Accessibility Features of SAS Visual Analytics :: SAS(R) Visual Analytics 6.1: User's Guide

Overview

SAS Visual Analytics has been tested with assistive technology tools. It includes accessibility and compatibility features that improve the usability of the product for users with disabilities, with exceptions noted below. These features are related to accessibility standards for electronic information technology that were adopted by the U.S. Government under Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (2008 draft proposal initiative update). Applications are also tested against web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, part of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C). For detailed information about the accessibility of this product, send e-mail to accessibility@sas.com or call SAS Technical Support.

Documentation Format

Please contact accessibility@sas.com if you need this document in an alternative digital format.

User Interface Layout

SAS Visual Analytics contains the following interfaces:

The SAS Visual Analytics home page contains three main sections:
- The top of the home page contains the menu bar, which contains menus, a Search field, and a Log Off button.
- The center of the home page contains the workspace, where you can create content, view your content, or view content created by other users.
- The right side of the home page contains a Common Actions pane, which provides an alternate way to create reports, explore data, and manage your environment or favorites. The Links pane links you to the introductory video for SAS Visual Analytics or to other pages that you have book marked. The SAS Resources pane links you to resources on the SAS website and to social media.
SAS Visual Data Builder enables you to perform analytic data preparation operations. The application window contains four main sections:
- The top of the window contains the application name and an application bar that includes a menu bar and a Log Off button.
- The left side of the window contains a collapsible navigation pane. This pane contains a view of the SAS Folders tree. You can navigate the tree to select tables (one at a time) for use in preparing data for analysis.
- The center of the window (the workspace) contains tabs that you use for designing queries and data flows. Each query or data flow activity is performed on a tab.
- The bottom of the window contains a series of tabs that you use for creating calculated columns and filtering data.
- The right side of the window contains a collapsible properties panel that you use for managing the properties of queries, tables, joins, and data flows. The properties panel is dynamic and shows the properties of the item that is selected in the workspace.
SAS Visual Analytics Explorer enables you to explore data. The application window contains four main sections:
- The top of the window contains the Home bar, the menu bar, and the toolbar. The Home bar contains a Home button that enables you to return to the SAS Visual Analytics home page. The menu bar contains menus and a Log Off button.
- The left side of the window contains the data pane. The data pane contains all of the data items in your visual exploration. A table at the bottom of the data pane enables you to modify the properties of the data item that is currently selected.
- The center of the window contains the workspace. The workspace contains the visualizations (charts, tables, histograms, and maps) for your visual exploration. A dock bar at the bottom of the workspace enables you to manage your visualizations.
- The right side of the window is a pane that contains the Roles, Filters, Properties, and Comments tabs. The Roles tab enables you to manage data roles for the current visualization. The Filters tab enables you to create filters for the current visualization. The Properties tab enables you to manage properties for the current visualization. The Comments tab enables you to view and create comments for the current visualization.
SAS Visual Analytics Designer provides a framework for working with data and reports. The application window contains four main sections:
- The top of the window contains the Home bar and the menu bar. The Home bar contains a Home button that enables you to return to the SAS Visual Analytics home page. The menu bar contains menus and a Log Off button.
- The left side of the window contains two panes. The upper pane contains the Objects and Imports tabs. These tabs enable you to select report objects or import other reports or report objects. The lower pane contains the Data and the Display Rules tabs. These tabs enable you to select a data source (or data sources) and to create a new display rule. A table at the bottom of the Data tab enables you to modify the properties of the data item that is currently selected.
- The center of the window is the canvas (or workspace) where you design reports. Above the canvas, there is an area where you can drop a filter control and then a category to create section prompts.
- The right side of the window contains a pane for the Properties tab, which lists the properties for the currently selected report object. The Styles tab enables you to specify styles for the data, frame, and text, as well as colors for the data. The Display Rules tab enables you to populate or add intervals for the report object, like a gauge, which is currently selected in the canvas. The Comments tab enables you to add comments to the report after you save it. The Filters tab enables you to add a filter (or filters) to the selected report object. The Interactions tab enables you to add or update filter or brush interactions to the report objects in a section. The Roles tab enables you to add or update role assignments when you have a report object and a data source selected.

