Conference Sections
| Pre-Conference Activities | SAS Presents |
Applications Development
Section Chairs:
Nancy Brucken, i3 Statprobe
Mark Thompson, Forefront Economics Inc
The Applications Development section will feature papers that showcase how
users overcome business problems and how the assembly of one or more SAS
products into a package that provides the interface between existing systems
and business users. Presenters will focus on building systems using SAS
solutions such as SAS/IntrNet® software, Business Intelligence Architecture
and SAS® Web Analytics (and yes, even Base SAS®). This session will include
case studies addressing the problems of design, development and implementation
with an emphasis on the philosophy, techniques and methods used to tackle the
issues. The featured applications will cover a single-user interface for a SAS
job control system, a system integrating Microsoft applications or a full
query, analytical and reporting system.
Coders' Corner
Section Chair:
Sunil Gupta, Quintiles Inc.
Are you interested in:
- A great tidbit of code you almost always include in your programs?
- A technique or trick that helps you on a regular basis?
- A practical piece of advice you think everyone should know and should be using?
Data Mining and Predictive Modeling
Section Chair:
George Fernandez, University of Nevada Reno
Data mining encompasses data preparation, graphical analysis, and modeling and
validation techniques for mining large databases. The Data Mining and
Predictive Modeling section will offer business intelligence case studies that
highlight how data mining is being used to help enterprises achieve their
goals. Papers presented in this session will illustrate how business
intelligence helps marketing analysts, database marketers, risk analysts,
fraud investigators, engineers and scientists solve critical business or
research issues. Topics can range from marketing applications such as
profiling, response modeling or churn analysis to production applications such
as inventory optimization or call-center queuing. Papers will cover
applications from a variety of industries such as financial services,
manufacturing, telecommunications, energy, retail, government, life sciences
and agriculture. In addition, this section will explore methods for
interpreting data using predictive and descriptive modeling, all facet s of
data mining, online analytical processing, and both new and novel approaches
used to drive decision making. You will find papers that highlight
applications using SAS® Enterprise MinerTM and SAS/STAT® software as well as
other SAS solutions that enable user-friendly data mining and predictive
modeling solutions.
Data Presentation
Section Chair:
Tyler Smith, DoD Center for Deployment Health Research
To reach diverse audiences efficiently, it often helps to present data that
includes reports and graphics. This section will present papers that highlight
delivery of information to the user through creative and innovative
techniques. Featured papers this year are the creation of graphics leveraging
the Output Delivery System Statistical Graphics in SAS 9.2 and report
generation using the TABULATE, REPORT and MEANS procedures. Data delivery
topics including applications that generate reports or graphical displays will
be highlighted. These might include SAS® Enterprise Guide® and SAS® Enterprise
BI Server, Web and e-mail report delivery systems. Papers will offer
techniques for Microsoft Office integration by creating output compatible with
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and/or use SAS Add-Ins for Microsoft Office.
Data Warehousing, Management and Quality
Section Chair:
Lois Levin, LSL Consulting
Organizations rely on accurate and relevant information to operate efficiently and effectively. Data warehousing is an important data management method for making an ever-increasing amount of data available for reporting and analysis. However, data warehousing is more than just data storage. Data warehousing is a process of extracting raw data from various sources, transforming this data into consistent, high-quality business data and loading the data into a data warehouse so it may be used in making strategic business decisions.
Papers in the Data Warehousing, Management and Quality section will
cover more than just how data is housed but also how data is managed and the
quality practices that were implemented. Presenters will cover any and all
aspects of the data warehousing, data management and data quality process
including data extraction, transformation, cleansing and loading.
Hands-on Workshops
Section Chairs:
Andrew T. Kuligowski, Nielsen Media Research
Peter Eberhardt, Fernwood Consulting Group Inc
SAS Global Forum is about learning, and the Hands-On Workshops section is one of the best learning experiences of the conference. The Hands-On Workshops session is ideal for attendees and presenters who believe that you "learn by doing." Each workshop will guide you through a step-by-step interactive learning experience combining presentation material and focused exercises. A SAS expert develops and explains concepts and then combines them with real "hands-on" implementation on your workshop computer.
Topics range from beginner and intermediate to advanced and specialized
subject matter to provide something for everyone. Workshops are supported by
facilitators, who offer SAS expertise and general assistance as attendees
navigate through workshop materials.
