Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2003 22:54:11 -0500 From: "Muir, Timothy" Subject: BASUG Meeting Announcement - March 6th Meeting WHEN: Thursday, March 6, 2003, 8:30AM to 12:00PM WHERE: Holiday Inn, Newton Riverside Room 399 Grove Street Newton, MA 02462 617-969-5300 INDIVIDUAL, ON-LINE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. NO EMAIL! To register visit: http://www.basug.org/register.php3 CONTACT: If you have questions about the meeting contact: Bruno Berszoner (617-246-6774) or Victor Pontes (617-525-4239) LEVEL: Geared for SAS Users at an intermediate to advanced level AGENDA: 8:30 - 8:45 - Sign in and Coffee Break 8:45 - 9:00 - Meeting Announcements and Introductions 9:00 - 9:15 - Coder's Corner: "SAS Email, using Data Sets and Macros: A HUGE timesaver!" by Donna Levy 9:15 - 10:15 - "You Could Look It Up: An Introduction to SASHELP Dictionary Views" by Michael Davis 10:15 - 10:30 - Break 10:30 - 10:45 - Coder's Corner #2 10:45 - 11:45 - "Danger: MERGE Ahead! Warning: BY Variable with Multiple Lengths!" by Robert Virgile 11:45 - 12:00 - Closing Comments ABSTRACTS AND BIOS: "You Could Look It Up: An Introduction to SASHELP Dictionary Views" by Michael Davis Ever wonder what titles were already set in a batch SAS session? Need a list of the members in a library so your macro can automatically hack at each one? Curious as to how many observations are in that data set without running a procedure or DATA step? Want to see what macro variables already exist? Anytime that one has a question about what is going on in their SAS session, they can answer it the same way that SAS itself does the task... they can look it up in the SASHELP dictionary views. This presentation is an introduction to all those views automatically created by the SAS System and found in the SASHELP libref and prefixed with a "V". The dictionary views track items and their attributes for features such as catalogs, data set variables (columns), external files, indices, macro variables, data set members, titles, portable system options, and of course, views. The focus of the presentation is to illustrate how the dictionary views can be used in common situations. Last, for the SQL-phobic, it will be shown how these views can be accessed through Display Manager and through DATA step programming. Michael Davis is Vice President of Bassett Consulting Services, Inc., a SAS Alliance Silver Member(tm). An independent consultant since 1994, he previously worked for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Connecticut and the Connecticut Hospital Association. A SAS user since 1985, Michael specializes in developing custom web-enabled and full-screen decision support systems using SAS/IntrNet, SAS/AF FRAME, and other SAS products, including SAS/Warehouse Administrator. He is a past chairman of the Hartford Area SAS User Group and is a frequent presenter at NESUG and SUGI. Michael is also the past president of the Connecticut Chapter of the Independent Computer Consultants Association and secretary of the Fairfield-Westchester Chapter. "SAS Email, using Data Sets and Macros: A HUGE timesaver!" by Donna Levy SAS V8+ has the capability to send email by using the DATA step, procedures or SCL. But what if ongoing emails must be generated at unscheduled times? This SAS program has been developed to 'automatically' send a unique, customized and interactive email to the appropriate recipient(s). The program uses SAS EMAIL, MERGING datasets, DO loops, SUBSTR function and MACROS. Donna Levy was born in the 51st state: Canada! Moved to warmer weather in 1990 to Stillwater, OK, where she graduated from Oklahoma State in 1993. She taught high school mathematics in Texas for 3 years and then went to earn a Masters in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Arkansas 1998 & 2000. Donna has been a Biostatistician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston MA since 2000 and plans to enter the Biostatistics PhD program at Boston University in 2003 (hopefully!). She has also been a Statistical Consultant since 1999 and a SAS user for 5 years. "Danger: MERGE Ahead! Warning: BY Variable with Multiple Lengths!" by Robert Virgile Normally, when a data step merges two data sets, any common variables will have the same length in both sources of data. When a variable has different lengths in the incoming data sets, and when that variable is also a by variable, the merge can produce truly bizarre results. For example, change the order of the data sets in the merge statement and the data step generates a different number of observations. Or merge two data sets that are in sorted order and the data step issues an error message claiming that the data sets are not in order. This paper examines the situation, some of its manifestations, and solutions to the problem. Bob Virgile is an independent SAS trainer and consultant, with over 20 years of experience developing and teaching SAS courses. He has presented papers dozens of times at SUGI and regional conferences, formerly wrote the problem-solving contests for SUGI and NESUG, and has written two books for SAS Institute. DIRECTIONS TO THE HOLIDAY INN DRIVING: FROM BOSTON: Take I-90 West to Exit 15, then take Route 128 South (I-95) 1/4 mile to Exit 22. When you exit, stay right and bear right at the fork onto Grove Street. Hotel is on your left. FROM SOUTH OF BOSTON: Take Route 128 North (I-95) to Exit 22. When you exit, stay right and bear right at the fork onto Grove Street. Hotel is on your left. FROM WESTERN MASS: Take I-90 East to Exit 14, then take Route 128 South (I-95) 1/4 mile to Exit 22. When you exit, stay right and bear right at the fork onto Grove Street. Hotel is on your left. FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE: Take I-93 South to Route 128 South (I-95), follow for approximately 15 miles to Exit 22. When you exit, stay right and bear right at the fork onto Grove Street. Hotel is on your left. FROM RHODE ISLAND: Take I-95 North to Route 128 North (I-95). Follow to Exit 22. When you exit, stay right and bear right at the fork onto Grove Street. Hotel is on your left. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: The hotel is adjacent to the Riverside T Station. >From Kenmore Square take the Green Line - D (Riverside) to the Riverside stop. Hotel is adjacent to the T Station. The hotel is also accessible from downtown Boston via Express Bus #500 (EXPRESS BUS Riverside - Downtown Via Mass. Turnpike.). See http://www.mbta.com/schedmaps/bus/index.cfm for detailed bus route and schedule. Bus drops off at Riverside T Station. Hotel is adjacent to the T Station. INDIVIDUAL, ON-LINE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. NO EMAIL! To register visit: http://www.basug.org/register.php3 CONTACT: If you have questions about the meeting, contact: Bruno Berszoner: 617-246-6774 Victor Pontes: 617-525-4239 BASUG's Mail Address: BASUG PO Box 253 Boston, MA 02117 To email our Webmaster: webmaster@basug.org SUBSCRIBE TO OUR EMAIL LIST: Subscribers receive automatic e-mail notification of upcoming meetings, courses, and conferences of interest to local SAS users. To subscribe to the BASUG message list, send a message to majordomo@basug.org, and in the BODY of the message specify: subscribe basugnews To unsubscribe to the BASUG message list, send a message to majordomo@basug.org, and in the BODY of the message specify: unsubscribe basugnews