SAS is a registered trademark of SAS Institute. Access, Visual
FoxPro, and SQL Server are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation. z/OS, and DB2 are registered trademarks of IBM
Corporation. Oracle database is a registered trademark of Oracle
Corporation. Sybase SQL is a registered trademark of Sybase, Inc. and
SAP.
Over the
past decade, there has been a huge increase in collected data by
organizational enterprise. The information has been generated both
from traditional sources such as computerized systems for tracking
operations, customers, and sales and new data sources such as web
site visits, social network chatter, and public records accessible
over the Internet in digital form. This data explosion is an
untapped asset at most organizations which lack the tools and skills
to exploit it. The challenge is to use data for fine-grained
analysis of markets, customer behavior and operations, and transform
business operations more toward evidence-based decision-making. This
market is a huge opportunity for software companies.
SAS Business Analytics
For the better part of 40 years, SAS Institute software has been
the leader in the business intelligence software. Historically, this
has been a niche market where SAS software is used to analyze huge
datasets and generate predictive statistical models for large
corporations and government agencies. According to leading market
research firms, over ninety percent of the largest companies 100
worldwide use SAS software. Developed in response to industry
specific operational requirements, SAS has a significant advantage
in its software technology, programming language, and tools. SAS has
always invested heavily in research and development. The SAS
stronghold is advanced analytics and predictive modeling software
which uses historical and current data to model and predict future
outcomes. However, SAS comparative advantage has been for the most
part derived from the legacy world of statisticians and programmers.
Developed in the 1970's for the mainframe platform, SAS EIP:
Enterprise Intelligence Platform is comprised of the business
intelligence and analytic/data mining toolset and data integration
stack analytics. There are also versions available on other
platforms: MS Windows and Linux-variants.
The challenge facing SAS is to transition and develop software
for deployment to be used by information technology and business
professionals in a global market. Towards that end, SAS has been
moving toward the Internet model of software delivery as a service
that customers access into over the web; some initial products have
been launched.
Business
intelligence software has become increasingly mainstream; there are
now both free open source and commercial software alternatives to
SAS emerging in the market. Until recently SAS has been slow to
recognize the challenge from free, open source alternatives to some
of its products. The R programming language is a free programming
language and set of software tools for statistical computing; it has
become increasingly popular at universities and labs. Programs
written with R work integrate with SAS technology and there is a
long-term commitment from management at SAS to work with the open
source community. Red Hat is working with SAS Institute to optimize
performance and I/O throughput for SAS software and applications
running on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux based operating system. The
preliminary results have been excellent scalability in tests up to
64 cores on a single system.
In response to the growth and success of SAS software, new
competition is emerging from major software companies to gain market
share with lower prices and substitute technology. Oracle, SAP,
Microsoft, and especially, IBM have invested considerable resources
in bringing competitive business intelligence software to market.
Oracle bought Hyperion and SAP bought Business Objects. In the
summer of 2009, IBM bought SPSS, a maker of predictive modeling
software, and prior to that purchased Cognos. IBM has placed SPSS
and Cognos into a new business analytics and optimization group.
That business will be supported by 200 scientists, and the company
has said it will retrain or hire 4,000 consultants and analysts to
work in the group. IBM has stated that business intelligence
software is part of its strategy for growth.
Since 1980, SYS-ED has been providing consultancy services and
training on SAS software. Our fast-track SAS courses teach industry
standard subject matter and educational consultancy in interrelated
information technology required for efficient data management, data
mining, and report generation such as:
Credit card companies for detecting unusual buying patterns
in real time, and spotting potentially fraudulent charges.
Retail chains for tailoring pricing and product offerings
down to the store level.
Telecommunications companies for identifying the few
thousand customers, among millions, that are most likely to
switch to another cellphone carrier.
Energy companies parsing sensor signals from oil rigs and
combining that information with weather and structural data, to
predict failure of parts.
Analysis SMF data to determine bottlenecks, I/O activity, CPU
utilization, and contention issues.
SAS software has evolved and been upgraded
for utilization in a comprehensive range of operating systems,
systems software, and industry-specific environments. It is utilized
by a substantial and diverse client base of Fortune 1000 companies,
government municipalities, and healthcare providers. SAS is
important mainstream software and utilized in combination with a
variety of databases and operating systems - mainframe, MS Windows,
and Linux and UNIX-variants.
SYS-ED's multi-platform SAS training
teaches the Base SAS Procedures and the language enhancements.
