2008 Conference

Conference Content - Pre-conference Training

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 © Copyright 2008 North East SAS Users Group

Pre-conference Training

Maximize your conference learning opportunity by attending Pre-Conference training courses, taught by experienced, professional SAS trainers.  To register for these courses, click the appropriate boxes when registering. All courses will be held at the conference hotel.  The cost for each half-day course is $175 and a full-day course is $325.

While NESUG processes the registration for these courses, all course content and delivery is the sole responsibility of the training provider.  Seating may be limited.  Training providers reserve the right to cancel one or more of these workshops.  For all courses, registration closes 30 minutes prior to class.


Friday, September 12

8 am - noon (half day)

Friday, September 12

1 pm - 5 pm (half day)

Basics and Beyond with PROC TABULATE
Wendi Wright,
CTB McGraw-Hill

Working with Arrays

Wendi Wright,
CTB McGraw-Hill


Friday, September 12

9 am - 5 pm

Friday, September 12

9 am - 5 pm

SAS Macro Programming Tips and Techniques

Kirk Lafler,
Software Intelligence Corporation

Saturday, September 13

8 am - noon (half day)

Saturday, September 13

1 pm - 5 pm (half day)

A Health Outcomes Case Study: Data Management, Summary and Analysis
Richard Read Allen,
Peak Statistical Services

Saturday, September 13

9 am - 5 pm

Saturday, September 13

9 am - 5 pm

Output Delivery System Programming: The Basics and Beyond
Kirk Lafler,
Software Intelligence Corporation
The Nitty Gritty of PROC REPORT
Malachy (Mal) J. Foley,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Friday, September 12
8 am - noon

Basics and Beyond with PROC TABULATE
Wendi Wright, CTB McGraw-Hill

Overview:

This class starts with an introduction to PROC TABULATE. It looks at the basic syntax, and then builds on this syntax by using examples to produce one-, two-, and three-dimensional tables using the TABLE statement. We will cover constructing dimension expressions, how to choose statistics for the table, labeling variables and statistics, adding totals and subtotals, working with percents and missing data, and making the table ‘prettier’.  We will cover how to include only certain levels of CLASS variables, listing them in the table exactly in the order you want, and how to include levels of CLASS variables that do not appear in the data.

We will also cover the use of the ODS STYLE= option in PROC TABULATE to customize tables and improve their attractiveness. This option is versatile and, depending on where the option is used, has the ability to justify cells or row and column headings, change colors for both the foreground and background of the table, modify borders, add a flyover text box in ODS HTML, or add GIF figures to the row or column headings.

Instructor's bio:

Wendi Wright is a Sr. Statistical Analyst at CTB McGraw-Hill.  She has been using SAS for over 20 years and writes custom analysis and reporting programs.   She has enjoyed presenting in many SAS conferences and loves the teaching aspect of both the conferences and her job.  She loves to read, paint, and quilt in her spare time and has been a Big Sister to a little girl (not so little anymore) for the last 14 years.

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Friday, September 12
1 pm - 5 pm

Working with Arrays

Wendi Wright, CTB McGraw-Hill

Overview:

Have you ever looked at your SAS program and thought … there must be a better way.  Many SAS programmers avoid arrays because they think that they are difficult.  The truth is that they are not only easy to use, but they make your work easier. 

Arrays are SAS Data step statements that allow iterative processing of variables and text.  This tutorial will present the basics of using array statements.  We will cover syntax of arrays and many tips and tricks to make them useful for you.  Some of our examples include making repetitive comparisons, setting zeros to blanks (or vice versa) in a series of variables, input and output of files using arrays, use of multidimensional arrays, and finding a particular value in a series of variables.

Instructor's bio:

Wendi Wright is a Sr. Statistical Analyst at CTB McGraw-Hill.  She has been using SAS for over 20 years and writes custom analysis and reporting programs.   She has enjoyed presenting in many SAS conferences and loves the teaching aspect of both the conferences and her job.  She loves to read, paint, and quilt in her spare time and has been a Big Sister to a little girl (not so little anymore) for the last 14 years.

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Friday, September 12
9 am - 5 pm

Introduction to the SAS Business Inteligence Tools

Ben Cochran,The Bedford Group

Overview:

This course is intended to get the student familiar with these tools and gain a general working knowledge of each.  This is not intended to be an in-depth coverage of these tools.

