Accessibility Features of SAS Visual Analytics 6.4

Overview

SAS Visual Analytics Home Page, SAS Visual Analytics Explorer, SAS Visual Analytics Designer, and SAS Visual Analytics Viewer 6.4 have been tested against the 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). It was also tested against Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 levels A and AA, part of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C).

SAS Visual Analytics Administrator, SAS Visual Analytics Graph Builder, and SAS Visual Data Builder 6.4 have not been tested against U.S. Section 508 standards and W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). If you have questions about its accessibility, send email 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.

Landmarks

Landmarks are references to the primary areas of an application’s user interface. They provide a quick and easy way for keyboard users to navigate to these areas of the application.

To access the list of landmarks that are available for a specific context, press Ctrl+F6 to open the Landmarks window. Use the arrow keys to select a landmark, and then press Enter to navigate to that area of the application.

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 application bar, which enables you to return to the home page and to access other parts of SAS Visual Analytics and other SAS applications that integrate with the home page. It also contains the menu bar, which contains menus, a Search field, and a Log Off button.
- The center of the home page contains the workspace. In the workspace, 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 other pages that you have bookmarked. The SAS Resources pane links you to the introductory video for SAS Visual Analytics, to resources on the SAS website, and to social media.
SAS Visual Data Builder (the data builder) enables you to perform basic data preparation operations. The application window contains four main sections:
- The top of the window contains the application bar, which enables you to return to the home page and to access other parts of SAS Visual Analytics and other SAS applications that integrate with the home page. It also contains the menu bar, which contains menus 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 a table (one table at a time) for use in preparing data for analysis.
- The center of the window (the workspace) contains tabs that you use for creating data queries and LASR star schemas.
- The bottom of the window contains a series of tabs that you use for creating calculated columns and for filtering data.
- The right side of the window contains a Properties tab that you use for managing the properties of data queries and tables. The information is dynamic and shows the properties of the item that is selected in the workspace.
SAS Visual Analytics Explorer (the explorer) enables you to explore data. The application window contains four main sections:
- The top of the window contains the application bar, which enables you to return to the home page and to access other parts of SAS Visual Analytics and other SAS applications that integrate with the home page. It also contains the menu bar, which 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 (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 contains the Roles, Filters, Ranks, 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 to subset your data. The Ranks tab enables you to create ranks to select data based on the greatest or least aggregated values for a category. 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 (the designer) provides a framework for working with data and reports. The application window contains four main sections:
- The top of the window contains the application bar, which enables you to return to the home page and to access other parts of SAS Visual Analytics and other SAS applications that integrate with the home page. It also contains the menu bar, which contains menus and a Log Off button.
- The left side of the window contains the Objects, Data, Imports, and Shared Rules tabs. These tabs enable you to select report objects, to select data sources, or to import other reports or report objects. A table at the bottom of the Data tab enables you to modify the properties of the data item that is currently selected. The Shared Rules tab enables you to create a new display rule for a gauge, which is used by other gauges to designate intervals and colors for ranges.
- The center of the window is the canvas on which you design reports. Above the canvas, there is an area where you can drop a filter control and a category data item to create section prompts. You can change the report view by clicking the icon above the canvas. An Auto-update check box is also above the canvas. You can clear this check box so that you can design your report without waiting for a query to finish.
- The right side of the window contains a pane with multiple tabs. The Properties tab enables you to manage the properties for the currently selected report object. The Styles tab enables you to specify styles for the data, frame, and text, and to specify colors for the data. Display Rules tab enables you to populate or add intervals for the report object that is currently selected in the canvas. The Roles tab enables you to manage data role assignments for the selected report object that has a data source. The Alerts tab enables you to add, update, or delete alerts for report objects. The Comments tab enables you to view and create comments for the report after you save it. The Filters tab enables you to create filters for the selected report object. The Interactions tab enables you to create or update filter or brush interactions for the report objects in a section. The Ranks tab enables you to add rankings to report objects.
SAS Visual Analytics Graph Builder (the graph builder) enables you to create graph objects, which then become available in the designer for use in reports. The application window contains four main sections:
- The top of the window contains the application bar, which enables you to return to the home page and to access other parts of SAS Visual Analytics and other SAS applications that integrate with the home page. It also contains the menu bar, which contains menus and a Log Off button.
- The left side of the window contains the graph elements that you can drag and drop onto the canvas to create graph objects.
- The center of the window is the canvas on which you create graph objects.
- The right side of the window contains a Role Definitions tab that enables you to specify and rename the roles for a graph element. The Properties tab enables you to manage the properties of the graph elements.
SAS Visual Analytics Administrator supports administrative tasks. The main areas of the user interface are as follows:
- The top of the window contains the application bar, which enables you to return to the home page and to access other parts of SAS Visual Analytics and other SAS applications that integrate with the home page.
- Immediately below the application bar, the main menu provides access to application features.
  
