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Contract opportunity working with SAS:

Techlink Systems is a full service technical staffing firm.

We are seeking a Business Intelligence professional for one of our clients in Torrance, CA.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for both operational report and analytical report design, development, testing, training, and documentation

. Works closely with application teams, and business users to understand business requirements and issues to determine Business Intelligence approach

. Works closely and provides guidance with the selected SAS consulting vendor during project design and development

. Works closely and provides guidance with Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Service developer to deliver a high quality BI solution

. Define and communicate business intelligence standards and methodology for the project

. Faciliate technical resources in supporting Business Intelligence activities

. Responsible for educating Application Teams and Business Users of the Business Intelligence best practice and concepts

. Takes over the responsibility of SAS programs maintenance and support after SAS consulting vendor delivers the project

If interested, please email: rdavis@techlinksystems.com

Thank you..

Paper: Undocumented and Hard-to-find PROC SQL Features
by Kirk Paul Lafler, Software Intelligence Corporation

Paper: http://www.sascommunity.org/mwiki/images/2/29/Undocumented_and_Hard-to-Find_PROC_SQL%C2%AE_Features.pdf

Check out the sascom voices blog for videos showing a behind-the-scenes look at preparations for SAS Global Forum. The "Inside SAS Global Forum" video series will continue in San Antonio as well, so watch for the roaming video camera and microphone in the convention hall if you're attending. And keep checking back for more videos.

Here's the first video in the series.

It has been nearly a year since I had something significant to report, so here goes:

• I've now started serious work on a new book with Kevin Smith from the SAS Institute on PROC TEMPLATE. He is the "author" and is writing about the text templates, like ODS Tables and Styles, and the new Lists and TextBlocks due in SAS 9.3, and I'm writing about ODS Statistical Graphics and Graphics Template Language. I've had 2 papers accepted for PhUSE 2008 in Manchester (UK) on book-related topics, which has given me a kick to start writing.
• I've recently discovered Squidoo, a collection of single page web sites (called "lenses"), and created 4 lenses about SAS-related topics. Each lens can include a range of different modules, like Amazon book links, links to sites, blogs, polls, RSS feeds and picture galleries. Feel free to visit the lenses and, maybe, make one of your own:
  • Saving Time and Money Using SAS - by Philip R Holland is about my published book, with information and links to sellers.
  • Holland Numerics Limited - SAS consultancy is about my SAS consultancy company, with relevant links.
  • sas.answers @ Holland Numerics is about my company's web-based SAS help desk, with information and relevant links.
  • SAS software users Headquarters is a Group lens for other lenses of SAS-related topics, where members can add to, and vote for, the lists of books, tips and sites.

We're looking for a Risk Analytics & Modeling Manager in Hoffman Estates, IL This is an exciting opportunity with GE Commercial Finance!!!

Position: CDF Risk Modeling and Analytics Manager Business Unit: GE Commercial Finance, Capital Solutions Function: Risk Management Location: Hoffman Estates, IL Job #: 798299

Job Description: Responsibilities

Role Summary

Support initiatives that establish quantitative analytic tools and models that facilitate analysis across the lifecycle of a product/loan and increase productivity and development of analytical/financial models.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements

YOU MUST BE ABLE TO SATISFY THE REQUIREMENTS OF SECTION 19 OF THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE ACT.

Bachelor's Degree with 5+ years work experience in an accounting, finance, or audit role(s).

Experience in portfolio analysis, reporting, and credit scoring.

Eligibility requirements

Must submit application for employment through www.gecareers.com Job # 798299 (external candidates) to be considered for this position.

e-link to apply:

http://www.gecareers.com/GECAREERS/GECControllerServlet?actionid=90001&checkFlag=&Theme=us&Job=798299&Business=&Function=&State=&Country=&Page=1&position_title=

Must have unrestricted authorization to work in the United States.

Must be willing to comply with pre-employment screening, including but not limited to, drug testing, reference verification and background check.

Desired

Desired Characteristics

Bachelor Degree in quantitative field (Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Finance) with 7+ years of hands-on analytics experience, or Master Degree in quantitative field with 5+ years of hands-on analytics experience

Excellent verbal and written communication/interpersonal skills

Demonstrated knowledge of statistical model development and validation

SAS proficiency

Desktop computer software savvy; experience using the Microsoft suite of tools such as Excel and Power Point

Strong project management skills. Demonstrated ability to lead major projects from beginning to end.