  • SAS Add-in for Microsoft Office:  This course teaches users how to run SAS tasks on SAS (or other) data from within the Microsoft office environment.   The attendee will also see how to query data and generate a number of reports. 
  • SAS OLAP Cube Studio: This course focuses on building an OLAP cube with drilldown hierarchies so that the user can dynamically analyze the data, then surfacing the cube in Enterprise Guide.  Much attention is given to knowing and understanding the data tables and building the hierarchies from them.
  • SAS Information Map Studio:    This course takes a step by step approach to building an information map, metadata that describes the data warehouse in business terms.  It also surfaces information to the user in ways that are reminiscent of views.   Maps can be built with terms that end users can understand.
  • SAS Information Delivery Portal:  This course introduces the attendee to Information Delivery Portal which is a product that provides an interface to access enterprise data, applications, and information through a web browser.  
  • SAS Web Report Studio:  This course focuses on building reports that can be surfaced on the web.   The attendee will be taken through a series of steps to take data and generate web reports using the Web Report studio. Users who have little or no experience in other reporting tolls or database technology will learn to generate many reports using consistent styles and themes and create interactive reports that allow filtering, ranking, sorting and other ways to work with data.

Instructor's bio:

Ben Cochran has been teaching SAS courses since he joined SAS Institute as an instructor in 1985.  While at the Institute, Ben not only taught and wrote courses, but he was also the marketing manager for the SAS/EIS product.  In the fall of 1996, he started his own SAS training and consulting company, The Bedford Group.  As an affiliate member of the SAS Alliance, Ben has been involved in many teaching and consulting projects over the last 12 years.  Since 1988, Ben has been a frequent presenter at SUGI, SAS Global Forum and many Regional User Group Conferences.

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SAS Macro Programming Tips and Techniques
Kirk Lafler, Software Intelligence Corporation

Overview:

The SAS Macro Language is a powerful tool for extending the capabilities of the SAS System. This seminar presents numerous tips and tricks in the construction of effective macros. Attendees learn how to process statements containing macros; replace text strings with macro variables; generate SAS code using macros; combine macro variable references with text; manipulate macro variable values with macro functions; compile and execute a compiled macro; handle global and local variables; construct arithmetic and logical expressions; use macro quoting functions; interface the macro language with other languages including the DATA step and SQL procedure; store and reuse macros; troubleshoot and debug macros; and develop efficient and portable macro language code.

Instructor's bio:

Kirk Paul Lafler is consultant and founder of Software Intelligence Corporation and has been programming in SAS since 1979. As a SAS Certified Professional and SAS Institute Alliance Member (1996 – 2002), Kirk provides IT consulting services and training to SAS users around the world. As the author of four books including PROC SQL: Beyond the Basics Using SAS (SAS Institute. 2004), Kirk has written more than two hundred peer-reviewed papers and articles that have appeared in professional journals and SAS User Group proceedings. He has also been an Invited speaker at more than two hundred SAS International, regional, local, and special-interest user group conferences and meetings throughout North America. His popular SAS Tips column, “Kirk’s Korner of Quick and Simple Tips”, appears regularly in several SAS User Group newsletters and Web sites, and fun-filled SASword Puzzles are featured in www.SAScommunity.org and several newsletters.

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Saturday, September 13
8:00 am - noon

A Health Outcomes Case Study: Data Management, Summary and Analysis
Richard Read Allen, Peak Statistical Services

Overview:

This seminar will present the summary and analysis of a health outcomes study, beginning with reviewing the requested analysis plan from the investigator, to setting up analysis datasets from various sources, to producing summary tables/figures and finishing up with testing some basic hypotheses on the data. Some programming techniques to perform these tasks for these types of studies will be presented, including the basic use of hashes and DOW loops to obtain the desired datasets, tables, figures and analyses. A study of Impact of Benefit Designs on Medicare Part B Plans will be used as an example, but the techniques can be applied to similar research studies. They also can be applied in Phase IV studies.

Instructor's bio:

Richard Read Allen has been using SAS since 1981 while in graduate school at Montana State University. After leaving school, he continued his SAS career as a statistician/programmer at the FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research in Jefferson, Arkansas. In 1994 he moved to Evergreen, Colorado and started Peak Statistical Services, an affiliate member of the SAS Alliance. He has presented at SUGI, NESUG, WUSS and PharmaSUG conferences in the past and has been co-chair of the PharmaSUG conference in 2004 and 2007.

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Saturday, September 13
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Best Practices in SAS Statistical Programming for Regulatory Submission
Sunil Gupta, Quintiles

Overview:

This unique, comprehensive and intense course focuses on the variety of effective methods for producing standard and custom summary tables as well as the validation process to assure that correct, consistent and reliable summary tables are reproducible.  Discussions will focus on proven techniques to address real-world issues.  Get your SAS technical and validation questions answered and learn efficient tips for producing a quality regulatory submission in a timely manner. 

