Chapter 1Overview of SAS

Section 1.1Overview of SAS

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*ObjectivesDescribe the difference between SAS the company and SAS the programming language.List the components of Base SAS.Describe the value that SAS programming skills have in the work world.List several companies, industries, and schools who use SAS software and what they use SAS for.Compare the demand for SAS programmers to that of other languages.

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*SAS: The LanguageSAS, the programming language, has the following characteristics:is a 4th generation programming languageis designed for data access, manipulation and transformation, and analysisruns on all major computing platformshas a library of prewritten, integrated procedures known as PROCshas easy-to-learn syntax

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*SAS: The CompanySAS, the company, is known for the following:is the world's largest privately held software companywas incorporated in 1976 by Dr. Jim Goodnight, a North Carolina State University statistics professoremploys over 10,000 people in 113 countriesis consistently listed as one of the top 100 places in the country to workcan claim that 96 of the top 100 Fortune 500 companies use SASprovides free M&Ms to employees every dayDr. Jim Goodnight, CEO

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*Value of Learning SAS ProgrammingLocally:25JUN2008 Monster.com listed 61 jobs in the RTP area needing SAS skills.

www.monster.com

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*Value of Learning SAS ProgrammingNationwide:25JUN2008 Monster.com listed over 2400 jobs needing SAS skills.

www.monster.com

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*Value of Learning SAS ProgrammingResults: June 2008

The TIOBE Programming Community index gives an indication of the popularity of programming languages. The index is updated once a month. Search engines calculate the ratings.http://www.tiobe.com/tpci.htm

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*Who Uses SAS?More than 43,000 business, government, and university sites in 108 countries rely on SAS.

RetailLife SciencesEntertainmentColleges and UniversitiesEddie BauerAlconCarnival Cruise LinesNorth Carolina State UniversityBrooks BrothersMonsatoExpediaUniversity of Central FloridaAutozoneEli Lily and CompanyMLB Advanced MediaOklahoma State University1-800-FLOWERS.COMDiiachiNC Museum of ArtUniversity of Copenhagen

Section 1.2SAS Certification

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*ObjectivesDescribe the benefits of the SAS certification process.

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*SAS CertificationWhy become certified?

Becoming SAS-certified can do the following:increase your career opportunities and marketability enhance your credibility as a technical professional assess your knowledge of SAS software enable you to earn industry validation for your knowledge

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*SAS CertificationSAS offers five professional certifications. Each certification requires the successful completion of one or more exams to earn a credential.

This course teaches the content necessary for the SAS Certified Associate Programmer Credential for SAS9.

You can find out more about this exam and other SAS certification exams at www.support.sas.com.

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*SAS CertificationTaking this class does not guarantee that you will pass the associate certification exam, but should increase your knowledge and skills.Required experience:Successful candidates should have at least one year of current SAS programming experience and should be able to perform the following tasks:import and export raw data filesmanipulate and transform datacombine SAS data setscreate basic detail and summary reports using SAS proceduresidentify and correct data, syntax, and programming logic errors

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*SAS CertificationSAS created a new credential for high school students called the SAS Certified Associate Programmer.

SAS Certified Associate Programmer Exam:available to high school students in November, 200850 multiple choice questions32 questions answered correctly to pass (65%)two hours to complete the examno access to SAS during the exam

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