Monarch?! Compared to SAS Monarch is a toy.

I have two questions, 1 thread-related, one not.

1) My presupposition is that SAS can read anything. Does anyone have an example simpler than a binary RDBMS data set that they couldn't read. (Although I think SAS could read the DBMS data too, given time and enough format information. PC SAS used to ship with a demo program that read .exe files and returned loader information.)

2) Too easy to bother programming: does anyone know about software that will present a graphical interface allowing the user to re-arrange columns in a data file without programming? Preferably, it would produce some kind of record of the changes made, for audit trail purposes.

Jonathan

On Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:22:50 -0600, Alan Churchill <alan.churchill@SAVIAN.NET> wrote:

>3 of the worst files have ever had to work with: > >#1 32-byte Call Detail Records from a switch. Every bit meant something. Time was kept in 6 second increments after midnight. > >#2 Weblog records from all major vendors. The code in this case had to be dynamic meaning that the program had to write its input statement based upon the layout and the layout could change from 1 file to another. How many files? Thousands upon thousands and they were different at every site. > >#3 Printed records (report was the data). Thank god for Monarch. I still keep a copy just in case. > > >Alan > >Alan Churchill >Savian >Work: 719-687-5954 >Cell: 719-310-4870 > > >-----Original Message----- >From: SAS(r) Discussion [mailto:SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Arthur Tabachneck >Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 9:11 AM >To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU >Subject: Re: The Long and Winding Road to SAS Global Forum 2010 > >Even more shameless promotion and self-promotion: Spend the entire >morning, Monday (April 12th, 2010) at Coder's Corner. > >I just discovered that I'll get to give two presentations during that >session, thus 5 of the 7 papers being presented have ties to SAS-L. > >My previously unannounced paper, paper 382-2010 (Monday, April 12th, >11:40am-11:50am .. right between presentations by Mike and Ted Conway) is >one that evolved as a result of a Peter Flom post a couple of months ago. > >"Worst, but still importable data I’ve ever seen" > >What’s the worst data you’ve ever had to import? How about an Excel >spreadsheet that contains a date field with rows that represent virtually >every date format imaginable? While just the thought would make most SAS >users shudder, the author confronted just such a file the day after being >challenged, on SAS-L, to propose an example of the worst file ever. > >This presentation describes two methods that allow one to almost >painlessly import such a file, one method using proc import via SAS/Access >for PC File Formats, and another using DDE. > >Hope to see/meet you there, >Art >------- >On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:54:16 -0500, Arthur Tabachneck ><art297@NETSCAPE.NET> wrote: > >>I don't have anything to add to the discussion but, since we're into >>shameless promotion and trivia: >> >>Shameless promotion: See how a SAS-L post can turn into a (I think) nice >>paper, come earlier to coder's corner (10:30 on Monday, Room 611) and >>listen to: Automagically Copying and Pasting Variable Names >> >>then, since you'll already be there, stay around for Mike's presentation. >> >>Trivia: If you don't count "y" as a vowel, there are a total of two >>presenters at this year's SGF who don't have any vowels in their last >name. >> >>Art >>-------- >>On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:21:01 -0500, Mike Zdeb <msz03@ALBANY.EDU> wrote: >> >>>hi Mike ... if you choose to drive ... >>> >>>http://www.sascommunity.org/wiki/Driving_Distances_and_Drive_Times_using _ >S >>AS_and_Google_Maps >>> >>>you'll find that ... >>> >>>DRIVING DISTANCE BETWEEN ZIPS 20850 AND 98101: 2743 MILES (TIME: 1 day >>19 hours ) >>> >>> >>>ps shameless self-promotion ... stop in at Coders' Corner on Monday at >>11:15 AM and listen to ... >>> >>>Driving Distances and Times Using SAS? and Google Maps >>>Mike Zdeb, U@Albany School of Public Health >>>Paper 050-2010 >>>SAS? 9.2 contains new functions (ZIPCITYDISTANCE, GEODIST) that allow a >>user to compute geodesic >>>distance (the shortest distance between two point on the surface of a >>sphere). Both functions use >>>the Vincenty distance formula. Prior to SAS 9.2, a user had to use a DATA >>step and write an equation >>>to compute such distances. The most common method was to use the >>Haversine formula. Vincenty and >>>Haversine distance estimates are straight line distances and there are >>occasions where that type >>>of estimate is what you need. There are other occasions where what you >>want is not the straight >>>line distance, but a driving distance. Given only one combination of >>locations, using Google Maps >>>to get the driving distance and time is no problem. However, if you have >>a large number of location >>>pairs, a FILENAME statement and the URL access method within SAS can be >>used to access Google Maps >>>multiple times and extract both the driving distance and time each time >>the site is accessed. >>> >>> >>> >>>-- >>>Mike Zdeb >>>U@Albany School of Public Health >>>One University Place >>>Rensselaer, New York 12144-3456 >>>P/518-402-6479 F/630-604-1475 >>> >>> >>>> Dear SAS-L-ers, >>>> >>>> So, how long and winding is _YOUR_ road to SAS Global Forum 2010? >>>> >>>> Well, if you take the "winds" out of _MY_ "long and winding road", it >>is 2,315 miles from the sunny, snow draped SAS Mecca campus in beautiful >>>> Rockville Maryland to the Emerald City: >>>> >>>> data gointoseattle; >>>> >>>> sgf2010_dist = put(zipcitydistance(20850,98101),comma.); >>>> >>>> label sgf2010_dist = "My Travel Distance to SAS Global Forum 2010"; >>>> >>>> put sgf2010_dist; >>>> >>>> run; >>>> >>>> proc print noobs data=gointoseattle label; >>>> >>>> run; >>>> >>>> This should be a straight-forward calculation for the U.S. of A. SAS- L- >>ers, but those who hang their hats in other lands will likely have to go >to >>>> this program: >>>> >>>> data gointoseattle; >>>> >>>> sgf2010_dist = put(geodist(39.085920,-77.174389,47.611330,- >>122.333219,"M"),comma.); >>>> >>>> label sgf2010_dist = "My Travel Distance to SAS Global Forum 2010"; >>>> >>>> put sgf2010_dist; >>>> >>>> run; >>>> >>>> proc print noobs data=gointoseattle label; >>>> >>>> run; >>>> >>>> Of course, many of these 'L-ers might choose to substitute "K" >>(kilometers) for "M" (miles) to keep the distance in their own >>perspective. Miles; >>>> kilometers; what's a few klicks between friends?!?!? >>>> >>>> So, will you be earning more Frequent Flyer miles/kilometers that I >>will in April?