NJSUG

20Feb1998 Meeting

SCL for the Rest of Us: Non-Visual Uses of Screen Control Language
Michael Davis, Bassett Consulting Services, Inc.

Because of the increasing popularity of the SAS System to create Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), many have come to believe that the language used with SAS/AF and SAS/FSP, Screen Control Language (SCL) is only used with visual objects.

The truth is that SCL can be used in conjunction with or in place of the SAS macro language to automate SAS batch programs and to better interface them to the computing environment. Specifically, SCL programs may be submitted from within batch programs run on MVS and UNIX host computers. This includes even those host computers on which SAS/AF is not installed!

This presentation will be an introduction to the subset of SCL that may be used for non-visual programming applications. Topics covered include:

why SCL code is often easier and better to use than the other SAS languages (DATA steps and macros)
when to use SCL entries instead of DATA steps or macros
interfacing SCL entries to SAS code executed in batch
how to use the SCL on-line reference materials
using SCL to get the properties of the operating environment
controlling the execution of SCL code

No previous background knowledge of SAS/AF or SCL is presumed. Part of the presentation will be devoted to using the SCL debugger to learn how SCL programs work and debug those which do not.

Michael Davis is Vice President of Bassett Consulting Services, Inc. Previously, he worked for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Connecticut and the Connecticut Hospital Association. A SAS user for over 13 years, Michael specializes in creating SAS/AF FRAME applications. He is a recent past chairman of the Hartford Area SAS User Group and is a frequent presenter and section chair at NESUG and SUGI.

Harnessing the Power of SCL Lists
Lisa Horwitz of SAS Institute

SCL lists are ordered collections of data stored in memory and are a powerful tool for applications developers. The sources of this data can include hard coded values, SAS data sets, information retrieved from interaction with the application user or the current SAS session, or the FRAME entry's objects themselves. This paper explores how to create and populate SCL lists, how to retrieve and utilize information from lists, how to manipulate lists, and how to access some of the lists associated with FRAME entry objects. An assortment of ideas for using SCL lists will be suggested as well.

Lisa Horwitz is Regional Training Center Manager of the New York office of SAS Institute. During her 13 years in the Professional Services Division, she has taught courses and worked closely with SAS users on technical projects. Her areas of expertise include applications development, including FRAME entries and Screen Control Language. Lisa is a frequent presenter at local and regional SAS Users Group meetings and at SUGI.

01May1998 Meeting

Introduction to HTML - No Magic Involved
Bob Bertolatus

This talk will explain how web pages are created, how they are placed on the internet, and how they get delivered to your browser. While it is truly amazing, there is really no magic involved. Basic HTML will be discussed as well as a demonstration of a current Web authoring program.

Bob, who serves on the executive board of NJSUG, has been a computer consultant since 1985, working mostly in the telecomunications industry. He also teaches Computer Fundamentals and SAS at Raritan Valley Community College in North Branch. Bob received his B.S. and M.S. from Rutgers University in Industrial Engineering/Operations Research and is returning to school in the fall to study Geography. He has been a director and the BBS sysop of the Amateur Computer Group of New Jersey for five years. Bob is the webmaster for the NJ SAS Users Group homepage. He lives in Somerset with his wife Leslie and their two daughters and serves as a soccer coach and league registrar for the local soccer club.

Web Enabling Your SAS Application
James Sun

The Internet and intranet have quickly become important vehicles for information delivery. The Web-enabled SAS application can greatly benefit organizations which need to communicate information to large and geographically dispersed user bases, which may be within or outside the organization. With SAS/IntrNet Software, users will be able to reduce the development time and costs that are normally associated with Web enablement.

This presentation will describe tools and techniques used to build web applications with the SAS system. Topics covered include setting up the working environment, generating SAS output through the Web browser, and developing thin client Web based SAS application. The implementation of some of the examples does not require SAS/IntrNet.

James Sun is a Sr. System Analyst at Constat Systems Corporation. He has worked as a statistician and SAS programmer in the pharmaceutical industry. One of his specialties is in designing and implementing Intranet based applications to streamline clinical trial data processing. He has presented papers at SUGI, NESUG, PharmaSUG and to local user groups. He is currently an executive committee member of NJSUG.

17Sep1998 Meeting

DATA Step in Version 7: What's New?
William F. Heffner

William F. Heffner is a Principal Systems Developer in Core Supervisor Development at SAS Institute. He has been with the Institute for over thirteen years. For the past five years, he has been the lead developer for the DATA Step, supporting the compile, resolve, and execute phases, as well as, the DATA Step view engine and the DATA Step debugger. Previous development work involved the SAS System for MVS, and code generation and external I/O subsystems.

Statistical Graphics
Susan Fehrer and Stanley Willsky

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Our presentation will review the principles of good graphic design for displaying data (also called statistical graphics). References will be made to experts in the field.
We will discuss how to select the appropriate graphic for the task at hand based on objectives and the ease of visual perception. Examples will be shown.

Data can either be presented to accurately reflect the data at hand or cloud the data so that conclusions cannot be made. Some examples of poor or misleading graphics will also be presented. SAS/Graph is the software used to create all of the graphs used in this presentation.

Susan Fehrer is a Sr. Director of Technical Operations at Target Research Associates, Inc., a Scotch Plains based CRO. She has over 18 years of pharmaceutical programming experience and over four years of CRO experience in clinical SAS programming. Susan is a long-time user of the SAS System. Susan has an MBA in Quantitative Analysis from Seton Hall University and a BS in Commerce in the double majors of Marketing and Decision Sciences & Computers from Rider University.

Stanley Willsky holds a BS in Pharmacy, and an MS in Statistics, both from Rutgers University. Since 1992 he has been President of Progressive Business Solutions Incorporated; a company that provides consulting and education services in information management, study design and analysis, clinical systems, and surveys. His prior position was at a major Pharmaceutical Company starting in 1963 as a scientist in R&D developing new dosage forms, leading to a career in computers and statistics. He has used SAS extensively for statistical analysis, graphics, and typical computer system functions.