To customize the application window and its features, select File

Preferences. On the SAS Visual Analytics home page, click either edit preferences icon

or Edit Preferences to open the Preferences window. For more information about the layout and features of SAS Visual Analytics, see Your First Look at the SAS Visual Analytics Home Page.

Themes

An application’s theme is the collection of colors, graphics, and fonts that appear in the application. The following themes are provided with this application: SAS Corporate, SAS Blue Steel, SAS Light, and SAS Dark. To change the theme for the application, select File

Preferences and go to the Global Preferences page. On the SAS Visual Analytics home page, click either edit preferences icon

or Edit Preferences to open the Preferences window. For more information about the layout and features of SAS Visual Analytics, see Your First Look at the SAS Visual Analytics Home Page.

You can also use keyboard shortcuts to magnify the contents of the browser window or to invert the application colors. For more information, see Keyboard Shortcuts.

Note: If you have special requirements for your themes, then contact your system administrator or visual designer about using the SAS Theme Designer for Flex application to build custom themes. SAS Theme Designer for Flex is installed with SAS themes. For more information about this tool, see SAS Theme Designer for Flex: User's Guide.

Keyboard Shortcuts

The following table contains the keyboard shortcuts for the application. In the user interface, the shortcuts are displayed within parentheses in tooltips and menu labels.

Note: Some application-level keyboard shortcuts do not work when you first open an application. When that happens, press Tab to place the focus on the application, and then try the keyboard shortcut again.

Note: When you use a keyboard shortcut to activate a button, first give the focus to the field or section that the button is associated with before you use the keyboard shortcut. For example, if a table has an associated Help

button, you must first move the focus to the table before you press Ctrl+?.

Keyboard Shortcuts
Task	Keyboard Shortcut
Open a Help pop-up window from the button.	Ctrl+? Note: This shortcut does not work on some keyboards (for example, the Italian keyboard).
Zoom in.	Ctrl++
Zoom out.	Ctrl+-
Reset the zoom state.	Ctrl+0
Maximize view (collapses the category pane and the tile pane, and hides the status bar and the application bar, which includes the menu bar and the workspace bar). or Exit maximized view (expands the category pane and the tile pane, and shows the status bar and the application bar).	Ctrl+Alt+Shift+M Note: This keyboard shortcut does not work when the focus is on the workspace bar.
Open a pop-up menu.	Shift+F9 (if a menu is available in that context) Note: If you use Shift+F9 to display the pop-up menu, then it is always displayed in the top left corner of the user interface control that you are using.
Open the Landmarks window.	Ctrl+F6
Temporarily invert or revert application colors (for the current session only). Note: You can set the Invert application colors preference in the Preferences window if you want the color change to persist across sessions.	Ctrl+~
Rename the selected tab.	Make sure that focus is on the tab. Press F2 and specify the new name. To commit your changes, press Enter. To cancel your changes, press Esc.
Close the selected tab.	Make sure that focus is on the tab, and then press Delete. Note: Some tabs cannot be closed.
Switch in and out of Edit mode for a table cell.	To enter Edit mode, select a cell and press F2. To exit Edit mode, press Esc.
Navigate between table headings and table content.	For a two-dimensional table, first make sure that focus is on the table and that you are not in Edit mode. Press Ctrl+F8 to switch focus between column headings and table cells. Use the arrow keys to navigate from heading to heading. For a multidimensional table, first make sure that focus is on a table cell and that you are not in Edit mode. Press Ctrl+F8 to switch focus between column headings, row headings, and table cells. Use the arrow keys to navigate from heading to heading.
Navigate the content rows of a table	When table cells are in Edit mode: Press Tab and Shift+Tab to move from cell to cell horizontally across columns. Press Enter and Shift+Enter to move from cell to cell vertically across rows. When table cells are not in Edit mode, use the arrow keys to move from cell to cell.
Sort columns in a table.	To sort a single column, navigate to the column heading of the column that you want to sort. Press spacebar to sort the column. To sort additional columns, navigate to the column heading of each additional column that you want to sort. Press Ctrl+spacebar.

