What Is SAS Visual Analytics?

SAS Visual Analytics is a web-based product that

leverages SAS high-performance analytics technologies to enable organizations to
explore data of any size.

Using SAS Visual Analytics, you can very quickly see patterns in the data and identify
opportunities for further analysis. Then, you can use the web or a mobile device to
convey your visual results to others.

Why Use SAS Visual Analytics? SAS Visual Analytics enables you to quickly
derive value from your data. You can do the following:

∎ find previously unknown relationships and spot trends in your data using
an
intuitive user interface ∎ use a single interface for dashboards, reporting, BI,
and approachable
analytics ∎ use the auto-charting functionality to help you visualize your data in the
best
possible way ∎ easily add analytics ∎ navigate through data using on-the-fly
hierarchies ∎ create interactive reports that can be accessed from several
viewers including
mobile devices

SAS Visual Analytics

Architecture
Who Uses SAS Visual Analytics? SAS Visual Analytics empowers analysts, report
designers, data administrators, SAS administrators, and other information
consumers to accomplish tasks from an integrated suite of applications.
SAS Visual Analytics Home
Page

SAS Visual Analytics typically requires you to sign in before you can access the
available functionality.

Components of the Modern Home

Page

Here are the components of the Modern SAS Visual Analytics Home
Page.
The Banner enables you to access various applications, search for content, modify
your settings, and sign out of SAS Visual Analytics.

The Action button area provides icons to access

applications.

The Tiles area displays tiles for organizing

content.

Visual Analytics users with the necessary role-based capabilities can do the
following:

∎ add favorites

∎ add collections

∎ add links

∎ add application shortcuts

∎ modify settings/edit preferences

∎ view the object inspector

∎ search for content

SAS Visual Analytics Server
Components

SAS Visual Analytics is built on the platform for SAS Business Analytics. It is designed
to work with the SAS LASR Analytic Server.
There are several ways that SAS Visual Analytics can be deployed, including the
following:

∎ non-distributed deployment (single server)

∎ distributed deployment using a co-located data provider

Non-Distributed
Deployment
Distributed Deployment

SAS LASR Analytic

Server

The SAS LASR Analytic Server is an analytic platform that provides a secure,
multiuser environment for concurrent access to data that is loaded into memory.

The SAS LASR Analytic Server enables the

following:

∎ persistence of data in memory for a distributed environment

∎ superfast analytic operations on data

 ∎ reduced start-up times for distributed computing

∎ multiple users to access the same in-memory data

in a secure manner

What Is SAS Visual Data

Builder?

SAS Visual Data Builder enables analysts and data administrators to perform
basic data preparation.

SAS Visual Data Builder enables you to do the

following:

∎ build data queries from one or more source tables

∎ manage column properties

∎ create calculated columns by writing an

expression
∎ filter the data to include only the desired rows

∎ create output tables or load the query results directly to the SAS
LASR
Analytic Server

∎ import data from the local machine, the server, Hadoop, or other
sources

Components of SAS Visual Data

Builder
Purpose of a Data
Query

The results of a data query yield a table that is arranged in a specific way to
facilitate reporting and exploring by analysts.
Creating this table might consist of the following:

∎ restructuring data across multiple rows into a single row (for example,
to
facilitate forecasting)

∎ using a single column to create multiple columns with different

properties
(for example, measures with different
aggregations)

∎ extracting information from a column (for example, extracting a vendor

ID
from product codes)

A SAS Visual Data Builder data query is a metadata object that can include the
following:

• metadata representation of source tables or queries

• metadata properties that define output and staging tables

• criteria for joining multiple tables

• column properties

• aggregations

The Design tab is the default view for working with data
queries.

The Design tab enables you to do the

following:

∎ add source tables

or data queries

∎ define joins
 ∎ create new columns

∎ edit column
properties

∎ filter data

∎ NOTE: SQL statements are generated by the data preparation

expressions that are specified on the Design tab. They can be viewed on
the Code tab.

