What's New in SAS/GRAPH 9.3

Overview

There are many changes and enhancements for SAS/GRAPH 9.3. Highlights include the following:
  • ODS Graphics has been moved from SAS/GRAPH to Base SAS.
  • There are several enhancements to the SAS/GRAPH device drivers. The PDF and SVG devices now support drill-down functionality, and the new SVGANIM device supports animation.
  • In addition to other enhancements, many procedures now support the new URL= option, which simplifies the creation of drill-down links in SAS/GRAPH output.
Also, there are significant changes to Base SAS that are of interest to SAS/GRAPH users.
  • ODS HTML is now the default destination in the SAS windowing environment for the Microsoft Windows and UNIX operating systems.
  • A new default style, HTMLBlue, has been created for the default HTML destination.
  • A new procedure, the QDEVICE procedure, enables you to query universal printers and devices.

Changes to Default Output

Beginning with SAS 9.3, the LISTING destination is turned off and the HTML destination is turned on by default. This is true when running SAS in windowing mode for the Windows and UNIX operating environments. A new style, HTMLBlue, is the new default style for the HTML destination. This style enhances default output by offering a view that is optimized for display on a computer screen. Also, ODS GRAPHICS is turned on by default. Default settings for output on z/OS and for batch output on all systems have not changed.

ODS Graphics

ODS Graphics has moved from SAS/GRAPH to Base SAS 9.3. You no longer need a SAS/GRAPH license to access ODS graphics and its related products. The documentation for these related products, which are now part of Base SAS, are listed below.
  • SAS ODS Graphics: Procedures Guide
  • SAS Graph Template Language: User's Guide
  • SAS Graph Template Language: Reference
  • SAS ODS Graphics Designer: User's Guide
  • SAS ODS Graphics Editor: User's Guide

The SAS/GRAPH Network Visualization Workshop

Changes for Network Visualization Workshop are documented in SAS/GRAPH: Network Visualization Workshop User's Guide.

Devices and Universal Printers

  • The PDF device now supports drill-down.
  • The JAVA device now supports the following date and time formats: NLDATMZ, NLDATMTZ, and NLDATMWZ.
  • The SVG device now supports data tips, drill-down, and enhanced drill-down behavior.
  • The new SVGANIM universal printer supports animation.
  • The new UEMF universal printer shortcut device produces scalable output, supports TrueType and Type1 fonts, and provides TrueColor support.
  • The PNG device now produces anti-aliasing for lines and edges, which improves the appearance of angled plot lines, map borders, and so on.
  • Most universal printer shortcut devices now support 32-bit CMYK colors or 32-bit RGBA (transparency) colors.
Note: A new procedure, the QDEVICE procedure, has been added to Base SAS. This procedure enables you to query devices and universal printers. See Base SAS Procedures Guide for more information.

Colors

SAS/GRAPH now supports RGBA color mode. RGBA colors enable you to specify transparency. (The RGBA color mode supports alpha channel blending. Overlapping colors of varying opacity are blended together.)

The Annotate Facility

  • The new SEGONLY= option for the %CENTROID macro specifies a single segment that is used for each map area to calculate the centroid.
  • Nested quotes are no longer required when specifying a font with the STYLE= variable.

Procedures

GAREABAR Procedure

The GAREABAR procedure has the following changes and enhancements:
  • The WIDTH=option that specifies whether a statistic is represented as a percent or a sum can now be targeted to the FIRST or LAST observation in the data set.
  • The COUTLINE= option is now supported by the ACTIVEX device.
  • When used with the ACTIVEX device, the hexadecimal character representing a blank (‘00’x) suppresses the variable name or label on the AXIS= or the LABEL= options.

GBARLINE Procedure

The GBARLINE procedure has the following new options:
  • The UNIFORMAXES option in the PROC GBARLINE statement automatically generates the identical major tick mark values for the bar and plot axes.
  • The URL= option enables you to specify a character variable whose values are the URLs of Web pages to be displayed when the user clicks (drills down) on elements in the graph. It is not necessary to have detailed knowledge of HTML syntax in order to use this option. This option is available in the BAR and PLOT statements.