General

Commercial Distribution Finance (CDF) is a provider of specialized financing and servicing programs that facilitate the manufacture, distribution, and sale of consumer durables product such as boats, motorcycles, RVs, outdoor power equipment, electronics and appliances, manufactured housing, industrial equipment, and more. As an international leader in its industry, our goal is to create innovative solutions that support the free flow of products from manufacturers to end-users in key markets around the world. CDF has 2,000 employees worldwide and is part of GE Commercial Finance, one of General Electric's largest growth engines.

For U.S. employment opportunities, GE hires U.S. citizens, permanent residents, asylees, refugees, and temporary residents. Temporary residence does not include those with non-immigrant work authorization (F, J, H or L visas), such as students in practical training status. Exceptions to these requirements will be determined based on shortage of qualified candidates with a particular skill. GE will require proof of work authorization. GE is an equal opportunity employer, offering a great work environment, challenging career opportunities, professional training and competitive compensation.

The United States has regulations that govern the hiring of current or former U.S. Government employees. If you currently work for (or have in the past) the U.S. Government (in any capacity), you may have certain responsibilities under these regulations and certain restrictions may apply to your potential employment with GE. Therefore, if you are contacted by GE regarding a position of employment, and you have worked for the U.S. Government at any time, please immediately inform the GE representative of this fact.

So, I was talking about pontification. Sometimes, I am asked: "what makes a good SAS Administrator?" There are many answers (just like writing SAS code!) but there are enough commonalities to elevate this question to one which can be answered by a "Things You Should Know" list.

Nine things you should know about SAS® administration

1. SAS is not like Oracle, your email system, or anything else for that matter. When viewed as a system, SAS software does not behave like a database, or any other operational system. Usually, very little goes on without the direct involvement of users. In fact, it’s the users’ activity which defines how SAS behaves, and is also the direct value product of the system. Traditional pure-play IT management folks are not usually comfortable with systems which are made up of a set of infinitely flexible tools (like SAS is). For this reason alone, SAS deserves special treatment; it is an environment rather than a directed, deterministic system.

2. SAS guys are not like IT guys. Related to point #1 – those experts who are the community of SAS users in your organization are not at all like "programmers". Usually, programmers are driven by specifications and have a very clear picture of their desired product. This isn’t the case with much SAS work – SAS "programmers" often work in an exploratory, data-driven way – the exact nature of the end product is not clear, and technical considerations are secondary to the business problems they are trying to solve.

3. Yes, SAS users really do need all that data. Almost all SAS work is data-oriented. We often see cases where highly skilled quantitative people spend up to 80% of their time in data preparation, often because their IT support has not anticipated the needs of these people. Although it is an investment challenge in terms of development resources, possibly the single most valuable resource for many of the mathematicians we work with would be a well structured Analytic Data Mart. It’s a common scenario that there is no reuse of data integration code between analysts – each individual reinvents the wheel every time, whether or not one of their colleagues has already solved the problem. The SAS Administrator is well placed to lead the charge to provide the right data to the right people, filling a gap between the business (in this case, SAS users) and the IT organization.

4. All problems are your problem. With reference to #2 – as subject area experts, SAS users may not be able to articulate a technical symptom correctly. We often hear of cases where an expired database password has resulted in an obscure log message which in turn led to a multi-week triage effort involving SAS Technical Support, and ultimately a frustrated and non-productive SAS user. Be involved, and be available to help.

5. Sometimes the wood is obscured by the trees. Naturally, SAS tools do not exist in a vacuum. With reference to #1, SAS technologies are always used in support of one or more business processes. This implies that any change in the business process will impact the supporting SAS processes – business rules and logic, analyses, even data currency and granularity can shift without warning. Understand and monitor the business processes supported by SAS technologies. Understand the role SAS plays in the overall process. This allows both an insight into the details of the SAS artifacts which the community has developed, allowing you to more effectively triage problems and understand risks and impacts, and also puts the SAS Administrator in an excellent position to guide the SAS community through business changes.

6. Just because you have a hammer... Pick the "right" tool for the job. To give a very specific but illuminating example: don't bother writing a SAS/C module to decode DICOM image files. The breadth of what can be accomplished with SAS tools constantly amazes us (does anyone remember SAS/AF Blackjack?) This does not, however, mean that everything should be accomplished using SAS tools. Know that it is always possible, for example, to get complex data integration done at source (see #3), if that is technically and economically feasible.

