Beginning Tutorials

AN INTRODUCTION TO SAS-L AND OTHER RESOURCES FOR THE SAS® USER David G. Carroll, New York State Governor's Office of Employee Relations

Abstract information about SAS® software and programming. It is also a user group officially What is SAS-L? How do 'lists' operate? Anyone recognized by SAS Institute. In the spring of can share in the collective SAS® knowledge of 1994, this user group had more than 1100 users from around the world. Subscribing and subscribers from 30 different countries. If you'd posting to SAS-L and searching the SAS-L like to get a more current count, I'll describe the archives are described. The various forms of listserv command that I used when I get into the electronic communication with the SAS mechanics of using lists. SAS-L members Institute are explained. The paper concludes receive all "posts" or messages from other with a sampling of ways to explore the Internet. members to the list, and they are able to send replies to these or messages of their own. As this description implies, SAS-L is a high What is SAS-L? volume list, averaging perhaps sixty messages each day. This may sound daunting, but most SAS-L is, first of all, a BITNET list. Of course systems allow a user to delete messages that answer only generates two inore questions, not of interest rather quickly. Proper use of the what is BITNET and what is a 'list'? BIlNET subject line makes this fairly convenient. (Because It's Time Network) is a part of the collection of computer networks known as "the What is 'posted' to SAS-L? Net" which are generally (and inaccurately) all thought of as the Internet. The Net is literally a The most common types are requests for help global link of computer users. with a SAS® problem, answers to such pleas, or thank-yous for the assistance. When do you What is a "list"? It's an electronic mailing list resort to SAS-L for such help? You've RTFM'd, that is automated to one degree or another with Read the Friendly Manuals, but you're still at a computer software. Also called 'listservs' or loss. Maybe you've asked some of the other 'listservers', they are each devoted to a particular SAS® users at your site to no avail. You've got topic. A computer user with access (of a wide a deadline; you need that answer. Don't worry. variety of forms) to the Net sends a command Help is at hand. Members ofSAS-L are ready with the proper syntax to a particular address and willing to solve that thorny problem, usually (an ID at a "" of the Net) in order to join a complete with a useful snippet of example code. list of interest. More on the mechanics of this later, but let's go back to our original question Most members of this list like to try to answer a about SAS-L. question if they can. Why? It's their chance to show others how clever they are, to enlighten Besides the technical answer that SAS-L is a the masses, or balance the cosmic scale for that Bitnet list, there are a couple of more useful help they got last week. Why ask why? Just do definitions. It is a forum for exchange of it. Any member of the list can vouch for the fact

125 Beginning Tutorials that you'll probably get an answer and save nodes (with location if known) are: yourself time and grief. MARIST.BITNET (Marist College, There are other types of posts as well - Poughkeepsie, NY) announcements of conferences (SUGI, NESUG, UGA.BITNET (Georgia - in the USA) etc.), discussions about SAS Institute policies UALTAVM.BITNET (Alberta, CA) (often heated! e.g. pricing and licensing VTVMl.BITNET arrangements), ideas for features we'd like to see A WIlMC12.BITNET in the software, and occasional job announcements. After sending the 'subscribe' command, you'll get back an acknowledgement and some information on the settings for your How do I join? subscription. One of these that should be mentioned is 'nomail'. If you're going away for The first step is access to the Net. If you work a while and don't want to have a stuffed mailbox at a major corporation, government, or academic when you come back, send your SAS-L listserv institution, you can probably get top-notch the following command: access. Anyone can get some access through large commercial providers such as Compuserve set SAS-L nomail or Delphi. For some more details on this, see the excellent paper by Michael Davis, "The I mentioned a command with which you can see One-Eyed Guide to Internet, E-mail, how many members SAS-L has and what LISTSERV, and SAS-L", presented at SUGI 18. countries are represented. This command also gets sent to your SAS-L listserv: Once you have Net access, joining is simple. Send a command to the listserv ID at one of the review SAS-L by country nodes that runs SAS-L ( e.g. [email protected] ) with the following This will return a file from each of the peered syntax: SAS-L hosts, and by combining these, you can detennine the membership and countries. subscribe SAS-L Firstname Lastname Posting to SAS-L with your own name substituted in the obvious spots. You've subscribed, you've been reading tlle posts of interest, and now you've got a question What nodes ron SAS-L? to ask. How do you get it to SAS-L? Most email systems include an editor for composing a SAS-L is a "Peered List". Many of the larger, short message. Thankfully most also include a high volume lists have used this set-up for better way to pull in a file you previously wrote or efficiency. Essentially a number of nodes each modified in a real editor. It is helpful to include runs SAS-L, and they share all posts to any of a short excerpt of SAS@ code and the log along the nodes. In general, you should subscribe to with your note. Whatever the mechanics of the one closest to you. Currently the SAS-L peer setting up this message in your particular email

