Support Terms and Comparisons
Support Languages
English is the default language of the SAS Technical Support team, but SAS can also provide support in select other languages. Although we cannot guarantee that support is available in languages other than English, you can contact Technical Support if you require support provided to your organization in another language.
Support Channels
SAS Technical Support provides support for SAS Software using the following channels:
- Online support (web interface): Access to support resources on the SAS Customer Support website
- Telephone support
- Email support
- Chat
Support Terms and Definitions
Note: Refer to the Glossary of Defined Terms for a list of additional terms that might be used in our policies.
| Support Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Alternate Kubernetes Distribution | SAS provides detailed virtual infrastructure requirements, including Kubernetes distributions that SAS supports in Kubernetes Cluster Requirements in SAS® Viya Platform Operations. A distribution of Kubernetes that does not meet the criteria is considered an "Alternate Kubernetes Distribution." While operation of the SAS Viya platform, at any point in time, might be functionally equivalent on a specific variant of Alternate Kubernetes Distribution, SAS cannot warrant the SAS Viya platform and/or third-party vendor technology that SAS uses will continue to function with each update or that the Software will meet SAS standards of performance and stability. The support level for Software running on an Alternate Kubernetes Distribution is Limited Support. Refer to SAS Support for Alternative Kubernetes Distributions. |
| Alternate Operating System | SAS provides a detailed list of operating system and version combinations that are supported for SAS 9.4 and SAS Viya 3.x at Supported Operating Environments. A variant of these Operating Systems or an Operating System and version combination that does not meet the criteria is considered an "Alternate Operating System." While operation of the SAS 9.4 or SAS Viya 3.x platform, at any point in time, might be functionally equivalent on a specific variant of an Alternate Operating System, SAS cannot warrant the SAS platform and/or third-party vendor technology that SAS uses will continue to function with each update or that the Software will meet SAS standards of performance and stability. The support level for Software running on an Alternate Operating distribution is Limited Support. Refer to SAS Support for Alternative Operating Systems. |
| Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) | This is a modern software engineering approach referred to as "CI/CD". With CI/CD, Software is released in short cycles, ensuring that it can be built, tested, and delivered faster and more frequently. The release cycles in Continuous Delivery systems are called cadences. An example of CI/CD at SAS is the SAS Viya platform. |
| Critical Support Request After Normal Support Hours | An unscheduled critical production incident for qualifying Software. Refer to Support Hours for additional information. |
| Enhanced Support Offerings | A portfolio of specialized Technical Support services beyond Standard Support levels. Enhanced Support offerings are available for a fee. See SAS Premium Support, SAS Customized Support, and SAS Extended Technical Support. |
| Extended Technical Support | An Enhanced Support offering available for Software that has moved to Limited Support. Refer to Guidelines for SAS Extended Technical Support. |
| Fixed Lifecycle Delivery | Release timeline for SAS' older Software, including SAS Viya 3.5 and SAS 9.4 and earlier releases. Distinguishable from SAS' more modern Continuous Delivery approach, used for the SAS Viya platform. Under Fixed Lifecycle Delivery, new versions, maintenance releases, and updates are released every few years for, generally, a minimum of five years of Standard Support, based on the generally available maintenance release date. |
| Follow-the-Sun | 24x7 continuous engagement between the Customer and SAS resources, potentially across multiple global regions, until the issue is resolved, worked around, or the priority is lowered. Follow-the-Sun is available only for 1- Critical (Sev1) and some 2- High (Sev2) issues. Refer to Support Hours. |
| Hosted Managed Services | SAS Software delivered and managed by SAS on SAS-controlled infrastructure with dedicated service and support. |
| Hot Fix / Patch | A quick fix for an immediate problem or an essential fix for a commonly recurring problem. Hot fixes / Patches are developed and delivered continuously for product versions in the Standard Support stage. See Hot Fix FAQs for additional information. |
| Initial Response Time | The period from when you submit your support request and when a SAS Support Engineer contacts you and starts working on your support request. |