Industry Focus Sessions
Section Chair:
Warren E. Stinson, D&B
Industry Focus Sessions have been added and expanded for the SAS Global Forum
2007 lineup. These sessions will examine SAS technologies and how they help
you achieve your goals in these industry areas. Each Focus Session will have a
keynote presentation by a recognized expert in the field. Following the
keynote, a thought leader from SAS will discuss how SAS technologies address
the issues, concepts, and recommendations presented in the keynote address.
Each Focus Session will conclude with case studies in which organizations
review their experiences implementing the proposed ideas and technologies
Communications
Focus Leader: Stephanie Schaller, Sprint NextelFundamental industry restructuring is underway in the telecommunications industry. Consolidation among major service providers, convergence of platforms and services, cost pressures, shifting regulation and the need to sustain profitable customer relationships all are part of the mix. Service providers are being challenged to support traditional products with declining revenues while launching new services that have unproven economics. Both wire line and wireless providers are engaged in a battle for broadband services that require tremendous investment and organizational agility. Cable and entertainment companies are fighting for the customer's wallet, and new channels to market are emerging. Customers have new use patterns and are demanding flat-rate pricing. Breakthrough technologies continue to propel this industry from merely a communications vehicle to a distribution vehicle, changing the business model entirely.
This shifting landscape creates an environment where timely and accurate information is essential, both for reporting on the past and predicting the future. SAS solutions are helping telecommunications service providers navigate through this time of uncertainty. Armed with insight into customer behavior, financial health, network performance, campaign effectiveness and channel profitability, SAS customers are outsmarting their competitors. SAS solutions enable service providers to clearly understand their cost structure, forecast demand and meet service-level agreements.
In this session, you will learn how telecommunications service providers use SAS to gain the insight they need to effectively implement business strategies, manage risk, retain and grow customer relationships, maximize profits, leverage existing technology and take full advantage of enterprise-wide data.
Education
Focus Leader: Diana Suhr, University of Northern ColoradoThe Education Industry Focus Section will highlight the SAS Education Practice through software solutions, academic programs, and strategic services. SAS provides teachers, students, parents, administrators and policy-makers with tools to make decisions for more effective and efficient learning. During this session, presenters will use real-life examples from academic settings. For example, educators are challenged by constant changes such as shifts in demographics, technology transitions, shrinking budgets, government regulations, staff development, and student behavior. To address the challenges, educators can make fact-based decisions in areas such as student services, curriculum, retention, training, finance, human resources, and fundraising. In this session, you will learn how SAS® Business Intelligence solutions have addressed the financial, resource allocation and strategic planning areas.
Energy & Utilities
Focus Leader: Greg Nelson, Thotwave TechnologiesEnergy market deregulation, increased competition and dramatically changing markets have caused a shift in the energy supply chain. The supply chain now is comprised of independent companies engaged in all aspects of the industry, from energy production and generation to its delivery to the end user. The sector is characterized by strong growth, with considerable potential for profits but also with high risks. Companies often struggle to balance two distinct corporate objectives: operational excellence and customer intimacy. Organizations want to become more efficient at managing the energy supply, improving work management and reducing overall operational costs, while also nurturing the type of customer intimacy that other industries have enjoyed for years.
In this focus session, industry leaders will present case studies on the integration of business and technology strategies to deliver energy to both commercial and retail customers. Business topics will derive from energy retailers, who often struggle to balance customer acquisition and retention with effective pricing strategies and demand forecasting. Enterprise data integration, corporate compliance and risk management will be discussed in the context of overall portfolio management and optimization.
Financial Services/Insurance
Focus Leader: Lisa Eckler, Lisa Eckler Consulting Inc. This focus session will include three concentrations: banking, insurance and risk.Banking:
With fewer opportunities for mergers and acquisitions, financial institutions are putting more emphasis on organic growth to increase profits, market share and overall revenue. As a business strategy, this requires managing customer relationships through attention to the customer experience, and increasing the value of existing customers through a better understanding of their needs, preferences and behaviors.This session will cover how SAS software can support new and innovative ways to increase customer equity in financial institutions. This can be accomplished by leveraging analytics and exploring new opportunities around real-time event triggers and by pricing and bundling models so they are more appealing to their customers, but still deliver increased value.