GCHART Procedure

The GCHART procedure has the following new options:
  • The SUBOUTSIDE= option enables you to display a list of the subgroup values of a specific statistic above the bars. This option is available only in the VBAR and VBAR3D statements.
  • The URL= option enables you to specify a character variable whose values are the URLs of Web pages to be displayed when the user clicks (drills down) on elements in the graph. It is not necessary to have detailed knowledge of HTML syntax in order to use this option. The URL= option is available in the BLOCK, horizontal and vertical BAR, PIE, DONUT, and STAR statements.

GEOCODE Procedure

The street-level geocoding engine has been rewritten for SAS 9.3 to deliver significantly enhanced performance. (The STREET geocoding method, which enables you to perform geolocation for street addresses, was introduced in the third maintenance release of SAS 9.2.)

GINSIDE Procedure

The GINSIDE procedure has the following changes and enhancements:
  • The new INCLUDEBORDER option enables you to identify points that are on the border of a polygon as being inside of the polygon.

GKPI Procedure

The GKPI procedure has the following new options:
  • The MODE=MODERN option produces KPI charts with a streamlined appearance.
  • The URL= option enables you to associate a drill-down URL with KPI charts.

GMAP Procedure

The GMAP procedure now supports the URL= option. This option is available in the AREA, BLOCK, CHORO, and PRISM statements. The URL= option enables you to specify a character variable whose values are the URLs of Web pages to be displayed when the user clicks (drills down) on elements in the graph. It is not necessary to have detailed knowledge of HTML syntax in order to use this option.

GPLOT Procedure

The GPLOT procedure has the following changes and enhancements:
  • The HTML= option enables you to identify the variable in a bubble plot input data set whose value creates a link in the HTML output file that is generated by ODS.
  • The new URL= option is available in the PLOT statement. This option enables you to specify a character variable whose values are the URLs of Web pages to be displayed when the user clicks (drills down) on elements in the graph. It is not necessary to have detailed knowledge of HTML syntax in order to use this option.

GPROJECT Procedure

The GPROJECT procedure has the following changes and enhancements:
  • The GPROJECT procedure can now process and store projection parameters in a SAS data set. Stored parameters enable you to project maps and annotation points separately.
    The following new options enable you to interact with parameters:
    NOPARMIN
    specifies that input parameters are not used.
    PARMIN=
    specifies the data set that contains input parameters.
    PARMOUT=
    specifies a data set where output parameters are stored.
    PARMENTRY=
    specifies the name of the entry in the parameter data set that is used.
  • The ID statement no longer requires an ID variable. You can project non-polygonal data (such as annotation points) by specifying the ID statement without an ID variable..
  • The new MERIDIAN= option specifies the central longitude for the projection.
  • The new LATLON option specifies that the LAT and LONG variables from the map data set are used for coordinate data instead of the X and Y variables.
  • Several new options enable you to explicitly set default behaviors and override options from an input parameters file:
    • DATELINE is the Boolean counterpart for NODATELINE.
    • NODUP is the Boolean counterpart for DUPOK.
    • RADIANS is the Boolean counterpart for DEGREES.
    • WESTLONG is the Boolean counterpart for EASTLONG.

GRADAR Procedure

The GRADAR procedure has the following changes and enhancements:
  • The URL= option enables you to specify a character variable whose values are the URLs of Web pages to be displayed when the user clicks (drills down) on elements in the graph. It is not necessary to have detailed knowledge of HTML syntax in order to use this option.
  • The STARAXIS option now honors the ORDER= option in the AXIS statement. This enables you to apply minimum and maximum values as well as incremental control to the axis tick marks for the spokes in a radar chart. This is useful when you want to avoid the automatic scaling of axis tick marks that use the minimum and maximum data values.

GREDUCE Procedure

The GREDUCE procedure now removes polygons with fewer than three vertices by default. The new NOCLEAN option retains polygons with fewer than three vertices.

GTILE Procedure

The GTILE procedure has the following changes and enhancements:
  • The GTILE procedure now supports the BY statement.
  • The GTILE procedure now supports discrete colors. The COLORTYPE= option enables you to select between discrete and continuous colors in your tile chart.
  • The CMISSING= option has been renamed to CDEFAULT= to make it consistent with other procedures. The alias CDEF= can be used in place of the CDEFAULT= option. For backward compatibility, the CMISSING= option and the CMISS= alias still function as before.
  • The new MINLEGENDVALUE= option enables you to override the default lower endpoint value in a continuous color-ramp legend with your own value. Tiles whose value is less than the MINLEGENDVALUE= value are colored gray in the tile chart.
  • New option MAXLEGENDVALUE= enables you to override the default maximum endpoint value in a continuous color-ramp legend with your own value. Tiles whose value is greater than the MAXLEGENDVALUE= value are colored gray in the tile chart.
  • The new COLORPOINTS= option enables you to control the points at which a color-ramp legend transitions from one color to the next.