| Limited Support | The stage in a product version's lifecycle beginning when Standard Support ends. The Software either no longer receives or does not qualify for security patching, bug fixes, new features, documentation updates, and Standard Support response times. Customers are encouraged to use SAS Support Communities, self-help articles, and existing public documentation as their first line of support. Cases opened for Limited Support Software will be addressed after cases for Software under Premium Support, Standard Support, and Extended Technical Support. Cases under Limited Support do not qualify for Severity Level 1 or Severity Level 2 handling. Software in Limited Support is no longer available for download from SAS. Customers with active licenses and no outstanding maintenance fees are entitled to update to Software covered under Standard Support. Additional terms associated with Limited Support for each SAS platform are available by selecting the appropriate platform at SAS Technical Support Policies. |
| Long-Term Support (LTS) Cadence | A Continuous Delivery release cadence that provides ongoing support for a Software version for a longer period compared to the Stable cadence, typically several years. LTS releases are generally issued once or twice a year and focus on stability and bug fixes. Some Continuous Delivery Software does not offer a Long-Term Support cadence. LTS cadences contain an aggregate of features, enhancements, bug fixes, and security patches from previous Stable versions. |
| Retired Product | A product is considered retired when no versions of the product are available for renewal. At this stage in the product's lifecycle, the product has reached end of life and all support ends. |
| Retired Product Version Stage | A stage in the product lifecycle where the last planned release of the product is generally available and no releases of a newer version are planned. A product that has reached its Retired Product Version Stage is not a Retired Product. Older product versions are available for use and renewal, and some versions might still be under Standard Support or might qualify for Extended Technical Support. |
| SaaS / Subscription Service | Cloud-based software applications that Customers can access and use over the internet, typically through a web browser or mobile app. Examples: SAS® Customer Intelligence 360, SAS® Energy Forecasting Cloud, and SAS® Intelligent Planning Cloud. |
| Self-help | Resources available to all Customers at SAS Help Center, the Customer Support site, and the SAS Support Communities websites. Customers can ask questions in the SAS Communities or search these resources for potential circumventions to issues they are experiencing. |
| Software | Software delivered by SAS that is eligible for Technical Support. Customers can consult their SAS contract for a listing of their Software. Note that Software/code provided or developed during a SAS Consulting Services or SAS Cloud engagement is not eligible for Technical Support. |
| Stable Cadence | The most frequent release cycle of Continuous Delivery. Under this cadence, Customers regularly adopt the latest features and updates. The frequency of release of a Stable cadence and its corresponding support cycle depends on the Software. For example, the SAS Viya platform and all products running on it have a monthly Stable cadence release that contains the most up-to-date features and bug fixes. Refer to policies for products on the SAS Viya Platform or the specific product at Product Support A to Z. |
| Standard Support | A stage in the product lifecycle beginning when the product version becomes generally available and lasts for a specified duration. Software under Standard Support qualifies for select new features, bug fixes, security patching, documentation updates, and the ability to open cases with SAS Technical Support with standard response times as defined at Support Request Response Time. To qualify for Standard Support, Software must be deployed on systems meeting the SAS System Requirements published in the official SAS documentation. Additional terms associated with Standard Support for each SAS platform are available by selecting the appropriate platform at SAS Technical Support Policies. |
| Support Eligibility | Support available to verified Customers with a valid Technical Support license number, Software under Standard Support, and no outstanding maintenance fees. |
| Support Window | The period of time during which a product or product version is in the Standard Support stage. |
| Technical Support Account Manager (TSAM) | A named point of contact within SAS Technical Support for Customers who have purchased an Enhanced Support Offering. The TSAM performs many functions, including proactively managing and prioritizing technical issues to expedite resolution. |
Support Offerings, Services, and Comparisons
Note: Activities beyond the scope of SAS Technical Support might be able to be addressed by SAS Consulting Services. Contact your SAS Account Executive to learn more.