Exceptions to Accessibility Standards

Exceptions to accessibility standards are documented in the following table.

Note: The JAWS issues occur when JAWS is used with Internet Explorer. Other browsers were not tested with JAWS, unless noted.

Exceptions to Accessibility Standards
Accessibility Issue	Workaround
Using JAWS with this application can sometimes cause Internet Explorer to stop responding.	Using JAWS 13 or later might resolve the issue.
JAWS cannot read some of the controls in the application, such as images, icons, and buttons.	No workaround is available.
JAWS cannot read the tooltips of items in trees and lists.	No workaround is available.
JAWS refers to table controls as list boxes.	When JAWS reports that a control is a list box, keep in mind that it might actually be a table.
Sometimes, JAWS does not correctly work with the controls in the Preferences window.	While you are in Virtual PC cursor mode, traverse the entire window to familiarize yourself with its contents before you change any of the settings. Switch to Forms mode or disable the Virtual PC cursor if you are not able to use a control in Virtual PC cursor mode.
JAWS does not correctly read the states in a tri-state check box tree if JAWS is not in Forms mode.	Disable JAWS’ Virtual PC cursor when you work with the check box tree. Tab to the tree, and press Insert+Z to disable the Virtual PC cursor. When you finish interacting with the tree, press Insert+Z to re-enable the Virtual PC cursor.
The keyboard shortcuts that are used to interact with editable tables can conflict with keyboard shortcuts for JAWS’ forms mode.	As a best practice, disable the JAWS virtual PC cursor when you work with tables. Tab to the table and press Insert+Z to disable the JAWS virtual PC cursor. When you finish interacting with the table, press Insert+Z to re-enable the JAWS virtual PC cursor.
JAWS cannot read two-column property tables.
JAWS does not correctly read the information in a table: JAWS cannot read the column headings of a table. When table cells are not editable and focus is on the body of the table, JAWS reads an entire row at a time instead of cell by cell. When table cells are editable, and focus is on the body of the table, JAWS reads only the first row of the table. If you use the arrow keys to select a cell or row, then JAWS does not read anything. If you press Enter to edit a cell, then JAWS reads the row that contains the edited cell.	No workaround is available.
When you are in a table cell, if you press Home, End, Page Up, or Page Down, the selected cell will change to be one in the first column of the currently displayed columns for the table.	Use the arrow keys to navigate through the cells of the table.
Sometimes, you cannot use F2 to put a table cell into Edit mode.	When you are in the cell that you want to edit, press Ctrl+F8 twice for two-dimensional tables and three times for multidimensional tables.
You cannot use the keyboard to scroll to the left and the right in some tables.	No workaround is available.
You cannot use the keyboard to activate the links within how-to topics and Help pop-up windows.	Use the Help menu to access the linked documents.
You cannot use Shift+F10 to open a pop-up menu.	Use Shift+F9 to open pop-up menus that are created for the SAS application. The generic menu that is provided by the Flash player cannot be opened by Shift+F9.
You cannot use the keyboard to access the close (x) button that is in the top right corner of a tab.	Make sure that focus is on the tab, and then press Delete to close the tab.
You cannot use the Tab key to move the focus outside of a code or expression editor. Pressing Tab within the editor only inserts tabs.	For Internet Explorer, press Shift+F10 and then press Esc to move the focus outside of the editor. For Firefox, press Alt+Tab to switch to another application. When you switch back, the focus will be outside of the editor.
You cannot use Ctrl+Alt+Shift+M to minimize or maximize the view if the focus is on the workspace bar.	No workaround is available.
If you use the Ctrl++ keyboard shortcut to zoom in to a secondary window, the outer edges of that window can become hidden from view if you zoom in too far.	Use the keyboard to access the hidden parts of the window.
When you use the Ctrl++ keyboard shortcut to zoom, the bottom entries of a drop-down menu can become hidden from view if you zoom in too far.	Use the keyboard to access the hidden entries in the menu.
The Ctrl++ and Ctrl+- keyboard shortcuts for zooming in and out do not work on some menus unless the menus are first opened.	Open the menu before you use the keyboard shortcut.
The Ctrl++ and Ctrl+- keyboard shortcuts for zooming in and out do not work on all elements in the application window (for example, tooltips and button labels).	No workaround is available.
If you maximize a tile in the Home workspace and then use the Tab key to navigate, the focus appears to be lost after you tab away from the Log Off button.	After you maximize the tile, press the Tab key 10 to 25 times, and eventually, the focus will return to the maximized tile.
You cannot use the keyboard to navigate in the Layout section because it is a read-only interface that is used for the visual verification of the elements that have been created.	Use the test button that is in the Layout section to preview your elements in a secondary window. The items that are displayed in the secondary window are identical to the items that are displayed in the Layout section, but unlike the items in the read-only Layout section, you can interact with the items in the secondary window. Note: After the application opens the secondary window, press Tab to place the focus in the window.
JAWS cannot read the labels for the Red, Green, and Blue fields in the Custom Colors window.	No workaround is available.
JAWS does not explain how to open a drop-down menu or drop-down list.	Press Ctrl+down arrow to open the control.
When JAWS reads the control names in a breadcrumb, it does not distinguish between the breadcrumb buttons that contain drop-down menus and those that do not.	Check for a drop-down menu by pressing Ctrl+down arrow on a breadcrumb button. A drop-down menu will open if one exists for that button.

