32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SAS Software for 65 bucks? A Great Deal!!, February 21, 2007
This review is from: SAS Learning Edition 4.1: With the Little SAS Book for Enterprise Guide 4.1 (Paperback)
SAS is a powerful product. As someone pointed out in the review for the earlier edition, SAS Programmers are in huge demand because SAS is required by the FDA for all pharmaceutical companies in order to bring drugs to market. It is used by 98 of the Fortune 100 companies. And it is the defacto standard for the financial industry with the anti-money laundering laws.
The flipside is that SAS is not intuitive -- you can't just read a book and learn it without actually having it in front of you and the classes are expensive (although their online training is quite reasonable). If you don't have access to SAS you aren't going to be able to learn it effectively. It isn't like Java or C where you can just go out and get a free compiler and play around with it on your own. I work for a bank where we use SAS exclusively for IT Data analysis. I need to be able to learn SAS quickly and for me, that means learning at home in my infinite gravity chair.
True, it expires in a bit less than 2 years. However, this is intended to be a learning tool -- not a business tool. And even business versions of SAS must be renewed every year -- you don't renew, the software is useless. That is the SAS business model and it has been very effective for them -- just as the MS Windows license scheme is designed to maximize the market share and profitability of that company.
My only complaint is that I wish that SAS would come out with an "intermediate" version for home users -- something that could handle more data and contained all of the procedures of Base SAS. But then SAS would face having others try to abuse the intent of the product and circumvent their license structure just as some would like to do with the learning edition. I also wish they would come out with a LINUX version.
The next price point is to purchase a "full" license for over $7000.00 which also has to be renewed each year. Yikes!
I was going to purchase the Little SAS Book for EG anyway which is 60 bucks by itself. So in essence, I'm getting the software for 65 bucks. With that pricing, I could buy a new version of the Learning Edition every 2 years (by which point SAS will have updated their software so would want the newer version anyway) and it would be 140 years before the full-fledged license to become cost effective.
SAS and statistics in general are becoming more and more important job skills (ever hear of Six Sigma?) so an entry-level package that gives folks an opportunity to learn how to use both is invaluable for anyone that wants to enhance their marketability -- regardless of what industry you work in.
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UPDATED TO ADD USABILITY REVIEW
I realized I did not speak to the usability of the product which may be of more interest (thanks to the reader for suggesting this).
The SAS Learning Edition 4.1 is an effective learning tool for those who are just starting out with SAS and those who want to become hardcore BASE SAS programmers.
If you are just starting out with SAS and Statistical Analysis, you will want to start with SAS Enterprise Guide (EG) -- a windows-based wizard-like front end for calculating sample statistics, creating graphs, performing ANOVA, regression, and Time-Series Analysis. The advantage to using SAS EG is that you don't have to know a lick of code to actually use SAS. The downside, of course, is that it does not teach you how to actually program in SAS. It is like using the "address book" feature on your cell phone -- you can easily call anyone you have in your adress book. However, if you actually need to recall their phone number, you won't know it because you are relying on the memory of the phone and not your own.
SAS EG is a bit like training wheels. It will get you started. However, once you have mastered the basic analysis tools within SAS, you will want to refine them to be most appropriate with your data. For example, SAS EG relies on a certain set of defaults and often those defaults will be oriented towards the most common user applications which tend to be either social sciences or pharmaceuticals. If you are trying to analyze IT or financial data, you may need to change the defaults in order to make the analyses more appropriate for your goals.
The great thing about SAS EG is that it allows you to view actual SAS code. You can then cut and paste that and start using the SAS Program editor to take your skill sets one step further and learn the nuts and bolts of SAS Programming. Think of the difference between SAS EG and SAS Programming as using Visual C to create a program vs actually starting with C-code and building from scratch. Again, SAS Learning Edition will allow you to make that progression.
This progression will make a significant difference to potential employers if you are looking to enhance your resume by being able to add SAS to your list of skills. Some companies are looking for individuals who can do the basics with SAS EG. However, many employers are going to be looking for individuals who can use both EG AND SAS Programming. If you really want to separate yourself from the pack, you will take the time to learn the actual SAS Programming language. Again, it is like the difference between getting a bachelors degree and a masters. A bachelors implies you know the "what and how" to do something. However, a Masters implies you know how to do the "when" and "why" and how to extend the concepts when they don't fit the basic applications.
Finally, the differences between SAS Learning Edition 4.1 vs 2.1 is that you are getting the most up-to-date version of the software. SAS, like any software program, continues to evolve. While the SAS programming language is pretty stable and is not changing significantly from one year to the next, the SAS EG Interface and Architecture are undergoing constant revision as user feedback is incorporated and as programming technologies continue to evolve. Since SAS Business Licenses are renewed every year, they will tend to upgrade their software version (they want to feel like they get something for their renewal fee.) It isn't like if you don't want Vista, you just don't upgrade and therefore, you don't have to look for people with Vista skills.