| Support Offerings and Product Support Action Comparisons | Standard Support | Enhanced Support Offering | Extended Technical Support | Limited Support | Retired Product Version Stage | Retired Product (All Versions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Lifecycle | ||||||
| Accessibility to Updates and Upgrades | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| New Hot Fixes for selected critical issues | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes1 | No |
| Ongoing Security Patching | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes1 | No |
| Existing Hot Fixes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Existing Security Patches | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Existing Product Documentation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Documentation Updates | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| SaaS / Subscription Service defect and non-defect support2 | Yes | Yes | N/A | N/A | N/A | No |
| Technical Support General Engagement | ||||||
| Support level is included in SAS Software license, maintenance, or SAS Cloud fees | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes1 | No |
| Support includes enhanced SLAs | No | Yes3 | Yes4 | No | Yes1 | No |
| Dedicated Technical Support Account Manager (TSAM) | No | Yes | Yes3 | No | Yes1 | No |
| Proactive management and prioritization of all of a Customer's SAS cases | No | Yes | Yes3 | No | Yes1 | No |
| Remote support sessions for troubleshooting (at SAS' discretion) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Knowledge transfer sessions | No | Yes | Yes3 | No | Yes1 | No |
| Regular check-ins and workshops for your key projects | No | Yes | Yes3 | No | Yes1 | No |
| Chat, email, and telephone support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes1 | No |
| Telecommunication Relay Service (TRS) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Follow-the-Sun support for Production systems | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| 1- Critical (Sev1) handling | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| 2- High (Sev2) handling | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| 3- Moderate (Sev3) handling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes1 | No |
| Critical Support requests after normal Support Hours | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Answers to specific product security related questions and concerns about SAS Software | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes1 | No |
| Support for the interaction between SAS Software and any third-party software that is shipped with SAS Software | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes1 | No |
| Support for SAS internal (non publicly-documented) APIs5 | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Procedure logic, routines, features, and functionality as described in official SAS documentation | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Limited assistance with SAS programming logic and failures | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Implementation and usage questions and issues for SAS Software deployed and administered per official SAS documentation | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Support for work product, features, or functionality developed and delivered outside of or not officially supported by SAS Research & Development | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Strategic technical advice, guidance, and best practices designs | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Writing, troubleshooting, or reviewing customized code | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Recovering a database or performing data recovery | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Assistance with accessing source code, reverse engineering, reverse assembling, decompiling SAS software, or any other act in violation of your agreement | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Technical Support Deployment and Administrator Support | ||||||
| Interpreting or triaging customer or third-party generated defect scanning reports | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Tuning SAS Software as described in official SAS documentation | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes1 | No |
| Reviewing architecture | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Reviewing Software Implementation, upgrade, and/or migration plans | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Implementing SAS Software or SAS Hot Fixes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Providing comprehensive installation and maintenance guidance | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Analyzing performance of installed SAS Software | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Backup and recovery Issues when implemented according to official SAS documentation | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Support for Software running on Kubernetes Distributions described in official SAS documentation | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Support for Software running on Kubernetes Distributions not described in official SAS documentation | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Support for Software running on an end-of-life Kubernetes distribution or operating system that was previously supported | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Kubernetes installation and administration services | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Support for Software configured to use external PostgreSQL distributions described in official SAS documentation | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Support for Software configured to use external PostgreSQL distributions not described in official SAS documentation | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| External PostgreSQL or other third-party database installation and administration services | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Benchmarking for orchestration tools | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Supporting Software deployed on an operating system and version at supported operating environments | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Supporting Software deployed on an operating system or version not at supported operating environments | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Assistance interpreting SAS Content Assessment results | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Assistance with resolving System Evaluation messages | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Technical Support Data Scientist Support | ||||||
| Limited guidance and references to help customers interpret the output that is produced by statistical procedures | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Selecting an appropriate statistical methodology or analysis | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| References for formulas and statistical techniques that SAS algorithms use, where possible | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Limited and general statistical advice on a case-by-case basis | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes1 | No |
| Designing a SAS application and/or experiments | No | No | No | No | No | No |
1 Available while under terms of Standard Support or Enhanced Support, as appropriate.
2 SaaS / Subscription Services (for example, SAS® Customer Intelligence 360), are always covered by Standard Support. Support for SaaS ends when the SaaS Cloud Service ends, either because Customer’s contract has ended, or the service has been withdrawn in accordance with the Subscription Service Addendum or other agreement governing Customer’s SaaS service.
3 SAS Premium Support only
4 Refer to your level of support in Support Request Response Time.
5 SAS does not provide technical support for SAS internal (non publicly-documented) APIs. Although SAS internal APIs might function, only publicly-documented APIs (also called external APIs) are supported. SAS internal APIs do not follow the same deprecation or breaking changes agreements that are in place for public APIs. Therefore, customers who use SAS internal APIs despite their unsupported nature do so without the support of SAS and at their own risk.