  The LASR menu provides access to LASR-related features, including server operation, table loading, and server monitoring.
  
  The Tools menu provides access to specialized tools, including mobile device management, alerts management, and HDFS browsing (if applicable).
- On the left, a collapsible navigation pane contains a folder tree. The tree is a filtered view of your site’s metadata. Only certain object types are visible.
- In the center, the workspace can display multiple tabs. Each tab represents either an object that you opened (for example, a table) or a specialized function that you launched (for example, Mobile Devices).

To customize the application window and its features, open the Preferences window. On the SAS Visual Analytics home page, click the Edit Preferences button to open the Preferences window. For more information about the layout and features of SAS Visual Analytics, see SAS Visual Analytics: User's Guide.

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 (default theme), SAS Blue Steel, SAS Dark, SAS High Contrast, and SAS Light. To change the theme for the application, open the Preferences window, and go to the Global Preferences page. On the SAS Visual Analytics home page, click the Edit Preferences button to open the Preferences window. For more information about the layout and features of SAS Visual Analytics, see SAS Visual Analytics: User's Guide.

To change your preference for a report theme in the designer, open the Preferences window, and go to the General Preferences page. Select your default report theme. For more information about report themes, see SAS Visual Analytics: User's Guide.

You can use the Styles tab in the designer to override the default background color, the default font, and the default font color for the report theme. You can use the Reset Theme button on the Styles tab to reset the default report style when you have overridden the background color, font, or font color.

You can use keyboard shortcuts to magnify the contents of the browser window or to invert the application colors.

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.

Custom report themes are now automatically created when a coordinating custom application theme is created in SAS Theme Designer for Flex. These custom report themes can then be used in SAS Visual Analytics reports.

Keyboard Shortcuts

The following table contains many of the keyboard shortcuts for the application. In the user interface, some shortcuts are displayed within parentheses in tooltips and menu item labels. Some are also displayed in the Keyboard Shortcuts window (press F9 to open that window).

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

Note: When you use a keyboard shortcut to activate a button, move 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
Action	Keyboard Shortcut
Open the Keyboard Shortcuts window.	F9 Note: The Keyboard Shortcuts window might not contain all of the shortcuts for your application.
Open a Help pop-up window from the Help button.	Ctrl+? Note: This shortcut does not work on some keyboards (for example, the Italian keyboard).
Zoom in.	Ctrl+plus sign
Zoom out.	Ctrl+minus sign
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 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 the 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 the 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, make sure that the focus is on the table and that you are not in Edit mode. Press Ctrl+F8 to switch the focus between column headings and table cells. Use the arrow keys to navigate from heading to heading. For a multidimensional table, make sure that the focus is on a table cell and that you are not in Edit mode. Press Ctrl+F8 to switch the 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 its column heading (press Ctrl+F8). Press the 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.
Change the width of the current column.	Navigate to the column heading (press Ctrl+F8). Then press Ctrl+left arrow or Ctrl+right arrow to change the width of the column.
Move the current column.	Navigate to the column heading (press Ctrl+F8). Then press Shift+left arrow to move one column to the left, and press Shift+right arrow to move one column to the right.
Automatically re-size the current column to fit its contents.	Navigate to the column heading (press Ctrl+F8). Then press Enter.
Open a drop-down list or drop-down menu.	Make sure that the focus is on the control, and press Ctrl+down arrow.
Exit a single application in the SAS Visual Analytics Hub.	Tab to the application’s button at the top of the browser window, and press Delete.

