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Interview with Author Art Carpenter
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Authorline catches up with Art Carpenter as he eagerly awaits the publication of his new book
Carpenter's Complete Guide to the SAS REPORT Procedure.
- Authorline (AL): What was your motivation for writing your book?
- Art Carpenter (AC): I thought there was a need for more documentation on the REPORT procedure. I have written and taught workshops and classes
on PROC REPORT that were well received. To me this user interest indicated that there are a lot of folks who use PROC REPORT and want to know more.
- (AL): Who are you targeting with your book?
- (AC): The REPORT procedure can be immediately useful to even the newest of SAS users. This book will cover as many aspects of PROC REPORT as
I can get between the covers.
- (AL): What features of the book are you especially pleased with?
- (AC): The compute block is a unique feature of the REPORT procedure that has caused some folks consternation. I have tried to smooth the way
a bit for both new users as well as those who are taking on more advanced techniques. It was very interesting delving into the details regarding the
internal processes that coordinate between the compute block and the PROC REPORT phases that produce the summarizations and reports. Also, the interface
between PROC REPORT and the Output Delivery System started out as an interesting side topic, but as the book project matured the interface became a much
more integral thrust.
- (AL): How will your book benefit SAS users?
- (AC): I have tried to provide both an instructional guide for those just starting out, as well as a great many more advanced topics for those
who have already mastered the basics.
- (AL): What did you learn while writing this book that would be important for other authors to know?
- (AC): The SAS technical support and SAS development teams are very interested in supporting projects such as this one. However, the author
needs to take the lead in building those relationships that ultimately allow the necessary collaboration.
- (AL): How did you decide to publish with SAS?
- (AC): This is my fourth book with SAS Press, and SAS Press not only has a highly professional staff to support projects such as this one,
but they are also uniquely positioned to help with the establishment of contacts on the technical side.
- (AL): Your book will be going to the printer in just a few weeks. How does it feel to be in the home stretch of such a long project?
- (AC): I am very excited to make this resource available to the user community.
- (AL): What advice would you give to potential authors?
- (AC): Dream big. I originally envisioned a beginner's guide to the REPORT procedure. The SAS Press editors, however, encouraged me to write the more
thorough, complete book that will be published.
- (AL): How were you able to balance your time between your career and writing this book?
- (AC): This is the tough part. A lot of writing was done in airports, on trains, and while flying.
- (AL): When you aren't writing or consulting, how do you like to spend your free time?
- (AC): Just about any activity that includes hanging out with my wife or grown children will be on the "A" list. First-choice activities include backpacking,
hiking, canoeing, and landscape photography. Shopping, however, is a bit lower on the list.
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Art Carpenter, an independent consultant and statistician, has been a SAS user since 1976. His impressive list of publications includes
Carpenter's Complete Guide to the SAS Macro Language, Second Edition; Annotate: Simply the Basics; his co-authored
Quick Results with SAS/GRAPH Software; and two chapters in Reporting from the Field. He also has served as the general editor
of Art Carpenter's SAS Software Series. A SAS Certified Professional, Art has presented over six dozen papers, posters, and workshops at SAS Global Forum,
SAS Users Group International (SUGI) conferences, and various SAS regional conferences. Art has received several best-contributed-paper awards. He has
served in various leadership roles for local, regional, national, and international users groups, including conference chair and executive board member
of SAS Global Forum.
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