Insurance:
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a software approach that takes various tasks and organizes them into interoperable, standards-based services. These services can be requested in their most granular form, combined to create composite services or shared/reused to meet changing business needs.The session will consider how SAS can and will support SOA for managing the information technology infrastructure in an insurance organization with industry- and function-specific services. Presenters will review successful implementations and best practices for productivity and effectiveness in the industry.
Government
Focus Leader: Pete Lund, Looking Glass AnalyticsIncreased privacy and security for government at all levels – federal, state and local – are ever-growing concerns, especially at a time when budgets are shrinking, outsourcing is growing and timelines are compressed. Meanwhile, government agencies are often being asked to do more with less.
We are all concerned with public safety, transportation, public health and defense, and all are affected by how well government officials manage these endeavors. In the areas of data warehousing, analytics, data integration and program monitoring and evaluation, SAS can help government leaders make the most prudent use of the resources entrusted to them. This section will present examples of how government agencies use SAS to better understand data and to respond faster to the changing world.
Life Sciences
Focus Leader: Lauren Haworth, Genentech Inc.This section focuses on the SAS technologies applicable to the life sciences industry, including pharmaceuticals, healthcare providers and health insurers.
Anticipating themovement of the pharmaceutical industry and its governing regulatory bodies toward standards, SAS has developed tools to support the emerging CDISC data models, allowing companies to deliver submissions that regulatory reviewers can easily interpret, understand, and navigate.
With the increased public scrutiny of drug safety, pharmaceutical companies need enhanced tools to identify and address potential safety issues more efficiently.
The healthcare and insurance industries are under tremendous pressures to maximize efficiency without sacrificing quality patient care. The answer lies within mountains of patient diagnosis and claims and care data, along with organizational enrollment and provider data. SAS' comprehensive solutions empower companies to consolidate, integrate and analyze volumes of data from every corner of the organization so they can identify and act upon the right performance measures. During this session, presenters will discuss the following:
Presentations should show how SAS solutions can turn legacy data warehouses into usable business intelligence.
- SAS solutions that can turn legacy data warehouses into usable business intelligence.
- SAS® Data Integration Studio and PROC CDISC for developing and validating CDISC submissions.
- The application of SAS tools for data integration, analysis and reporting in the area of drug safety.
Manufacturing
Focus Leaders: Rick Mitchell, Westat and Kurt Klee, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.In this competitive world, manufacturers can no longer rely on low prices, high quality and on-time delivery alone to keep them on top. These attributes – advantages a decade ago – are now just requirements to stay in the game and the rules of the game are constantly changing. Manufacturers face increasing globalization, more competition than ever, and customers whose demands reflect their own knowledge and expectations of a global market.
Manufacturing companies today have extensive inventories to track and move, a greater number of products to generate, quality standards to maintain, numerous suppliers to negotiate with, and an ever-increasing need to acquire, satisfy and retain customers. Because of these complex pressures, it is imperative that all links in the supply chain be managed successfully.
The Manufacturing Industry Focus Session will show solutions to help companies turn data into knowledge, enabling them to develop unique insights about demand, supply, operations and customers as well as targeted solutions that leverage existing investments in operational and transactional systems. The session also will include an overview of supply chain intelligence solutions that deliver analytics-based insights and decision guidance to maximize profits.
Media, Entertainment & Travel
Focus Leader: Diana Suhr, University of Northern ColoradoMedia, entertainment and travel companies are facing unprecedented challenges to existing business models. Challenges are due to fundamental changes in the industry, migration of audiences from traditional media to the Internet, the growth of digital technology and a demand for travel options.
The Media, Entertainment and Travel Industry Focus Session will feature case studies of SAS® Business Intelligence solutions. SAS is helping companies adapt to the diversity of the media, entertainment and travel industries by helping solve the companies' unique problems while exploiting existing technology investments. Presenters will focus on the topic that data isn't enough anymore. To dominate the market, companies must harness the intelligence hidden in the data.
Retail
Focus Leaders: Ken Brame, AutoZone, Inc. and Rick Mitchell, WestatCompetition characterizes the retail industry. Slow domestic growth, emergence of new and innovative sales channels and formats, and globalization as well as changing customer demands have created a cutthroat environment for retailers. To generate shareholder returns, retailers need to dominate the competition and make raving fans of their customers.
To grow and increase revenue, retailers must integrate customer demand intelligence into merchandising decision-making and improve core merchandising processes.
The Retail Industry Focus Session will look closely at how SAS solutions enable retailers to leverage customer and transaction insights throughout the merchandising life cycle to achieve dominance.
