Sample 58888: Custom Time intervals in SAS® Forecast Studio
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Overview
This sample demonstrates how to create a custom time-interval and how to use it in SAS Forecast Studio.
Depending on your data, the standard time-intervals that are available in SAS Forecast Studio might not be appropriate. Here are some examples in which you might need to create a custom interval:
- In SAS, the MONTH interval begins on the 1st of every month, but your fiscal month begins on a different day (such as the 10th) of every month.
- Using a standard interval results in gaps in your data. Example: you have retail data that is collected hourly. However, the business is closed at night. In your forecasts, you do not want to include the hours when the business is closed.
- You have irregular gaps in the data, such as holidays.
In order to use a custom time-interval, you first need a data set that contains the custom time-interval definition. In this example, the data set that contains the custom time-interval definition is myinterval.sas7bdat. The input data set is mydata.sas7bdat.
Follow these steps to create the example custom-time interval:
- Make sure that you have an input data set. In this example, use mydata.sas7bdat, which is found in the Downloads tab. (Note: when you click mydata.sas7bdat in the Downloads tab, the file is saved as fusion_58888_1_mydata.sas7bdat. Rename the data set to mydata.sas7bdata.)
- Create a data set containing the custom time interval definition. In this example, use: MYINTERVAL.sas7bdat, which is found in the Downloads tab. (Note: when you click myinterval.sas7bdat in the Downloads tab, the file is saved as fusion_58888_2_myinterval.sas7bdat. Rename the data set to myinterval.sas7bdata.)
- Place both data sets in a library. For this example, use the SASHELP library.
- Navigate to this folder: configuration directory/Lev1/SASApp/
- Make a copy of sasv9_usermods.cfg (making a copy is always a good practice).
- Add the following line to the sasv9_usermods.cfg file:
-intervalds (cti=sashelp.myinterval)
- Save the sasv9_usermods.cfg file.
- Open SAS Forecast Studio and create a SAS Forecast Studio project. During project creation, the custom interval, cti, is displayed at the bottom of the list of available time-intervals.
NOTE: Here are some requirements to remember:
- For your custom interval, the values for the BEGIN variable must start with the earliest historical data and extend into the future for at least three forecasting horizons. Example: The historical data is 2011. If the forecasts are the first 12 days in 2012, then the BEGIN variable must range from the first day of 2011 through the 36th day of 2012.
- The name for the interval must be 1–32 characters. The name cannot contain underscores or embedded numeric characters. However, the name can end with one or more digits. Example: cti454 is a valid name, and c454ti is an invalid name.
- Keep the range of the custom interval updated to include all the dates in the time ID, in addition to what is needed for backcasting and forecasting. (You always need at least three forecasting horizons.)
- The spacing in the following code must be exactly as shown:
-intervalds (cti=sashelp.myinterval)
Additional Documentation
For more information about custom intervals, see SAS Forecast Server Administrator's Guide ► Chapter: SAS Forecast Studio ► Adding Custom Time Intervals to SAS Forecast Studio.
See SAS Forecast Server Documentation.
These sample files and code examples are provided by SAS Institute Inc. "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Recipients acknowledge and agree that SAS Institute shall not be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of their use of this material. In addition, SAS Institute will provide no support for the materials contained herein.
These sample files and code examples are provided by SAS Institute Inc. "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Recipients acknowledge and agree that SAS Institute shall not be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of their use of this material. In addition, SAS Institute will provide no support for the materials contained herein.
How to add a custom time interval in SAS Forecast Studio
| Type: | Sample |
| Date Modified: | 2017-01-26 12:59:32 |
| Date Created: | 2016-08-30 11:07:40 |
Operating System and Release Information
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| SAS System | SAS Forecast Studio | Windows 7 Enterprise x64 | ||
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