High-Performance SAS Coding: B&W

Our mission: Write better SAS programs

So now you know how to program with SAS, and you are wondering how to progress to the next level?

After a few years of experience and training using SAS, one is ready for any task.
Once in control of SAS, there isn't much that one can't do.
However, courses only show how to use a feature or how to perform a task,
not the difference in performance of different methods or settings.

The next step to mastering SAS is building fast programs: using the most appropriate settings and the most efficient methods to reach the desired result.

In this book, the various SAS settings that influence performance are explained in detail, demonstrated and benchmarked. Practical tips are also provided.

Together, we'll cover topics as diverse as:
- Why is SPDE's binary compression recommended?
- What are the different ways to load data into memory before processing and how do they differ?
- How exactly does PROC SORT work, and how can one influence its behaviour?
- How do SAS's various memory settings relate to each other?
- What is the best table look-up technique?
- Why is it bad to use a WHERE clause that includes the IN operator and a range?
- How to change the size of SAS/CONNECT's data buffers?
and countless others.

If you are ready to embark on a journey where we
- Learn the various ways SAS can be tweaked,
- Explore the technology behind common SAS functionalities,
- Push the buttons and pull the levers that affect how it runs,
- Measure the effects of different settings on actual benchmark programs and see what improves performance
then come with me as we navigate the river of Knowledge towards the lake of Performance!