Stephen,

I'm not committed to the idea that certification is a good idea. That said, if there is a certification program, I believe it would be a mistake for SAS Institute to provide it. I agree with SAS's position of having a separate, independant organization administer the tests. Of course SAS will necesarily be involved in the design of the tests, but having an independant organization administer the tests has several advantages. One, this provides a measure of validity to the certification process. Two, a company like Sylvan with over 1800 training centers worldwide can provide the testing services much more effectively than SAS can. Plus, this whole exercise is something that Sylvan is geared to provide. While SAS has great training facilities and instructors, they are limited in availability and SAS is not in the business of testing. This is an important distinction, SAS trains but does not test. Certification is, after all, a testing process, not a training process.

So after all this, I too do not wish to need to go through certification. But I probably will so that my competivness in the market is not hampered by not having that golden seal (a figurative phrase, I have no idea what the certificate will look like).

As far as the cost, I am sure it will not be on the order of the European model ($10,000-$12,000 and 8 weeks). We Americans are just not that patient or willing to spend the money. I expect a battery of tests, 3-5, each one taking an hour or so. The total cost for the certification would be on the order of $400-$500. This is my impression based on informal discussions with little birdies, nothing formal or concrete.

If anyone is interested in Beta testing these things, I think SAS will be trying to have a Beta test of the tests at SUGI in Miami this spring. A lot of the details are still being worked out, and much of what I know (or think I know) will likely change between now and this spring. We'll just have to wait and see.

Chris. /***************************************************************************** ****************/ Christopher A. Roper Senior Systems Consultant Qualex Consulting Services, Inc. Chris.Roper@qlx.com http://www.qlx.com /***************************************************************************** ****************/