7. All problems are communication problems. Be a steward rather than an administrator. If you do not have an internal user group, make one. Get SAS users to talk about what they do. You learn; they learn; they start reusing data and code. Best Practices are only a symptom of effective communication.

8. Everybody loves a geek. Subscribe to SAS technology news, attend conferences, and talk to your Account Executive regularly. SAS tools are continually revised and new ones invented - maybe one of these is your silver bullet? (see #5)

9. The world is not flat. SAS is always part of a wider technical ecosystem. Many problems arise because of the interfaces between these systems. So, as well as the SAS Administrator’s priority of understanding the business processes, there is also a responsibility to understand the wider technical landscape.

Williams, Roberts, Young Inc, Full time permanent position in Winston Salem, NC, Contact Eddie Perez at 336-777-1938 or 1-800-632-0360.

Requirements: Undergraduate Degree (preferably a Masters) in Statistics.

Description: One of the nations's largest property and casualty insurance companies has an immediate need for a Sr. Product Development Analyst. Conducts data mining, data analysis, mathematical and statistical modeling and business modeling. The analyst provides project management for analytic and development teams on analysis projects and software development projects. The analyst provides feasibility assessments, systems analysis, and functional specifications for analytic systems and business support for Product Development management. This position mentors less experienced personnel. -Performs data mining and data analysis to support Product Development management decision-making. -Develops mathematical, statistical and business models that enhance understanding of current business processes and identify new opportunities. -Provides analytic leadership and project management on major analysis and software development projects. -Provides feasibility assessments, systems analysis and functional specifications for analytic systems for Product Development management. -Coordinates the activities of other analysts in the design development and implementation of system specifications. -Reviews, evaluates, and recommends Product Development initiatives including vendor proposals. -Serves as an analytic consultant to Product Development management and other business units. -Provides business support through preparation and presentation of data to Product Development management.

Qualifications: Qualifications Required: -Expert in SAS for Unix, PC and mainframe environments. -Proficient in data mining and data analysis. -Proficient in advanced statistical techniques used in Product Development including Regression, ANOVA, Min Bias, Generalized Linear Models and -Logistic Regression and experience in applying them to Product Development problems. -Expert analytical skills for determination of problem, examination of options, and deciding the most appropriate course of action. -Expert in use of software for data processing and manipulation to support analytics. -Proficient in the use of presentation software including MS Excel, MS Word, MS PowerPoint to generate system and end user statistical reports. -Proficient in project management methodologies. -Knowledge of the latest statistical and related software developments. -Demonstrated leadership ability/ supervisor experience. -At least a Bachelor's degree in a numerate discipline with a statistical component (Master's degree desired). Qualifications Desired: -Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. This includes the ability to provide clear explanations of problems and resolution conclusions -Promotes a team environment where information is readily shared. -Excellent customer service skills -Ability to train end-users and less experienced personnel. -Excellent written and oral communications skills, especially in preparing and presenting results and recommendations -Able to present technical concepts in non-technical user-friendly understandable language. Company is open to relocation.

This is my first entry here in the community and I'm trying to see how well I can adapt to this wiki stuff. I just registered an in-house user group with SAS so I'm going to try my luck at adding some information about it. Wish me luck; and forgive me if I butcher it.

I had a great time at the SAS Global Forum here in San Antonio. I met a lot of new people and was able to connect friends I haven't seen in a while. I also was able to get a co-author to my first paper! Hopefully it will be accepted at some of the regional user group meetings and eventually at the next Global Forum in 2009.

VarMatch Macro

Have you ever wanted to select variables based off of the leading or ending character(s)? When some set of leading character(s) is wanted the Colon comes in very handy.

Data Need ;
Set Have ( Keep = Var: ) ;
<Some SAS Code>  
Run ;

This Keeps all variables starting with 'Var'.

However, there is no such trick to grab only variables that end in a certain set of character(s). To that end I created the VarMatch macro which will not do both but allows for other crazy pattern you may or may not want to match variable names with.