Exceptions to Accessibility Standards

Some 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
Sometimes, you cannot use the keyboard to sequentially navigate through the interface and move the focus in a meaningful order.	No workaround is available.
The SAS High Contrast theme has a few unresolved focus and contrast issues.	For contrast issues, select a different theme, and then press Ctrl+~ to invert the colors.
The SAS Light theme and SAS Dark theme might not provide sufficient color contrast for some users.	Use the SAS Corporate theme or the SAS High Contrast theme.
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, lists, and menus.	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.
JAWS can sometimes read controls that have been disabled.	No workaround is available.
JAWS does not correctly read the states in a tri-state check box tree if JAWS is not in Forms mode.	Disable the 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 the Forms mode in JAWS.	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 Virtual PC cursor. When you finish interacting with the table, press Insert+Z to re-enable the Virtual PC cursor.
JAWS cannot read two-column property tables.	No workaround is available.
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 the 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 the 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 a table cell is selected and you press Home, End, Page Up, or Page Down, the focus moves to the first displayed column, regardless of which column you were in.	Use the arrow keys to navigate through the cells of the table.
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. Note: If you press Shift+F10 in Internet Explorer and no pop-up menu is available, the browser moves the focus to the File menu for the browser tab. To return focus to the application area of the browser window, press Esc.
You cannot use the keyboard to access the close (x) button that is in the top right corner of a tab.	Make sure that the focus is on the tab, and then press Delete to close the tab.
Visual focus for the menu bar is indicated with an outline around the entire menu bar instead of around individual menus.	To select individual menus, use the left or right arrow key.
Sometimes, you cannot use the Tab key to move the focus to the application area of a web browser (that is, the part of the browser window that is controlled by the Flash player).	The following workaround is applicable to Internet Explorer only. Press Ctrl+number, where number is the ordinal position of the application’s tab in the set of tabs that are open in your browser window. Then press Tab to move the focus to the application area.
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.
If you tab to an item that is partially or entirely off-screen, the item is not automatically scrolled back into view.	Sometimes, you can use the arrow keys or the Tab key to scroll the item back into view.
When you use the Ctrl+plus sign keyboard shortcut to zoom in, some portions of the interface can become hidden from view.	Use the keyboard to access the hidden parts of the interface.
The Ctrl+plus sign and Ctrl+minus sign 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+plus sign and Ctrl+minus sign 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.
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 move the focus to the window.
You cannot use the keyboard to access the color blocks in the Recently used section of the color selection control.	No workaround is available.
JAWS does not explain how to operate a drop-down list and drop-down menu.	JAWS refers to these controls as either "button", "button menu", or "combo box". In addition to using Ctrl+down arrow to open these drop-down lists and menus, you can also activate buttons and some button menus by pressing spacebar. Pressing spacebar either opens the control or selects the default item.
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 opens if one exists for that button.
When you use the down arrow to scroll through the items in a "combo box," any item that opens a secondary window will do so when you scroll down to it. This prevents you from navigating to items that are farther down in the drop-down list.	Press Ctrl+down arrow to scroll through the items in the drop-down list, and then press Enter or Tab to make a selection.
JAWS cannot read the contents of a tree table (that is, a table that contains a tree) unless the table is in Edit mode.	Make sure that the focus is in the tree table, and press F2 to enter Edit mode.
JAWS cannot read the content selection tree.	No workaround is available.
After you edit or delete a comment, the focus does not return to the comment.	Use the Tab key to return the focus to the comment.
JAWS incorrectly states that you should use Ctrl+Tab to switch tabs.	To switch from one tab to the next, press the left or right arrow key and then press Enter or spacebar.
When JAWS is running, pressing the up and down arrow in a number selector causes your browser to crash.	Enter the number instead of using the arrow keys to select it.
JAWS does not read the applications that are listed in the drop-down list of the home button.	No workaround is available.
You cannot determine which cell in a table row has the focus unless the cell is in Edit mode.	No workaround is available.
When you open a new application from the Home button in the application bar, the focus is lost. This might also happen when you press the spacebar while any button in the application bar is in focus.	Press Tab and the focus should return to either the Home button or another button in the application bar.

Exceptions to Accessibility Standards
When JAWS is running, some drop-down menus do not work correctly with the keyboard.	Changing the JAWS cursor mode (press Insert+Z) can sometimes help.
Color is the only means by which missing values are denoted in a decision tree diagram. Also, the default background color of the tree nodes and the default fill color that represents missing values in the nodes are very similar and can be difficult to distinguish between. A horizontal white line indicates where the fill color stops. However, sometimes the line can be obscured by the node label.	No workaround is available.
In some charts, graphs, and diagrams, color is the only means for conveying certain types of information.	You can use SAS Theme Designer for Flex to create custom colors that are easier for low-vision and color-blind users to discern.

Accessibility Workarounds for SAS Visual Analytics Home Page

Exceptions to accessibility standards for the home page are documented in the following table:

Exceptions to Accessibility Standards for the Home Page
Accessibility Issue	Workaround
JAWS users will experience problems when trying to access items in drop down menus.	No workaround is available.
Screen reader users might have difficulty determining the function of drop-down menus because they are identified as buttons by screen reader.	No workaround is available.
Screen reader users cannot use Mozilla Firefox when accessing the home page.	No workaround is available.
Screen reader users will notice inconsistent behavior when pressing the spacebar while in the Views menu.	Press Enter to run an item or to close the menu.
JAWS does not explain which keys to use for performing actions on the objects in the My Content section of the home page. Note: When JAWS reads each object, it first announces “list box”. It then announces the object type, a colon, and the object name.	Press the spacebar to display the object in the object inspector. Press Enter to open the selected object.
JAWS does not announce the object inspector when it is opened.	No workaround is available.