126 Beginning Tutorials

system, after you've gotten it ready, you need to before asking that question. send it not to the listserv but to the list itself (e.g. [email protected]). Remember that How to Search the Archives commands to set up or alter your subscription go to the listserv (and stop there) while posts to Not alilistservs are archived due to disk space the lists go to SAS-L (and are then distributed to and other resource considerations, but many lists all members.) If you confuse this, either the including SAS-L are archived and can be Iistserv will "bounce" your post as a bad searched with a standard software. This is part command, or, much more embarassingly, your of the listserv. To get complete instructions on attempt to set nomail will be sent to 1100 searching a listserv database, send a message people. Don't worry. We've all gotten that sort with the following command in the body: of egg on our faces. info database C=mail It's Nice to Say Thanks The last part tells the listserv to return the reply The etiquette of SAS-L generally indicates that to you as a mail message. This may be you should thank those who took the time and necessary if you are accessing the listserv from trouble to help you. This gives them some anywhere except another Bitnet node. You'll recognition among fellow users and shows get back the full instructions for building more others both that help was found and that it was complicated search queries, but for now, I'll give appreciated - good for encouraging continued you a simple example. A message should be help. sent to your SAS-L listserv (e.g. Iistserv@marist) with the following text in the Many times you'll get several very different body: approaches to solving the problem, and sometimes the replies are sent not to SAS-L but 1/ JOB Echo=No directly to your email address. A summary of Database Search DD=Rules these approaches is often useful. Some people l!Rules DD * even run little benchmark tests to try to judge Search search-tenn in SAS-L from 90/03/01 the relative efficiency of the solutions, and this Index often sparks a whole round of messages (a 1* 'thread') about the alternatives, the validity of the benchmarks, etc .. This will return a list of the number of each post containing your search tenn, in this case since The SAS-L Archives March 1, 1990. The subject line of each is included, and you can often pick those of likely The foregoing has shown how SAS-L works interest (e.g. a thoughtful "Summary" of day-to-day, but there's a long history of this responses as mentioned before.) To get the interaction. Questions are often asked and complete text of those posts, send the same answered that bad been previously covered message as before but delete the line "Index" some time before. If you want to be a really and replace it with the following: efficient SAS-L user, you could avoid this duplication by looking for such an exchange Print 10023

127 Beginning Tutorials

Print 10029 problem, a sample of SAS code, and part of the log into the hands of the SI staffer who was where the numbers are those given in the list helping me. It also avoided playing "­ you got back and where the number of "Print"s tag" as each of us tried to exchange updates equals the number of posts you want to read (if about the situation. One important addition there are a lot, send several messages, each with needs to be made to the article cited for those of a subset of the posts you want.) you working on IBM PROFS or OV email systems. The normal command syntax for In order to determine what listserv databases are EMITS has each command beginning with "./", available for searching at a particular node, send but this will not work on PROFS. Instead you that listserv the following command: must begin each command with "=/". database list f=mail TSNEWS-L

This is an automated list using software similar Electronic Communication with SAS to SAS-L which is directly operated by ~AS Institute Institute. Any SAS user can subscribe to this in order to get the problem alerts and other Although SAS-L is a recognized user group, it information from S1. The problem alerts clearly is not a part of SAS Institute. SI staff do seem state what operating environment, what SAS to monitor the list, and occasionally you'll get an software, and what particular metions are unofficial email reply from one of them, directly affected by a problem. This is a very low to your address, not to SAS-L, to a question volume list, and the few minutes of scanning you've posted. Perhaps more importantly, SI these posts can save a user from possible errors. seems to take the concerns of active SAS-L members very seriously, and if a discussion on Anonymous FrP the list indicates a widespread issue, SI may respond with action, e.g. the exchanges about FTP is the acronym for , the need for a better academic pricing policy. and the "anonymous" flavor allows any user of Beyond this unofficial channel that does seem to the Net to transfer files. The article cited before communicate to SAS Institute, there are a notes that SAS Institute's node for this service is number offorms of official electronic avenues ftp.sas.com and you should change to directory to SI. (See SAS Cornrnunications®, vol. XVII, techsup before trying to list or retrieve files. no. 4 (Fourth Quarter 1992), pp.34-35 for more information.) FTPMAIL