CALLRFC
Invoking RFC-Remote Function Call or RFC-compatible
functions on an SAP System from a SAS program.
FCMP
Creating, testing, and storing SAS functions and
subroutines before using them in other SAS procedures.
JAVAINFO
Provides diagnostic information to the user about the
Java environment that SAS is using.
PROTO
Registering in batch mode, external functions that are
written in the C or C++ programming languages.
SCAPROC
Specifying a filename or fileref that will contain the
output of the SAS Code Analyzer, and to write the output
to the file.
SOAP
Reads XML
input from a file that has a fileref and writes XML
output to another file that has a fileref. The procedure
PROC SOAP can run on any platform.
HTTP Procedure
The HTTP procedure invokes a Web service that issues
requests.
SYS-ED's staff of system consultant instructors average 30
years experience in information technology and provide insights
required for effective maintenance coding and web based utilization
of SAS data. Our SAS courses provide ongoing support for the
questions that our client’s routinely ask after a course is
over. Tailored course offerings are conducted on-site at client
locations. Few independent training companies have been providing
SAS training longer or better than SYS-ED.
For organizations
evaluating whether to send an employee to SYS-ED for SAS training,
we require that a profile form be completed and submitted both by
the manager and the employee who will be attending the course. It is
our prerogative to ensure that the employee has the prerequisite
background for the training. Not everyone is allowed to enroll in a
SYS-ED course.
It is standard operating procedure to schedule a
telephone consultation with our Director of Education. As part of
this process we will review the subject matter, sample programs,
workshops, and installation standards and provide a training plan in
writing.
Tailored subject matter, examples,
and exercises are then used to address client specific web-based
query and reporting requirements with SAS software in hybrid
operating environments.
How to code and utilize SAS
procedures for data manipulation, information storage, information
retrieval, statistical analysis, and report writing.
How to utilize the Java client, XML
Mapper, for importing and exporting XML documents to the SAS
platform.
How to use ODS: Output Delivery
System for reporting, report formatting, and report delivery for:
Capturing data output from any
Base procedure into a SAS dataset for additional processing or
reporting.
Creating and separating datasets
for a subgroup.
The course
workbooks and training aids included in SYS-ED SAS instructor-led
and distance-learning training services are highly respected. SYS-ED
courseware extends the source vendor documentation with an
examination of program logic, diagrams, and sample programs which
have been validated on consulting projects.
Upon completion of a instructor-led course at the client location,
it is standard policy to organize subject matter for future
utilization in a web-based training infrastructure.
SYS-ED's courseware library consists of
student hand-outs, training aids, documented walkthroughs, and
industry-specific exercises. The Computer Education Techniques knowledge
base is a service for answering questions, inclusive of the research and
validation of the accuracy of information in the public domain. Citation
of source documentation and examples are used to provide answers to the
questions. Content is selectively added to SYS-ED course hand-outs and
training aids. SYS-ED's long-term strategy is to have our courseware
recognized as a
NRV: Nationally
Recognized Vendor.
SYS-ED's courseware library
consists of a variety of databases, test data, and sample programs which
we utilize as a framework for teaching how to implement, query, code, and
administer databases. We have relationships with leading IT text book
publishers and technologist text book authors. Industry standard text
books are used in conjunction with our own courseware and training aids.
The Computer Education Techniques
knowledge base is a service for answering questions, inclusive of the research
and validation of the accuracy of information in the public domain. Citation of
source documentation and examples are used to provide answers to the questions.
This information becomes part of our knowledge base and courseware library.
Content is selectively added to SYS-ED course hand-outs and training aids.
SYS-ED’s SAS curriculum have been developed based
upon the foundation of classic adult learning theory and the application of the
standards of the
New York State Department
of Education.
We provide an impartial interpretation of
SAS software and hands-on experience which extends the source
documentation.
Transitioning from older versions of the
SAS software to the new web based model.
Migrating and upgrading applications to
the emerging service oriented architecture standard.
Logical and physical design and
performance optimization.
Design of the interface and presentation
format.
Explanation of the protocols serving as
the foundation of web services and its utilization with SAS.
Guidance on web development utilizing open
source and proprietary frameworks.
SYS-ED has been conducting courses in the
public domain since 1980; however, there have been
changes in the laws and regulations governing computer training in the
state of New York. The schedule on our websites reflects a projected
time frame for licensure with the New York State Department of Education
- Bureau of Proprietary School Supervision and submission and approval
of curriculum. It will be updated quarterly.
