Tag: programming

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:

TitlePaperback 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 platformsaround £40 (Kindle, PDF, ePub), but prices can vary across reseller platforms245
“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.

Google Play and Chrome Webstore apps have been officially retired. Please use the web apps on my blog site instead.

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Today I requested the removal of my Google Play and Chrome Webstore apps from their web catalogues, and their links have been removed from my blog site too. Existing installations should continue to work, until their platforms eventually change to make them incompatible, and, unfortunately, some apps have already been removed due to incompatibilities.

If you want to continue using similar apps, what can you do now?

  • The content in SAS course apps can be found in the SAS course in the SAS Professional Forum. Programming and Recruiting members who can access to the SAS Programming Forum will also have access to Informational web apps and LMS courses that also contain the SAS course content. There are also some sample web apps for Free members.
  • Educational apps can be accessed as web apps on this site by Educational Games, Programming and Recruiting members. There are also some sample web apps for Free members.
  • The major benefit of web apps is that the content will always be current, so updates and corrections can be accessed once completed without any user actions.
  • Amazon Appstore apps may still be accessed by Windows 11 users until late-2024, but Amazon-compatible Android apps can still be downloaded from this site to sideload into Amazon Appstore in Ubuntu on Windows (until late-2024) and also on Android platforms that have been setup to allow sideloading.

VIEWS News 76 (2024Q2) has been published!

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VIEWS News issue 76 has now been published.

This newsletter is the home of Foundation SAS and brings you information about making the most of SAS 9. This newsletter issue includes a macro that makes controlling graph text characteristics easy from LeRoy Bessler, Richard Carson completes his discussion about configuring of SAS processes without editing them in the sixth part of a series of articles about KT, and I have to admit that I delayed the publication of this newsletter to tell you about my 2 new books, which were finally published on 21Jun2024 (see https://hollandnumerics.org.uk/wordpress/book-table/). 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

Paperback book versions of my new books have been published on Lulu.com, which can be purchased at discounted prices until 05Jul2024

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I published paperback book versions of my new books, “SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User” and a specific extract book about Altair SLC called “Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler”, on 21Jun2024.

Note that everything in “Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler” is included in “SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User”, so purchasing both is not recommended, or necessary.

PDF ebook versions of my new books have been published on Lulu.com, but you can still download them at discounted prices from my blog site

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I published PDF ebook versions of my new books, “SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User” and a specific extract book about Altair SLC called “Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler”, on 13Jun2024.

Note that everything in “Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler” is included in “SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User”, so purchasing both is not recommended, or necessary.

Until the paperback versions are published on Lulu.com, the PDF ebooks downloaded from my blog site will be discounted, but prices will be adjusted as soon as the paperbacks have been published. This will probably be in early July 2024, after the physical printed proofs have been approved.

Download pre-publication copies of my new books at discounted prices

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I have released pre-publication copies of my new books, “SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User” and a specific extract book about Altair SLC called “Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler”, today.

Note that everything in “Altair SLC: The SAS Language Compiler” is included in “SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User”, so purchasing both is not recommended.

Prices will be adjusted as soon as the books are published.

Are you interested in SAS Programming? Will you be near Milwaukee on 26 June 2024? Do you fancy meeting for lunch?

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On my way to spend a week on a Great Lakes cruise with my wife from Thursday 27 June 2024, I will be spending a day with LeRoy Bessler in Milwaukee on Wednesday 26 June 2024. We enjoy talking about SAS programming and books, so we will be meeting for an informal lunch in the Lobby Lounge at the Pfister Hotel around 12 midday, and if you would like to join us, then you will be very welcome.

Note that we do need to know whether you will be able to join us, not to order your lunch, as attendees will be expected to buy their own lunches, but to make sure the Lobby Lounge can accommodate everyone expected! Therefore, please email me at books@hollandnumerics.org.uk to confirm your attendance as soon as you can. If a change of venue is necessary, then everyone who has confirmed will be informed in advance, so you will not miss out.

LeRoy published his first book, “Visual Data Insights Using SAS ODS Graphics: A Guide to Communication-Effective Data Visualization”, in 2023, which concentrates on how to create graphs using ODS Graphics to communicate data.

I am desperately trying to publish my new book, “SAS Programming Experiences: A How-To Guide from a Power SAS User”, in time for this lunch, so it can be the official book launch event! I will confirm if this is going to happen closer to the lunch date, and confirmation will mean that my book will be available at a discounted launch price. LeRoy’s book and all of my published books can be bought through my blog site at the Book Table now.

I have been SAS programming for over 40 years, so this book (originally written to be my memoirs!) has 3 distinct sections:

  • SAS programming methods to make your programs easier to maintain. I like to write my SAS programs where they will cope nicely with any data!!
  • SAS programming interfaces to improve your programming environment, focusing on how SAS installs and editors have evolved over 40 years, Enterprise Guide, SAS Studio and ODS Graphics.
  • SAS alternatives, where I compare SAS software with Altair SLC, including how Altair SLC can create graphics and interface to open-source languages like R and Python.

Again, please email me at books@hollandnumerics.org.uk to confirm your attendance as soon as you can.

Thank you in advance!

Free advertising for active recruiters globally! SAS-related Jobs from Recruiters in the UK, Europe, India, Philippines and the USA in April 2024

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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, Philippines and the USA and the links are open to all site visitors:

CountryJobs AdvertisedFrom Company
NetherlandsSAS RCM/IRM consultant permanent positionsSkywaves Rise
USASAS DI developer permanent positionsBECU
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 02May2024 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-continent37.6%150
2UK23.1%92
3The Americas22.3%89
4Europe10.5%42
5Rest of the World6.5%26

I am presenting a Hands-on Tutorial at PharmaSUG 2024 (19-22 May 2024) in Baltimore MD

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I am an Instructor at PharmaSUG 2024!

I am presenting a 1-hour Hands-on Tutorial at PharmaSUG 2024 about defensive SAS programming. The tutorial will actually be in 3 parts:

  1. Defensive SAS Programming – how to program, even if you don’t know exactly what the input data will look like.
  2. Writing Reusable Macros – how to write SAS macros that don’t mess up the rest of your code.
  3. Validating ODS Graphics – how to design the data rendered by ODS Graphics, so your QC programmer can validate the data, instead of trying to match your output.

PharmaSUG 2024 will be held from 19-22 May 2024 in the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor, 401 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD, USA. I don’t know when I will be presenting yet, but it won’t be on 22 May (the last day of the conference).

I am hoping to have published a new SAS-related book in time for PharmaSUG, which should be available to purchase from me as a paperback or ebook at the conference. It is currently being reviewed.

Finally, and I do mean finally, this will be my last conference representing my company, Holland Numerics Limited, as I will be closing that company at the end of August 2024. After that date I will just be an individual presenter (if anyone really wants me to speak!).

I can also call myself a Presenter at PharmaSUG 2024!