Accessibility Workarounds for the SAS Visual Analytics Home Page

This is a workaround for the SAS Visual Analytics home page:

Accessibility Workarounds for the SAS Visual Analytics Home Page
Accessibility Issue	Workaround
When you navigate to the home page preference for the Initial screen, the item called A report, exploration, or stored process opens the Select window.	No workaround is available.

Accessibility Workarounds for SAS Visual Analytics Designer

These are workarounds for SAS Visual Analytics Designer:

Accessibility Workarounds for SAS Visual Analytics Designer
Accessibility Issue	Workaround
When you navigate to the Data tab to select a data source for the first time, the drop-down list opens the Add Data Source window.	No workaround is available.
When you navigate to the Import tab and select Import a report from the drop-down list, the Open window is displayed and receives focus.	No workaround is available.
You cannot access the list of tabs in the right panel of SAS Visual Analytics Designer using only the keyboard.	Use the View menu to give the tabs in the right panel focus. You can select Comments, Display Rules, Filters, Interactions, Properties, Rules, or Styles.
When JAWS in running, the page up and page down keys do not switch tabs properly.	No workaround is available.
The drop-down lists in SAS Visual Analytics Designer do not have labels, so they are announced by the screen reader as 'Combo Box.'	No workaround is available.
JAWS does not read the labels for the collapse and expand panes correctly. They are read as “splitter button zero”.	Use the View menu to select either Maximize View or Exit Maximized View.

Accessibility Workarounds for SAS Visual Data Builder

These are workarounds for SAS Visual Data Builder:

Accessibility Workarounds for SAS Visual Data Builder
Accessibility Issue	Workaround
When you schedule a query and tab to the Select one or more triggers for this query radio button, the New Time Event does not become enabled. You cannot schedule a new query using only the keyboard.	No workaround is available.
When you schedule a query, you cannot tab to the radio buttons in the Grouping conditions.	Press the tab key to advance to the OK button and then press Shift+tab to move backward to the Grouping condition radio buttons.
When you schedule a query and specify a new time event, you cannot use the tab key to access all the radio buttons.	No workaround is available.