Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2003 14:25:23 -0500
Reply-To: Gerry <GPauline@FSMAIL.PACE.EDU>
Sender: "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From: Gerry <GPauline@FSMAIL.PACE.EDU>
Subject: NYASUG Meeting Coming Up !
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NYASUG Meeting Announcement
For members of SAS-L in the Tri-State area who are also
members of the New York Area SAS Users Group (NYASUG):
The next meeting of the New York Area SAS Users Group
will be on Wednesday, December 10, 2003. This will be a
half day meeting with 3 scheduled presentations.
The theme of this meeting is Applications Development
Tools and Tips. The presentations will be by noted SAS
author Frank DiIorio and SAS-L star Howard Schreier.
This meeting is being held at the Bank of New York, and
we thank them for hosting the meeting ! Directions to
the BONY site are at the end of this text.
The following are abstracts of the scheduled
presentations:
-------------------------------------------------------
Dictionary Tables: Essential Tools for Serious
Applications
By Frank DiIorio and Jeff Abolafia
Dictionary tables were introduced to the SAS System
during the mid-life of Version 6. Laden with
information that is often difficult, and sometimes
impossible, to get through other means, they still
appear to be on the outside of many programmers' Bag of
Tricks. This is both perplexing and unfortunate for as
we will see in this paper, once their content and
organization is understood, they are readily adapted
for a range of applications that "are only limited by
your imagination." Indeed, it is difficult to think of
a robust, generalized system utility that would not
benefit from use of this metadata.
This paper describes dictionary tables and their
associated SASHELP library views. It:
* presents scenarios that show how they can be
used
* gives high-level descriptions of some of the
more important (a relative term, to be sure)
tables
* identifies features of SQL and the macro
language that are commonly used when writing
programs that effectively use the tables
* shows examples of the tables' use,
emphasizing the use of SQL and the macro
language interface
The listener should come away from the discussion with
an understanding of the tables as well as with a
checklist of SQL skills that are required to use the
tables most effectively.
------------------------------------
The SAS Debugging Primer
By Frank DiIorio
Meet an accomplished SAS programmer and you meet
someone who's probably learned by making (and fixing)
lots of mistakes along the way. The breadth of the SAS
System's target applications, the variety of its
"dialects" (Base SAS, macro, SCL, IML, SQL), and the
quirky procedural/non-procedural environmental mix
conspire to make mastery of the SAS System a slippery
slope to ascend. Debugging is the art of gracefully
recovering and learning from falls during the ascent.
This paper discusses techniques for debugging SAS
programs. Its purpose is two-fold. First, it provides
behavioral and technical tips for fixing code (how to
read error messages in the SAS Log, knowing when there
is a problem with the program even if SAS says there
isn't, using the DATA step debugger, identifying system
options, using PROCs for data validation, using macro
variables to control debugging output, etc.) The second
focus of the paper is its presentation of design and
coding methods that make the programming process more
reliable, thus reducing the need for debugging in the
first place.
The paper's target audience is relative newcomers to
the SAS System. More seasoned users may find or
rediscover some of the techniques and features being
discussed. Emphasis is placed on Base SAS and the
macro language, although the techniques themselves are
applicable to SCL and other products.
Biography
Frank DiIorio is President of CodeCrafters, Inc. and
is the author of "SAS Applications Programming: A
Gentle Introduction" and (with Ken Hardy) "Quick Start
to Data Analysis with SAS" Both titles are part of SAS
Institute's Books by Users series and have sold over
25,000 copies. His new book, "The Elements of SAS
Programming Style," (working title) will be published
"real soon now."
Frank has been active in SUGI and numerous local SAS
user groups, presenting many tutorial and
application-oriented papers. He has been active in the
SAS Users Group (SESUG) since its inception,
co-chairing the 1994 and 1996 conferences.
When not writing *about* SAS, Frank writes in SAS,
primarily data management and reporting applications in
the pharmaceutical industry. A native New Yorker, he
has lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina since 1974 and
sort of buys into its claim of being the "Southern Part
of Heaven."
-------------------------------------------------------
Using the FTP Access Method
By Howard Schreier
Recent versions of SAS provide the FTP Access Method,
which can be invoked via the FILENAME statement to
directly integrate the Internet's File Transfer
Protocol with SAS input/output processes. This paper
explains and illustrates the use of this feature.
Biography
Howard Schreier is an economist by training. He serves
the U.S. Department of Commerce in an information
management role. He has used SAS since 1981, and has
given presentations at SUGI, NESUG, and SESUG
conferences. Since 1989 he has made more than 1,500
postings on SAS-L.
-------------------------------------------------------
Schedule
09:00 - 10:00 The SAS Debugging Primer
10:00 - 10:30 Random Access And Break
10:30 - 11:30 Using The FTP Access Method
11:30 - 12:30 Dictionary Tables: Essential Tools
For Serious Applications
-------------------------------------------------------
Directions
Check the Website for any last minute changes. Bring
your copy of the Newsletter for identification. In
addition, you will be asked for a photo id or to turn
on or check your laptop. Please be courteous and
understanding with security personnel. Thanks.
Bank of New York
10th Floor Auditorium
101 Barclay Street
New York, NY 10286
The Bank of New York is located one Block North of the
former World Trade Center between Greenwich and West
Streets, Barclay and Park Place. The Main Entrance is
on Greenwich. Park Place is closed. A lot has changed
downtown since 2001, so it might be a good idea to
allow extra time. We will post last minute changes and
additions on our web site.
By Subway
Take IND (A,C,E) to Chambers Street stop, exit at Park
Place walk 2 blocks west to Greenwich. West side IRT
(1 or 9) to Chambers Street, Walk 1 block west to
Greenwich and 3 blocks south to Park Place, IRT (2 or
3) to Park Place walk 2 blocks west to Greenwich.
Eastside IRT (4 or 5) to Broadway Nassau walk north to
Park Place and west to Greenwich. BMT(N, R) to City
Hall, walk 1 block south to Park Place and 3 blocks
west to Greenwich.
By Bus
M9, M10 or M22 to Battery Park City
By Car
Take West Street (West Side Highway) and turn onto
Murray Street. There is limited parking in the area.
From New Jersey
By train to Hoboken and then the New York Waterway
ferry from Hoboken to the downtown terminal. Other
ferries go from Port Imperial to the 38th Street
Terminal or the NY Waterway bus downtown express.
By Bus from NJ to Port Authority and then go downtown
on the IND trains.
-------------------------------------------------------
For further information about this meeting, or the New
York Area SAS Users Group, please contact:
Henny Wolland
Henrietta.Wolland@Pfizer.Com