Module 1: Analysis of potential setbacks

  • Identifying potential delays and setbacks when creating and validating summary tables
  • Developing plans to address these potential problems

Module 2: Developing a strategy in the QC Plan

  • Understanding the three levels of checks performed: Self, QC, & External QA
  • Developing a game plan for risk-management validation

Module 3: Effective methods and SAS macros to validate summary tables

  • Understanding the advantages of selected SAS procedures for validating tables
  • Applying SAS macros to standardize the validation process

Module 4: Process Flow for developing summary tables

  • Preparing the data structure and variables

  • Extracting descriptive statistics using SAS’s Output Delivery System

  • Assembling and summarizing reporting SAS data set

Module 5: Effective methods and SAS macros to create summary tables

  • Understanding the benefits of effective methods for creating tables
  • Applying SAS macros to standardize the production process

Module 6: Anatomy of Proc Report, ODS and RTF Control Words

  • Customization and flexibility with Proc Report, ODS and RTF Control Words
  • Standardization with SAS’s Style Definitions

Instructor's bio:

Sunil Gupta is the Associate Director of Statistical Programming at Quintiles in Thousand Oaks, CA. He has been using SAS® software for over 15 years and is a SAS Base Certified Professional.  He was the program chair for the Western Users of SAS Software conference in 1998 and an invited speaker at numerous SAS User Group International and regional conferences as well as corporations.  Sunil has over 50 publications along with authoring the following books:  Quick Results with the Output Delivery System, Data Management and Reporting Made Easy with SAS Learning Edition 2.0, and Sharpening Your SAS Skills.  Currently, Sunil is actively teaching his one day course to help statistical and clinical programmers better prepare for regulatory submissions.

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Saturday, September 13
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Output Delivery System Programming: The Basics and Beyond
Kirk Lafler,Software Intelligence Corporation

Overview:

Expand your SAS output formatting and reporting skills with this Output Delivery System: The Basics and Beyond course. Numerous examples will be presented to improve mastery of ODS capabilities while providing a better understanding of ODS statements and options to perform more complicated tasks. Topics include SAS-supplied Formatting statements and options; Formatting Output with RTF, PDF, MS-Excel, and HTML; Selecting output objects with Selection or Exclusion Lists; using the Escape character to enhance output formats; exploring ODS statements and options; constructing drill-down applications with the DATA step, ODS, and SAS/GRAPH software; creating thumbnail charts; techniques on creating user-defined ODS styles; and an introduction to the customization of output with the TEMPLATE Procedure.

Instructor's bio:

Kirk Paul Lafler is consultant and founder of Software Intelligence Corporation and has been programming in SAS since 1979. As a SAS Certified Professional and SAS Institute Alliance Member (1996 – 2002), Kirk provides IT consulting services and training to SAS users around the world. As the author of four books including PROC SQL: Beyond the Basics Using SAS (SAS Institute. 2004), Kirk has written more than two hundred peer-reviewed papers and articles that have appeared in professional journals and SAS User Group proceedings. He has also been an Invited speaker at more than two hundred SAS International, regional, local, and special-interest user group conferences and meetings throughout North America. His popular SAS Tips column, “Kirk’s Korner of Quick and Simple Tips”, appears regularly in several SAS User Group newsletters and Web sites, and fun-filled SASword Puzzles are featured in www.SAScommunity.org and several newsletters.

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The Nitty Gritty of PROC REPORT
Malachy (Mal) J. Foley, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Overview:

One of the most powerful PROCs in SAS is PROC REPORT.  Just this one procedure does the yeoman's work of PROC PRINT, SORT, FREQ, MEANS, and TABULATE, and PUT-Statement Formatting (DATA _NULL_) combined.  This seminar is for anyone interested in getting started with PROC REPORT.  Through examples, it completely examines how to produce listings through the PRINT, SORT and DATA _NULL_ aspects of PROC REPORT.  It also provides an introduction into the FREQ, MEANS and TABULATE aspects of PROC REPORT.  The course briefly looks at ODS, but suggests an alternative way to create DOC files.  Come experience what PROC REPORT can do for your SAS programming.

Instructor's bio:

Malachy (Mal) J. Foley is a Senior SAS Programmer/Analyst associated with the Department of Biostatistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Mal has worked with all types of data for more than 30 years. His career in computing includes being an international consultant, a department manager, a university professor, and a CEO. He has consulted to IBM, Dow Chemical, Ford-Rockefeller Foundation, United Nations, GE, Department of Agriculture, Agency for International Development, GSK, Research Triangle Institute, and many universities. He has taught dozens of computing courses at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels.  Mal co-chaired the Pharmaceutical Industry SAS Users Group Conference in 2006. He frequently presents papers and gives seminars at local, regional, national, and international SAS users' groups.

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