Over
the past year, we have had a number of inquiries regarding whether
SYS-ED still offered SAS courses for business and IT professionals. on a
variety of different development platforms.
The typical comments were:
SAS Application Development and Cross Platform Experience
That there is a
scarcity of fast-track SAS courses, 5 or fewer days in duration, geared
to Fortune 1000 corporations, government municipalities and their
employees.
2.
That it is extremely
difficult to find tailored SAS training with the specialized skills
requirements needed for querying and managing data.
3.
That SAS “educational
consulting” were a key component in helping Fortune 1000 companies and
government municipalities meet their informational technology
operational requirements.
SYS-ED's distance-learning training service
is 65% lecture with the remaining 35% of the service
provided in the form of scheduled interactive question and
answer sessions with a subject matter expert, hands-on
exercises, optional validation assessment, and submission of
questions through our technology exchange websites.
Enrollment is contingent
upon the prospective trainee's having been qualified
by our Director of Education to have the appropriate
background for the training and review of a
checklist of items required for transmission of the
service to the client location: bandwidth, firewall,
base operating system, software requirements, web
browser, and set-up of hands-on machine exercises.
Alternative web-based and e-learning training is
available: self-paced, presentation through the
client's authoring system, or podcast. These
tailored services are offered selectively.
SAS and software
companies have partnered to integrate mobile applications with
solution with SAS Enterprise Business Intelligance Server. This
allows SAS business intelligence data to be ported onto the
Apple iPhone and iPad.
SAS software and development platform
can be taught in conjunction with an industry standard training
program. A program can be augmented with sample programs, case
studies, and subject matter from the
course search engine.
The client makes the final determination on the content and
program duration.
At the client's
discretion,
pre and post course assessment,
checklists of completed assignments, grading system, and a final
examination can be utilized.
SAS Visual Analytics
provides high performance in-memory facilities to examine data for
identifying patterns and publishing reports to mobile devices and
the Internet.
SAS Courses SYS-ED's SAS courses are tough, but they're worth it. Our challenging
hands-on training draws upon our extensive library of sample programs and case
studies to explain, demonstrate, and implement real-world applications. This
will provide the foundation and experience to design, develop, and update SAS
applications. 1
Courseware
SYS-ED courseware and training aids have been designed to compliment the class
lecture and provide a framework for coding and debugging SAS programs. They also
serve as a reference source after a course is over.
Teaching is Our Only Business Most computer training companies are divisions of large software or
consulting companies. Not SYS-ED. Our only goal is to provide quality computer
training for highly motivated business and information technology professionals
- no more and no less. Because we're independent, we're free to concentrate on
teaching - and we do it very well.
Our Teachers Know How to Teach
SYS-ED instructors combine teaching skills with broad practical experience as
consultants. And they know to teach. We teach not only "how to" but "why",
building a solid foundation in fundamentals and specialized SAS capabilities.
After a course, our staff remains available to
answer questions.
Enrollment - SYS-ED SAS Courses are NOT for Everyone
No one is allowed to enroll in a SYS-ED SAS course, without a consultation with
our Director of Education. We review the operational objectives and project
specifications for the organization evaluating whether to send its employee for
the training. The employee is only allowed to register if they have the
background corresponding to the appropriate learning path.
SAS Training in New York, at Your Office,
or via the Web
SYS-ED SAS courses are held at training center in
Manhattan and in conjunction with technology partners in North America and
Europe. Our SAS training is conducted in conjunction with training partners in
North America and Europe. If you prefer, we'll arrange
tailored SAS training on-site at your organization’s facilities inclusive of
mobile computer classroom set-up. On-site courses can include the identical
workshops, case studies, and hands-on approach as the SAS training we offer in
New York.
For additional information including outlines,
availability of private courses, references, and course customization, contact
David Shapiro at our New York office at 212-564-9147 or
register online.
SYS-ED's technology exchange websites compile,
organize, and present software specific and established operational
categorizations of information technology. They provide a framework for
assessing knowledge transfer: web-based training, classroom instruction,
courseware, learning paths, and validation assessment.
SYS-ED’s core SAS curriculum is being
prepared for submission to the New York State Department of Education -
Bureau of Proprietary School Supervision for technical review and licensing.
SYS-ED’s core mainframe, UNIX, and Java
curriculum have been submitted to the New York State Department of Education -
Bureau of Proprietary School Supervision for technical review and licensing.
