SAS Press Series» Authorline

authorline graphic

Interview with Author Don Henderson

Authorline catches up with with Don Henderson as he eagerly awaits the publication of his new book Building Web Applications with SAS/IntrNet: A Guide to the Application Dispatcher.

Authorline (AL): What was your motivation for writing your book?
Don Henderson (DH): The Application Dispatcher has many features and capabilities that many SAS users are not aware of. During a number of my consulting projects I discovered that many users who were writing applications for the Application Dispatcher were spending time building custom code to do things that could be more easily accomplished using some of those lesser known features.
(AL): Could you describe some of those features?
(DH): Well, two of the most commonly overlooked features are the sessions facility and the ability to specify programs that are run before and after each request. Each of those topics is a chapter in the book.
(AL): Who are you targeting with your book?
(DH): There are actually three sets of users I hope will find the book of value. First are those users who are already building applications for the Application Dispatcher. I hope they will find the techniques and features that are covered in the book something that they can take advantage of. Second are users who are considering building such applications. I believe that the book will help them get a quick start. And third are users who are using the SAS 9 Stored Process server. Many of the techniques that are discussed in the book work as well with the SAS 9 Stored Process Server.
(AL): What features of the book are you especially pleased with?
(DH): While there are a number of things I am pleased with, I would have to say the top two are the Sample Environment that I am providing on the web where readers can run virtually all of the examples (http://hcsbi.com/IntrNetAppDev). This allows readers to actually see how the Application Dispatcher works without having to install or set anything up. And for those users who want more control, they can download and install the Sample Environment on their local PC (assuming they have a license for SAS/IntrNet).
The second one is the set of re-usable tools and techniques that are included in the Sample Environment that I hope readers will be able to leverage (or use as is) in their own applications.
(AL): Could you provide an example?
(DH): One example would be the Data Browser (Section 6 of Chapter 7) which allows a user to select a library, data set and variables and then page through the data set a specified number of observations at a time. This example application is usable as is and also demonstrates a technique that I refer to as SAS Server Pages that works with both the Application Dispatcher and the SAS 9 Stored Process Server.
(AL): How will your book benefit SAS users?
(DH): I am hoping that it will both save them time in building Web applications as well as give them ideas for other ways to think about how to implement their Web applications.
(AL): What did you learn while writing this book that would be important for other authors to know?
(DH): There are lots of lessons learned that I plan to use on my next book. First and foremost is to get feedback very early on from your target audience to make sure the book is easy to read. For example, while I had always planned to have a Web site and downloadable environment for the examples, it took a reviewer to point out that I needed screen shots for all the examples for the readers who were reading the book on the subway or an airplane.
(AL): How did you decide to publish with SAS?
(DH): It is simply the best way to make sure the book reaches its target audience.
(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?
(DH): Feels great. And it's also making me think more seriously about the topic for my next book.
(AL): What advice would you give to potential authors?
(DH): Make sure that you don't try to cover too much material. When you start discussing any topic, you discover more detail that needs to be covered. So pick a concise topic and cover it thoroughly.
(AL): How were you able to balance your time between your career and writing this book?
(DH): As an independent consultant, there are lots of peaks and valleys in my projects. During the valleys, I would spend virtually full time on the book. And during the peaks, I gave up sleeping.
(AL): When you aren't writing or consulting, how do you like to spend your free time?
(DH): Free time? What's free time? Seriously, I love problem solving, so work is one of my passions. However, not far behind would be traveling, photography and gardening.

Don Henderson is the Owner and Principal of Henderson Consulting Services, a SAS Affiliate Partner. Don has used SAS software since 1975, designing and developing business applications with a focus on data warehouse, business intelligence, and analytic applications. Don was one of the primary architects in the initial development and release of SAS/IntrNet software in 1996, and he was one of the original developers for the SAS/IntrNet Application Dispatcher. Don has presented numerous papers at SUGI and regional SAS user group meetings, and continues to be a great supporter of SAS and its products.

Table of Contents | Previous | Next

Learning Center

Related Links

Stay Informed

Keep in Touch

SAS Press Series» Authorline

Interview with Author Don Henderson