in October instead!

From 2-4 October 2024 the ebook download prices will be reduced, and downloading these ebooks from this site will also allow you to freely download them again when a new edition is published:

This offer will start at 09:00 (UK time) on 2 October 2024 and end at 21:00 (UK time) on 4 October 2024!!

Enjoy while you can!

Improvements to the SAS-related ebook web apps

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Over recent weeks I have been retiring my ebook apps from Google Play and Chrome Web Store (with Amazon Appstore apps due to be retired later this year) and updating the app links in my ebook web apps on this site. This will mean that you will always see the latest information in the app here, and they will be available on all platforms that support web browsing.

There are still a few content updates to do, like replacing SAS University Edition with SAS On-Demand for Academics, and adding more information about Altair SLC, but they will be made over time, along with other updates and new web apps.

Features of the web apps on this site:

  • Drop-down contents list.
  • Adjustable font size and text flow to fit the browser window with [A-] and [A+] buttons.
  • Page up [Pg+] and down [Pg-] buttons.
  • Emails generated from clickable code fragments.
  • Ask a new question [Ask?] button to generate emails with suggestions.
  • Some apps include an index too.

I realise that there are still some app users out there who will feel abandoned, so, for those who have never subscribed to the SAS Programming Forum, register for Free membership of this blog, email a screenshot of your app to sales@hollandnumerics.org.uk (or use the app’s [Ask?] button) and I will give you a month’s free access to the SAS Programming Forum and to the ebook web apps as a thank you for your support.

When you have logged into the blog, you will see menu items for the web apps based on your membership.

Warning: the apps themselves are restricted to only work when opened from these web lists, so adding the individual apps to your browser favourites will not be helpful!

Looking for a book about SAS programming? This may be where you will find it!

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ebooks sold on reseller sites often have unnecessary price mark-ups, so I prefer to provide ebook downloads directly from my blog site at reduced prices, where I get more income too, so it is a win-win situation for author and reader! Plus, there are 3 downloads allowed, so new editions can be downloaded later.

Note that all paperbacks that can be ordered from Lulu support this open-source publisher, and give the maximum income to the author. Paperback resellers, rather than publishers, like Amazon and Apple Books, are only really interested in their profits, so authors often get short-changed!

The following books written by Philip R Holland are available through this blog site. Click the price links for more information:

Title Paperback price (GBP) ebook* price (GBP) Download price (GBP) Pages
“SAS Programming Experiences” (2024) £18.25 £7.50 (PDF) £7.00 (PDF) 270
“Altair SLC” (2024) £10.25 £5.50 (PDF) £5.00 (PDF) 104
“SAS Programming and Data Visualization Techniques” (2015) around £45, but prices can vary across reseller platforms around £40 (Kindle, PDF, ePub), but prices can vary across reseller platforms 245
“Power User’s Guide to SAS Graph Templates” (2013) £3.75 (PDF) £3.00 (PDF) 109
“Power User’s Guide to SAS Programming” (2011) £3.50 (PDF)
£3.00 (ePub)		 £3.00 (PDF) 90
“Saving Time and Money using SAS” (2007) £7.50 (PDF) 242

* Please note that code can only be copied from PDF ebooks!

Check out the Book Table to see all of the books about SAS programming there.