Electronic Mail Interface to Technical What if you have email-only access to the Net? Snpport (EMITS) It is still possible to do FTP although with a very noticeable delay. You need to use a mail This is a means for your site's SAS Software server ID which will allow you to interact with Representative and Consultant to exchange FTP via email. One of these is information via email. As a SAS Consultant, I [email protected] which works quite found this a fast way to get a description of a well, but it will usually mean next-day service.

128 Beginning Tutorials

This server can be used for any FTP including if you are having trouble with a gateway to that available from SI. There is an anonymous Bitnet. Some nodes are both Bitnet and Internet FTP for NESUG located at node, sites while others only have one type of address jhuspo.ca.jhu.edu, directory /pub/nesug or the other. To find out how to use the ftpmail server, send a message to the ftpmail address given with no The NEW-LIST list is an on-going source of subject and just one line in the body of the announcements of changes to current lists and message, help. This will return a short listing of the creation of new lists. It is an excellent way the commands that ftpmail understands. A to stay aware of developments that might be of simple example of a message to get a listing of interest to you. Best of all it is not a high an FTP directory would have no subject and the volume list. This list has another role - an following in the body of the message: information source for Net users seeking lists of interest. The list maintains several files with connect jhuspo.ca.jhu.edu pointers about how to search for the lists of chdir /pub/nesug interest to you. These may be identified by Is sending the command, INDEX NEW-LISTS, quit to the LISTSERV@NDSUVMl (or the Internet node address.) If you already know the name of a file that you want, instead of the Is command, you would One of these files is the LISTSOF LISTS file substitute the following: compiled by Marty Hoag. This file is a list of hints on how to search for the lists of interest to get fdename.txt you. For example, Marty suggests sending the following command to where the actual file name is substituted. As LISTSERV@NDSUVMl: noted, be prepared to wait. You'll get back an acknowledgement which will indicate that your LIST GLOBAL /string job is number x:xxx in the queue (this is often in the thousands.) Usually this works just fine where string is the search term. To receive for plain text files. The server supports binary, descriptions of all of the lists, you could send compressed, and other formats also, but these that command without "/string" (be forewarned require skills and software beyond the scope of - this is a large file.) Marty also describes this paper. several database files that the NEW-LIST list has available for such searches. These are lists, intgroup, and new-list. They can be searched Searching for Lists of Interest with the database search method already described - just substitute one of the database Another important technique for the Net user is names after the word in in the search command how to search for lists of interest. One useful already described. on-going source is the NEW-LIST list at node NDSUVMl.BITNET or, in the Internet form of Another file from NEW-LIST is NEW-LIST the node address, vml.nodak.edu (knowing the WOUTERS written by Amo Wouters. The alternate Internet form (if there is one) is handy author begins with a description of mailing lists

129 Beglnnlng Tutorials

and Bitnet and Intenet addresses. This general Questions" (FAQ). To get this file, send an information ought to be very useful to a new email message with the following contents in user. Wouters' next topic is sources of lists of the body of the message: . lists and how to access them. This is good detailed information for the user to pursue. send software/sas/sasl_faq

The user should be aware that the way the (for DOS users, I'll point out that this is a search string is matched in the LISTS forward slash, not a back slash.) to the following GLOBAL command is quite arbitrary (the full address: instructions mentioned earlier could help this problem somewhat.) A example would be [email protected] searching for the string "/SAs". This will return not just the hoped for lists about SAS® "jse" stands for Journal of Statistics Education. software but also several lists with the word This site has a number of items of interest to "Arkansas" and "disaster" in their descriptions. SAS® users. A file that will tell you about the Another word of caution - these searches are goodies to be had from this site is: only as good as the currency of the files against which they search. Ifthose files are not up to software/sas/readme date, you may not find recently established lists. which can be obtained by a "send" command to the same address. This file will list and explain NESUG-L all the offerings of that site. Many of these are in the form of packages - collections of files There is one other list that should be of interest which will require some work to set up after you to all of us in NESUG, the NESUG-L list. You have gotten them. One of these which is of can join this by sending the command: great interest is a package of program files and datasets for Frank. Dilorio's book subscribe nesug-I Firstname Lastname "Fundamentals of SAS Programming, a Gentle Introduction." 'this package saves to the address, [email protected] owners of that book the tedium of keying in the exercises and examples given. Be forewarned - Other Sources of Interest there is some work to be done after retrieving this package. First it must be divided up into 94 There are a number of sources on the Net for SAS program files, 19 data files, an information of interest to SAS® users in introduction, and an errata list. Also the SAS addition to the many lists that may be found. In programs have MS-DOS file conventions that addition to the files of back postings (of varying must be modified for another environment. length) at the nodes which host SAS-L, there is After doing that, I still needed to make some also an archive of items of interest to SAS-Lers. corrections when some examples got errors due This is a server which has slightly different to missing SAS datasets. Nevertheless this is an syntax. One of the documents available from excellent package which is well worth the effort this source is the SAS-L FAQ document. This to set it up and make it functional. contains answers to "Frequently Asked

130 Beginning Tutorials

SAS Usage Notes Package Statistics Canada

There is another package available from JSE Statistics Canada is that country's national which should prove useful. This is the statistical agency which offers demographic, SASUSAGE.P AK in the same directory social, and economic statistics. They now have previously noted. This is a description by Barry a site offering a listserver, anonymous FTP, and Grau of accessing SAS® Usage Notes and Zaps other information retrieval methods. This is over Bitnet. These are problem reports and talon.statcan.ca and for more information, fixes which should be quite useful. Part of this contact [email protected] package is a file, SASUSAGE MEMO, which explains how to use these. Further Exploring

Is the Condor Extinct? One excellent source of information on the Net in various topics is the Internet Clearinghouse. Another site which has had reports of its demise This is at the University of Michigan, and it can is condor.oit.unc.edu which may have been be accessed with a variety of Internet tools such taken over by jse.stat.ncsu.edu where the same as FTP and . The node name is: packages may now reside. In the directory, gopher.lib.umich.edu \public\sas, at Condor, there were sample SAS® programs, documentation, benchmark Another source is a set of files put together by tests, aFAQ file, information on SAS-L and John December at RPI. Follow the FTP searching the archives, and various other files. instructions already given - node ftp.rpi.edu, directory /pub/communications, and three files Other Sources on the Net to get:

There are many other sources on the Net of internet-cmc.readme interest to those dealing with statistics or to internet-emc.txt people in any given field. I'll mention a few and internet-tools then provide some further ideas for exploring. One very useful source is: Scott Yanoffhas also put together an excellent guide which can be obtained via FTP from node [email protected] csd4.csd.uwm.edu in directory /pub filename inet.services.txt This is a mail server at Carnegie Mellon University. Send a one-line mail message to The Boston Computer Society Internet Special that address as follows: Interest Group has a mailing list: [email protected] send index To subscribe send a note to Michael Barrow at [email protected] You'll get back a description of the contents and You can also join this group and get several some how to information including some simple pUblications of interest to computer users. search capabilities. Many algorithms and pieces Besides exploring the Net on-line, the informed of program source code are available. user needs to explore such publications. One of

131 Beginning Tutorials these is the EDUCOM Review. This is published by a consortium of academic institutions "seeking to transform education through the use of information technology." They also put out an on-line summary of news items about IT called Edupage. To subscribe, send email to [email protected] with the following text: sub edupage Firstname Lastname This service is a great way to stay current. Another less traditional source is the magazine, Wired. The magazine mafutains their back issues available via FTP. This seems to be a marketing strategy that says they are so cutting edge that you will want to buy the magazine so that you can have that information immediately. Information is available from [email protected] The coverage is, too put it mildly, unusual.

Another traditional source is Online Access magazine in Chicago (sorry I don't have a phone number or online address.)

Conclusion

The resources on the Net are constantly changing. Right now there is no well-ordered . directory or how to manual. A user needs to explore, get publications, and ask other users. My experience has been that the time spent in that effort will be repaid by finding groups of people with common interests and valuable information for your use. I hope I've given you a few useful hints to encourage you to make this journey. The spirit of free information is what the Net is all about. Good hunting.

132