Planning, Development and Support
Section Chair:
Derek Morgan, Washington University School of Medicine
Papers offered in this section cover the skills needed to stay at the top of
your game as you continue to grow as a SAS professional. Papers will also
cover the way SAS users give and/or receive support, both technically and
administratively, developing and evaluating the skills in others and attaining
skills for your own use. Many presenters use real-world approaches and
solutions.
Posters
Section Chairs:
David Johnson, DKV-J Consultancies
Zul Habib, Habib Consultants Limited
The Posters section will present a unique mix of subjects and audience interactions. Presenters in this section, which includes only a presentation of posters, will be faced with the challenge of arranging their ideas in a visual display that will inform and capture the attention of an audience. A brief oral presentation is available during a "meet the presenters" session, but the visual presentation needs to carry the bulk of the message.
In this section, viewers will have the opportunity to examine the material at their own pace, and revisit it a number of times during the conference. Presenters will offer fairly complex visual concepts for study and viewers can discuss these concepts without disturbing the flow of a presentation. Many posters will quickly capture the viewers' attention and provide a visually pleasing message. The Posters section will again provide a limited number of computer displays for replaying navigation of applications, building complex visual messages, highlighting multiple elements of a structure or demonstrating the evolution of an application or process. The section is arguably the best-attended section in the conference.
Statistics and Data Analysis
Section Chairs:
Maribeth Johnson, Medical College of Georgia
Jennifer Waller, Medical College of Georgia
The Statistics and Data Analysis section will offer statisticians, analysts,
epidemiologists and data crunchers a forum to showcase their statistical
knowledge in a multidisciplinary setting where researchers from industry,
government and academia converge. The goal of this section is to help advance,
educate and shape the application of statistical methods with the use of SAS
software. Papers typically will feature a tutorial on the use of one of the
many SAS statistical procedures or a case study on an interesting use of a
well-known procedure. Some will offer a look at the cutting edge of
statistical evolution and its implementation with SAS programming. Recent
developments in statistical methods for data analysis, modeling and
forecasting are likely to be topics for featured papers.
Systems Architecture
Section Chair:
F. Joseph Kelley, University of Georgia
The Systems Architecture section provides SAS users with a comprehensive view
of SAS®9 infrastructure. Papers in this section will cover a wide range of
topics, from basic concepts of the multi-tiered architecture to deployment
considerations for enterprise-wide installations. They will incorporate
traditional issues of metrics and tuning as well as more complex matters
related to the interactions of servers in the client, applications and
foundation services layers of the SAS® architecture. Presentations about
real-world implementations as they relate to SAS software in deployment,
management, configuration, security, migration, and administration of the
modern IT environment are often featured as are papers about new and
innovative techniques and applications as they relate to the systems field.
Tutorials
Section Chairs:
Sue Douglass, Independent Consultant
Harry Droogendyk, Stratia Consulting Inc.
The Tutorials section will cover a wide range of SAS products and SAS programming techniques. The Tutorials section includes how-to, step-by-step presentations designed to practically equip attendees with knowledge they can take home and implement immediately.
This year the section chairs are making a concerted effort to coordinate consecutive papers within entire morning and/or afternoon sessions to provide methodical "mini-courses" in specific areas of the SAS System. Featured papers for this section will provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the session's focus. All Tutorial section presenters are experienced SAS users who have been invited to speak on their areas of expertise.
Pre-Conference Activities
Section Chair:
Lori Griffin, Quintiles Inc.
Be sure to take advantage of the seminars and statistical tutorials that will be offered just prior to SAS Global Forum 2007. These extra-fee events require advance registration and are open to anyone who registers for the conference.
The seminars are topic-specific and offer practical techniques you are not likely to find anywhere else. The topics are appropriate for a variety of SAS experience levels.
Statistical tutorials provide an opportunity to learn how to use
SAS/STAT® software straight from the SAS R&D staff. Some tutorials are
directed at new methodologies recently implemented in the software, while
others serve as introductions to standard statistical techniques that are
widely used in practice. The tutorials provide a blend of methodology and
helpful examples using SAS software.
SAS Presents
SAS Presents offers presentations by SAS staff on features and applications of
newly developed or enhanced SAS tools and solutions. Recent and upcoming SAS
developments are discussed in these presentations. Please feel free to provide
feedback to the R&D staff either during a session or later on the exhibition
floor.