Accessibility Workarounds for SAS Visual Data Builder

Exceptions to accessibility standards for the data builder are documented in the following table:

Exceptions to Accessibility Standards for the Data Builder
Accessibility Issue	Workaround
When you use the keyboard to view the table properties from the Properties tab, the application loses focus and you can no longer navigate using the keyboard only.	No workaround is available.
When you use the keyboard to select a check box on the Properties tab, the application loses focus and you can no longer navigate using the keyboard only.	No workaround is available.
JAWS cannot read the diagram for creating data queries or LASR star schemas on the Design tab.	No workaround is available.
When you navigate to a table on the Design tab, pressing Ctrl+F9 does not open the pop-up menu for the table.	No workaround is available.
When you write code in the Preprocess or Postprocess sections of the Code tab, pressing the Tab key does not move focus out of the section.	No workaround is available.
When you use scheduling, you cannot choose to run One time only and then press Tab to access the OK or Cancel buttons.	No workaround is available.
When you use the pivot by function for a column on the Column Editor tab, you cannot navigate on the Pivot Values window using the keyboard only.	No workaround is available.
When you use the filter function on the Results tab, pressing the Space or Enter keys does not select or clear check boxes.	No workaround is available.

Accessibility Workarounds for SAS Visual Analytics Explorer

Exceptions to accessibility standards for the explorer are documented in the following table:

Exceptions to Accessibility Standards for the Explorer
Accessibility Issue	Workaround
JAWS cannot read the diagram in the decision tree visualization.	No workaround is available.
JAWS cannot read values for a visual filter in the Filters tab.	No workaround is available.

Accessibility Workarounds for SAS Visual Analytics Designer

Exceptions to accessibility standards for the designer are documented in the following table:

Exceptions to Accessibility Standards for the Designer
Accessibility Issue	Workaround
You cannot access the list of tabs in the right panel of the designer using only the keyboard.	Use the View menu to give focus to the tabs in the right panel. You can select the Comments, Display Rules, Filters, Interactions, Properties, Ranks, Rules, or Styles tab.
When JAWS is running, the Page Up and Page Down keys do not switch tabs properly.	No workaround is available.
The drop-down lists in the designer do not have labels. They are read by the screen reader as “combo box.”	No workaround is available.
JAWS does not read the labels for collapse and expand panes correctly. They are read by the screen reader as “splitter button zero.”	Use the View menu to select either Maximize View or Exit Maximized View.
You cannot re-position a report object on the canvas in the tiled report layout.	Use the precision report layout and then use the Properties tab to adjust the size and position of the report objects. Under the Size and Position heading, you can adjust the Left, Top, Depth, Width, and Height properties.
JAWS cannot read the diagram for creating filter and brush interactions in the interactions view.	No workaround is available.
When you use the keyboard to select the color palette in the Add Display Rule window, the application loses focus and you can no longer navigate using the keyboard only.	No workaround is available.

Accessibility Workarounds for SAS Visual Analytics Graph Builder

Exceptions to accessibility standards for the graph builder are documented in the following table:

Exceptions to Accessibility Standards for the Graph Builder
Accessibility Issue	Workaround
Some buttons and drop-down lists are not labeled. As a result, the screen reader cannot determine the purpose of these unlabeled items.	No workaround is available.
Focus is sometimes lost when roles are added, edited, or deleted on the Role Definitions tab.	Press Tab to move the focus to the Home button. You can then use the Landmarks window to return to the Role Definitions tab.
A graph element is sometimes erroneously added to the canvas when you select Graph Elements in the Landmarks window. If you select a graph element in the Graph Elements pane, and subsequently use the Landmarks window to select the Graph Elements landmark and press Enter, the previously selected graph element is added to the canvas.	To select the Graph Elements landmark, use the spacebar or navigate to OK and press the spacebar.

Accessibility Workarounds for SAS Visual Analytics Viewer

Exceptions to accessibility standards for the viewer are documented in the following table:

Exceptions to Accessibility Standards for the Viewer
Accessibility Issue	Workaround
You cannot access links in reports using only the keyboard.	No workaround is available.

Accessibility Workarounds for SAS Visual Analytics Administrator

Exceptions to accessibility standards for the administrator are documented in the following table:

Exceptions to Accessibility Standards for the Administrator
Accessibility Issue	Workaround
When viewing the charts in the process monitor, if a screen reader user brings focus to the scroll bar or to one of the sliders for adjusting the scale of the axes, JAWS does not announce the proper information. JAWS reads "Process Monitor" for all of these items.	No workaround is available.
In Internet Explorer 9, if you tab to the Search button, and use the keyboard to press that button, focus is stuck at the top of the browser window.	No workaround is available.