%Macro VarMatch( DSN = , Pattern = , PRX= ) ;
/****************************************************************************/
/** Macro Name : VarMatch                                                  **/
/**                                                                        **/
/**                                                                        **/
/** Purpose    : Returns A List Of Variables From A Data Set That Matces A **/
/**              Given Pattern.                                            **/
/**                                                                        **/
/** Parameters : DSN ~ Data Set To Get Variables From.  It Can Be Either   **/
/**                    Just A Member Name Which Cause The Macro To Look    **/
/**                    In The Work Directory Or A Two Level Name.          **/
/**                                                                        **/
/**              Pattern ~ Is A Simple Pattern Where The User Gives The    **/
/**                        Known Letters in The Variables Name Seperate By **/
/**                        * For Those They Do Not.                        **/
/**                        Examples: ABC* = All Vars That Start With ABC   **/
/**                                  *ABC = All Vars That End With ABC     **/
/**                                  A*C  = All Vars That Start With A And **/
/**                                         End With C.                    **/
/**                                                                        **/
/**              PRX ~ Is A Perl Regular Expression.  This Is Designed For **/
/**                    Advanced Users Who Fully Understand RegEx.          **/
/**                                                                        **/
/** Created By: Toby Dunn                              *****************   **/
/** Created On: 03/12/2008                             * Make It Right *   **/
/**                                                    *****************   **/       
/****************************************************************************/

%Local DSID VarNum I VarName Pattern VarList Close ;

%If ( %Length(&DSN) EQ 0 ) %Then %Do ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ERROR: The DSN Parameter Is Empty. ;
  %Put ERROR: Please Specify A Valid Value.  ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
  %Return ;
%End ;

%If ( %SysFunc( Exist( &DSN ) ) EQ 0 ) %Then %Do ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ERROR: The Data Set [&DSN] Does Not Exist!!! ;
  %Put ERROR: Please Check The Value Of DSN= Parameter ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
  %Return ;
%End ;

%If ( %Length( &Pattern ) EQ 0 ) And 
    ( %Length( &PRX ) EQ 0 ) %Then %Do ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ERROR: There Is No Pattern Or RegEx To Match. ;
  %Put ERROR: Please Specify A Valid Value For Pattern Or PRX.  ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
  %Return ;
%End ;


%If ( %Length( &Pattern ) GT 0 ) And 
    ( %Length( &PRX ) GT 0 ) %Then %Do ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
  %Put NOTE: A Value Was Given For Both Pattern And PRX. ;
  %Put NOTE: The PRX RegEx Will Be Used.  ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
%End ;


%Let DSID = %Sysfunc( Open( &DSN , I ) ) ;   

%If ( &DSID EQ 0 ) %Then %Do ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ERROR: Data Set [&DSN] Could Not Be Opened. ;
  %Put %SysFunc( SysMSG() ) ; 
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
%End ;


%Let VarNum  = %SysFunc( AttrN( &DSID , NVars ) ) ;                                                                                                 

%If ( &VarNum EQ 0 ) %Then %Do ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ERROR: Data Set [&DSN] Has No Variables. ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
%End ;



%If ( %Length( &PRX ) > 0 ) %Then %Do ;
  %Let Pattern = %SysFunc( PRXParse( &PRX ) ) ;
%End ;
%Else %Do ;
  %Let Pattern = %SysFunc( TranWrd( &Pattern , * , .* ) ) ;
  %Let Pattern = %SysFunc( PRXParse( /^&Pattern$/i ) ) ; 
%End ;

%Do I = 1 %To &VarNum ;
  %Let VarName = %Sysfunc( VarName( &DSID , &I ) ) ;

  %If ( %SysFunc( PRXMatch( &Pattern , &VarName ) ) > 0 ) %Then %Do ;
    %Let VarList = &VarList &VarName ; 
  %End ;
%End ;

%Let Close = %SysFunc( Close( &DSID ) ) ;


%If ( %Length( &VarList ) EQ 0 ) %Then %Do ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
  %Put NOTE: Could Not Find A Variable That Matched Pattern. ;
  %Put ;
  %Put ;
%End ;

&VarList 

%Mend VarMatch ;

Example:

Data Have ;
ABDC = 1 ;
ABCD = 2 ;
XYZC = 3 ;
ABFC = 4 ;
Run ;

Title "Print Out For Vars Ending With C" ;
Proc Print
 Data = Have ;
 Var %VarMatch( DSN = Have , Pattern = *C ) ;
Run ;


Output:
Print Out For Vars Ending With C                                
  Obs    ABDC    XYZC    ABFC
   1      1       3       4

hi
  this is very good side to learn technical matter so visit and enjoy modern life

___________

Mily

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