Global Statements

  • The SYMBOL statement’s VALUE= option offers extra versatility with filled square, diamond, and triangle as special symbol selections for plotting data points on a chart. New option SPECIAL has also been added, which enables you to define unique special symbols for up to 12 plots (GPLOT) in one SYMBOL statement.
  • In general, the limit for specifying variable values and text-strings on labels is increased from 32 to 256 characters. Specifically, this affects the ORDER=, VALUE=, and LABEL= options on the AXIS and LEGEND statements. This expanded limit enables you to specify up to 256 characters for each variable value for the following procedures:
    GBARLINE
    MIDPOINTS=“value-list” option in the BAR statement
    GCHART
    MIDPOINTS=“value-list” option on the HBAR, VBAR, and PIE statements
    GPLOT
    HAXIS= and VAXIS= options in the PLOT statement
    In addition, for the GCHART procedure, the GROUP= option on the HBAR and VBAR statements now display up to 256 characters of the group variable name or label.
  • The ORDER=DESCENDING option in the LEGEND statement enables you to generate a legend with items in descending order. This is especially useful when using the LEGEND Statement with the GMAP Procedure to produce maps on any device except JAVA and ACTIVEX.
  • The LABEL= option on both the AXIS and LEGEND statements provides the ability to use #BYVAL and #BYVAR in axis and legend labels. When you specify #BYVAL, SAS/GRAPH substitutes the current value of the BY variable for #BYVAL. When you specify #BYVAR, SAS/GRAPH substitutes the current name of the BY variable, or label associated with the variable, for #BYVAR.
  • The SPLIT= option is now available in the LEGEND statement. The option enables you to specify the split character that the LEGEND statement uses to break the text string in a legend value into multiple lines. In addition, the SPLIT= option on both the AXIS and LEGEND statements is enhanced. SPLIT= now enables you to specify multiple split characters used to break axis values or the text string in a legend value into multiple lines.
  • The FORMAT text-description suboption on the REFLABEL option in the AXIS statement enables you to display the formatted value assigned to the axis variable as the reference line label.

Graphics Options

The LFACTOR graphics option now affects the thickness of all lines in a graph. This option is useful when you need to produce graphics using a very high resolution.

New Map Data Sets

Map data sets for SAS 9.3 are available at SAS Maps Online for roads in the United States. See http://support.sas.com/rnd/datavisualization/mapsonline/html/usroads.html.

Updated Map Data Sets

Some of the map data sets in the MAPS library have been updated for SAS 9.3.
Data Set(s)
Changes
MEXICO, MEXICO2
New unprojected values in the LAT and LONG variables are more accurate.
GERMANY, GERMANY2
updated with counties and new districts. The following new variables have been added:
  • COUNTY
  • CNTYNAME
The following variables are no longer available:
  • AREA
  • COUNTRY
  • DISTNAME
PERU, PERU2
New unprojected values in the LAT and LONG variables are more accurate.
USCITY
updated with new values. Some new cities have been added, and some city names have been standardized.
Note: The projected X and Y values might be different due to the need to re-project the data set.
RUSSIA, RUSSIA2
updated with new regions and ID numbers. The RUSSIA data set contains a new DENSITY variable. The RUSSIA2 contains the following new variables:
  • OLDID
  • EREGION
  • EREGNAME
  • REGTYPE
  • FEDIST
  • FEDNAME
The ID numbers for these data sets have changed. You might need to change your response data in any existing SAS programs that use these data sets.
CNTYNAME, COUNTY, USCOUNTY
updated with county names and boundaries for Alaska.

Enhancements in SAS/GRAPH Documentation

SAS/GRAPH documentation now includes the following:
  • Base SAS 9.3 system options that SAS/GRAPH uses.
  • An updated Zip Codes figure and reorganized information in the GEOCODE procedure.
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