Introduction to SAS:
SAS is a statistical software mainly used for data management, analytics, and business management. It is written in C language. It is compatible with most of the operating systems. It can be used as a programming language and a graphical interface. It was developed at North Carolina State University by Anthony James Barr. It can be read from spreadsheets and databases. The output is generated in the form of tables, graphs, and documents. It is used to report, retrieve, and analyze statistical data and to run SQL queries.
Capabilities of SAS:
While working with SAS, it is important to be well versed with its efficient uses. It is capable of offering a wide range of functionalities as mentioned below.
Generating Graphical Report:
This statistical analysis software helps in using raw data to generate meaningful graphical reports. This feature makes it easy even for non-technical people to make the best use of SAS.
Statistical Analysis:
The raw data fed to the SAS produces easy to understand statistical reports which are used for the analysis in various departments like marketing, finance, and R&D.
Quality Improvement:
One of the primary focuses of every business unit is to improve the quality of services being provided. This can be easily achieved with the use of SAS because of its user-friendly interface which allows easy comparison of past data.
Operations Research:
Developing an effective and efficient business model requires research of operations related activities that help in final decision making. SAS was specially designed to meet such requirements.
Application Development:
The editor tab, output tab, and log tab in SAS provide a feasible platform for programming that is used by developers. They can write customized codes in the software to be used for any purpose.
Understanding SAS:
Let’s look at a brief overview of the SAS interface.
LOG Tab: The first window that appears upon opening is the LOG tab where codes in Blue text are written. It shows all the logs that appear while the developer executes a code or program.
OUTPUT Section: This tab appears at the bottom of the screen. As the name suggests, it is used to obtain the output for the SAS program.
EDITOR Section: In this section, the programmer will be able to write the codes that are used to get the required output. This tab gives access to the platform where codes are executed.
EXPLORER Tab: The window on the left side is the explorer that contains folders. It also can be used to store sample data sets that can be used while actual code execution.
RESULT Tab: This tab shows the result of codes or programs executed. On clicking its list of programs executed, we can see the corresponding output.
Applications of SAS:
IT management: In the era of Information technology, business decisions are based on the outcome of data processing. Such precise outcomes require a solution delivery system that can handle huge chunks of data and be able to process it.
CRM: For any sustained growth, business development is inevitable. A huge number of customers, vendors, and stakeholders interact with organizations on a daily basis which requires maintaining their data and drawing out meaningful information.
Financial management: In dealing with the financial information, the agents should work for the most part in the visual examination as they are non-specialized individuals most of the time. SAS lets us work with both of the graphical interface or with a programming language that makes things simple for any sort of individual whether or not they are from a specialized foundation or not.
Productivity estimation: SAS also helps us in the evaluation of the performance of employees and machines which makes it easier for final report preparation.
