What’s New in SAS Visual Analytics 6.3

You can create a LASR star schema to join in-memory tables.

You can append in-memory tables to another in-memory table.

You can save an in-memory table to HDFS. This is helpful after appending data so that the table can be reloaded from HDFS instead of transferring the data again.

You can import files up to 4 GB in size. The speed for importing large files is faster.

For files that are larger than 4 GB, you can transfer the files to the SAS Application Server, and then use autoload to import the files. Like the import local data feature, autoload supports spreadsheets, text files (CSV), and SAS data sets.

You can specify the file encoding, such as UTF-8, when importing text files.

Filenames (which are used as table names) and column names can use most special characters. An unsupported special character is replaced with the underscore character (_).

When you import a spreadsheet or text file from your computer and load the data to SAS LASR Analytic Server, the data is also saved as a SAS data set on the SAS Application Server. If SAS LASR Analytic Server is configured to perform a reload-on-start, then these saved data sets are loaded to memory automatically.

You can import tweets from Twitter and transfer them to SAS LASR Analytic Server.

You can connect to an Oracle database and transfer a table to memory on SAS LASR Analytic Server.

The Import Local Data menu item is replaced with FileImport DataLocal File.

The Import Remote Data menu item is replaced with FileImport DataSAS Data Set on a Server.

The new network diagram visualization enables you to visualize the relationships in your data.

The new word cloud visualization enables you to identify the most frequent values in your character data or to identify topics and the relevant terms for those topics by using text analytics.

Visual filters are enhanced to support sorting, new filter conditions, and a greater number of category values.

You can lock the data ranges and scaling for visualization axes that contain a measure. You can modify the axes and transfer the axes between visualizations.

Geo maps have a new Coordinates overlay type that displays data as a scatter plot. The Coordinates overlay enables you to display a greater number of data points on a map.

A new link on the visualization Roles tab enables you to toggle autocharting for the selected visualization.

Geo maps support Esri as a source for background maps.

For bubble plots and geo maps with a bubble overlay, a new scaling method for bubble sizes supports negative values and is directly proportional to the data values.

You can import local data files (SAS data sets, Microsoft Excel files, or CSV files).

You can create calculated data items that return character data and dates.

New periodic operators for aggregated items enable you to perform aggregations on data over time.

New text operators for calculated items and filters enable you to perform string operations in your data expressions.

A new text mode for editing calculated items, aggregated items, and filters enables you to enter and edit your expression as text code.

You can create new derived items for year-to-date and other time-based aggregations.

You can derive the percentage of totals and percentage of subtotals for a crosstab visualization.

For geography data items, new predefined roles support ISO country codes, country subdivision names, and SAS map ID values for countries and country subdivisions.

You can export data from a table visualization to a CSV file.

You can switch between the designer and any other SAS Visual Analytics interface using the application bar.

You can customize the list of report objects on the Objects tab.

You can access the SAS Visual Analytics Graph Builder (the graph builder) from the Objects tab. Using the graph builder, you can create custom graph objects.

You can duplicate a section in a report.

You can specify a preference for the Data tab that disables cardinality checking to improve performance.

You can print reports that have not been saved. The options that you select for printing a report are maintained for that report.

You can import local data into the designer.

You can add expression-based display rules for graphs. For example, you can change the color of a bar or marker based on the value of an expression.

You can add measures to the tooltips for graphs. You can also change the style of the tooltips for graphs.

You can color the background of graphs.

You can add display rules for a crosstab.

Bubble plots, geo bubble maps, and bar charts (with no groups, rows, or columns) with a date data item can be animated.

A new stack container is available. You can group other report objects in a stack container.

Geo bubble maps and geo region maps can now also use Esri as the map provider. The geo maps support state, territory, and province latitudes, longitudes, and regions.

You can add alerts to report objects and receive notifications that alert conditions have been met via e-mail.

A new property enables a report author to disable the ability to select report objects in the web viewer.

Imported box plots and heat maps that contain a relational category data item and forecast plots and geo maps can be the source of a filter interaction.

Read-only filter information is available for imported report objects on the Filter tab.

A new data role is available for gauges, geo bubble maps, and geo region maps. This role accepts only measures that have not already been used in the report object.

You can create a custom data item based on either a measure or a category data item.

You can drag and drop multiple data items from the Data tab onto crosstabs, graphs, and gauges.

You can drag and drop multiple data items and have them automatically assigned so that you can quickly view graphs and gauges.

Advanced date operations are available.

One-click date operations are available.

String operations for calculations are available.

You can enter text for calculations.

You can automate the following aspects of data loading:

You can support self-service imports in the designer and the explorer.

You can use spaces and special characters in table and column names.

You can more easily monitor a distributed SAS LASR Analytic Server.

You can temporarily change application logging levels without editing configuration files and restarting servers.

You can easily change your deployment’s approach to mobile device management.

You can disable e-mail notifications for failures of the search index loading script. These notifications are sent to the general administrative e-mail address.

When you create a new permission condition, you can enter text directly on a new Text tab. On the Text tab, only the syntax and operators that are available on the Visual tab are supported.

When you use the metadata import and export tools to promote reports, you can include linked reports as dependent objects. When you import a report, references in the source report are updated to reflect any changes that you make to the paths of included linked reports. Metadata promotion is documented in the SAS Intelligence Platform: System Administration Guide.

You can delete other users’ alerts.

In the main menu, actions that were previously provided as buttons are now available as menu items.

The window for selecting a LASR library displays only LASR libraries.

The LASR Tables tab displays tables in a flat, filterable list.

A new tab, the LASR Servers tab, displays servers in a flat, filterable list.

Right-click menus are available on both LASR tabs.

Some of the icons for data loading have changed.

In SAS Visual Analytics, new configuration properties include App.AllowGuest, va.monitoringPath, va.publicLASRLibrary, va.publicLASRServer, va.SASGeomapEsriURL, and va.SelfServe.MaxUploadedSizeInMegabytes.

In middle-tier high-cardinality constraints, the property va.maxPeriodCalculations is new.

The Visual Analytics Data Administrators group and the Visual Data Builder Administrators group are initially assigned to both of the SAS Management Console roles.

A new group, Visual Analytics Users, provides access to the designer and explorer. In the standard configuration, the SASUSERS group is not a member of the Visual Analytics: Report Viewing and Visual Analytics: Analysis roles.

A new role, Visual Analytics: Basic, makes a minimal set of features available for guest access (if applicable) and entry-level users.

The Build Data capability (which provides access to the data builder) provides access to advanced data load options in the explorer and designer.

The Customize Hub capability is renamed Administer Hub.

A new capability, Build Custom Graph, controls whether the graph builder is available.

A new capability, Import and Load Data, controls whether data import and load functionality are available in the explorer and designer.

A new capability, Personalization, controls the availability of individualized features (such as recent items, favorites, collections, alerts, and user preferences).

Requirements for the Delete permission are replaced by requirements for the Write permission.

The Search Interface to SAS Content User is unrestricted in metadata and in ROLE_ADMIN in the middle tier. These privileges are required for successful indexing.