Businesses will expect that people they hire have knowledge of the current release because that is what they most likely have -- once again, this is a side effect of the SAS License model. Again, this is another reason why the expiration of the 4.1 LE for 12/2008 is not a significant limitation -- by 12/2008, there will be at least one major release by SAS -- maybe 2 (SAS is planning a major release towards the end of 2007 and based on history, most likely will have another Service Pack or significant point release before the end of 2008)
Hope this helps.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SAS and Windows Vista Business, June 4, 2008
This review is from: SAS Learning Edition 4.1: With the Little SAS Book for Enterprise Guide 4.1 (Paperback)
The SAS Institute sells Learning Edition 4.1 for $60 if you have a .edu email address. This is a great price for what you're getting.
There is a way around the "SAS does not support Microsoft Windows Vista" issue by using compatibility mode.
1. Go to the installation directory
2. Find setup.exe
3. Right-click and select Properties
4. Select the Compatibility tab
5. Select Windows XP (Service Pack 2) and click OK
6. Run the installation file
7. Verify system settings
8. SAS will cry-and-scream that it doesn't support Vista. Ignore it and continue with the system requirements test.
9. SAS will install 3 components: .NET 1.1 Framework, Microsoft Runtime Components 7.0, and SAS Private JAVA Runtime Environment. You will have to restart you computer after .NET installs. Repeat Steps 6-8 until all 3 components have installed.
10. Install SAS
If you have any problems, just find the application and repeat Steps 3-5.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can be installed on Vista Home and Windows 7, January 24, 2010
This review is from: SAS Learning Edition 4.1: With the Little SAS Book for Enterprise Guide 4.1 (Paperback)
It is possible to successfully install SAS Learning Edition 4.1 on the Vista Home Premium (32 bit) operating system.
Edit: this procedure also works for installing the learning Edition on the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.
This is the procedure that worked for me:
1. Deactivate your Antivirus Software !
2. Open the Program Compatibility Wizard by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Programs, and then clicking "Use an older program with this version of Windows"
3. Click Next. For the next dialog, you will be asked how you would like to locate the SAS program to install. Select "I want to select the program manually."
4. Click Next. Browse to the "setup.exe" file on the "Setup CD-ROM".
5. Click Next. Choose "Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 2)".
6. Click Next and select display setting, if it applies to your system. I skipped this part.
7. Click Next. Check "Run this program as an administrator." Click Next.
8. Now a little window opens with:
1) Verify System Requirements
2) Install SAS Learning Edition 4.1
9. Click on "Verify System Requirements" (it will want to install .NET 1.1 Framework, Microsoft Runtime Components 7.0, and SAS Private JAVA Runtime Environment, with a reboot in between each installation)
10. To log you on between reboots, it now asks you for your Windows logon password
11. After reboot, again deactivate your Antivirus Software !
12. After the first reboot (after it installed .NET 1.1 Framework), open an Windows Explorer window, go to setup.exe (on Setup CD-ROM), right-click on setup.exe, select Properties, Select the Compatibility tab, Select Windows XP (Service Pack 2) and "run as administrator" and click OK.
13. Double click again on setup.exe
14. In the little window that opens again, click again on "Verify System Requirements"
15. In my case, it now just installed SAS Private JAVA Runtime Environment, apparently Microsoft Runtime Components 7.0 were already up-to-date
16. You now get a window with the message "The System Requirements Wizard has updated your system to the minimum system requirements for the selected software."
17. Now click on "2) Install SAS Learning Edition 4.1"
18. It installs is to default location C:\Program Files\SAS\SAS Learning Edition 4.1
If you install to a different directory, you will need this different path later on to register your computer as the local server.
19. It now asks for the next disk, labeled "Software Disk 2". Insert it. Click on OK.
20. It now asks for permission to register .LOG files for use by SAS. Answer Yes.
21. It now asks for permission to register .BLG files for use by SAS. Answer Yes.
22. It now asks for permission to register .SD2 files for use by SAS. Answer Yes.
23. It now asks again for the first disk, labeled "Setup Disk". Insert it. Click on OK.
24. Now window appears with "SAS Learning edition Setup complete. Setup has successfully installed the SAS software"
25. In order for Enterprise Guide 4.1 to work properly, you now you have to make SAS register your computer as the local server.
How to do this?
Open a command window, by:
Start-button -> All Programs -> Accessories
right-click on "Command prompt" and select from drop-down menu "run as administrator"
Now a black window opens, titled "Administrator: Command prompt"
You now have to navigate to the folder where you installed SAS Learning Edition 4.1, for which you use the cd = change directory command
Type in:
cd C:\Program Files\SAS\SAS Learning Edition 4.1
Hit the Return-button
You are now in the directory C:\Program Files\SAS\SAS Learning Edition 4.1
To make SAS register the local server, type in:
sas /regserver
Hit the Return-button
Now close the black Command prompt window
26. Now open SAS Learning Edition either by double-clicking on the short-cut on your desktop or by going via: Start-button -> All Programs -> SAS -> SAS Learning Edition 4.1
The only bug I've observed while running SAS Learning Edition 4.1 on Vista Home is that in some of the windows, text appears twice in a strange shadowing effect.
For example if you want to do a listing:
Describe -> List Data -> Options
then all text next to square selection boxes is there twice.
However, that's just cosmetic, it doesn't affect the functionality of the software.
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