SAS Visual Data Builder enables you to select tables or data queries as source tables
in the navigation pane. Right-click the table and select Add to Query or drag the table
or query to the workspace. When a table is added as a source table, a connection is
made to the SAS Metadata Server to determine the column attributes. When a data
query is added as a source table, the column attributes are retrieved from the output
table that is defined in that query. A table must be registered in metadata before you
can access the data in your data queries. An administrator can use SAS Visual
Analytics Administrator or SAS Management Console to register tables in metadata.
LASR tables can be used as source tables for a query, but it is not recommended.
The workspace server is used to process the query (not the SAS LASR Analytic
Server). If the LASR table is large, this could result in reduced performance.

NOTE: You can remove a source table from the data query by right-clicking the table
on the Design tab and selecting Remove Table.

SAS Visual Data Builder enables you to join multiple tables and data queries. As
tables and data queries are added to the workspace, joins are added automatically
when the tables have foreign and primary keys or matching column attributes.

You can change the join type or remove the join by right-clicking the join line and
selecting the type.

SAS Visual Data Builder attempts to join tables automatically as you add them
to the workspace.

• If primary or foreign key information is registered in the table metadata, the

application retrieves the information and uses it to create the join.

• If there is no primary or foreign key information in the metadata, then the tables
are joined by matching column name and type.

NOTE: Column name matches are case

sensitive.

The default join type is determined by whether key columns are defined and if the
columns are nullable.

• If the column for the first table is not nullable (key values cannot be missing), but
the column for the second table is nullable (key values can be missing), a left join is
used.

• If the column for the first table is nullable, but the column for the second table is
not nullable, a right join is used.

• If both columns for the first and second tables are nullable, a full join is
used.

• If none of the previous conditions are met, an inner join is used.

The order in which you add source tables to the workspace is important. The first
source table that is added to the workspace is automatically assigned as the left table
for any joins that are specified for the data query.

NOTE: SAS Visual Data Builder supports joining a maximum of 256

tables.

Lower Pane: Column Editor

Tab

As columns are selected from the source tables, they are added to the Column Editor
tab in the lower pane. You can use the Column Editor to change the properties for
each column.

Creating Calculated
Columns
You can create new columns by specifying an expression to calculate the column
value. Click the plus sign (+) on the Column Editor tab to add a row for a new
column.

Click in each cell to enter the values for the new

column.

Click in the Expression field to access the Expression Builder. An expression is

required for each calculated column.

NOTE: The Column Name, Expression, and Type fields are required when you
 create calculated columns.

Filtering Data

There are two ways to filter data in SAS Visual Data

Builder.

WHERE HAVING
Clause Clause
s applied to the input data toAn
subset
expression
values that
based
is applied
on to either input data or calculated
ce table columns

Validating the Query

Clicking (Validate query) on the toolbar checks the query syntax and displays a message.

Previewing and Running the Query

When you preview or run the data query, the results are displayed on the Results tab. The Explore Re
link is enabled if the output table is created in a SAS LASR Analytic Server library.

Importing Data

SAS Visual Data Builder enables you to import four types of data:

∎ local files

– XLS, XLSX, XLSM, XLSB

– CSV, TXT, ZIP

– SAS data set

∎ server data

∎ Hadoop data

∎ other
What Is SAS Visual Analytics Explorer?

SAS Visual Analytics Explorer enables you to explore in-memory tables from the SAS LASR Analytic S
Using the Explorer, you can interact with your data sources in the following ways:

∎ manage data item properties, change aggregations, calculate new values, and
filter values

∎ visualize your information using charts, plots, and tables

∎ create decision trees, network diagrams, Sankey diagrams, and word clouds

∎ view analytic information including descriptions of the analytic results

∎ perform statistical modeling tasks*

Components of the Explorer

What Is an Exploration?

An exploration is a metadata object that accesses one or more data sources and contains one or more
visualizations of the data. The visualizations, data sources, and property settings are saved as part of a
exploration.

Visualizations and Explorations

A visualization displays data values using one of several visualization types. Visualization types includ
charts, plots, geographic maps, and more. A visualization can contain filters and other display propertie
Data Pane

After you select a data source, the Data pane displays the available data items grouped by classificatio
The category data items include a frequency count of unique values.

Each data item has properties. The data properties table at the bottom of the Data pane can be used to
values for selected properties.

Classification Properties

Each data item is categorized using a Classification property.

Category Used to group and aggregate measures. