Since most of you are analysts by trade, I'm betting you've heard about the tsunami of data that grows with each passing day. According to a 2008 IDC study, there are 45 gigabytes of data – on every person. That means there's a total of 281 exabytes of data (281 billion GB) out there. That's one scary big digital universe!

With retail organizations collecting data on customer buying patterns, health organizations tracking clinical trials, banks charting credit card transactions, and telecommunications companies collecting phone records, there's an equally expanding need for individuals with mature skills in advanced analytics. That's where SAS can help. On Oct. 26-27, SAS presents our 12th annual data mining conference M2009. M2009 will bring together 60 of the world's top data mining experts and approximately 700 data mining practitioners representing industries including financial services, retail, insurance, education, healthcare, pharmaceutical and government. It's a wonderful forum for exchanging the latest research, new ideas and best practices in the field, and we hope to see you there.

In addition to M2009, this issue of SAS® Training Report includes our latest course schedule, information on SAS' certification bundles and a great new tip from one of our SAS instructors. Enjoy.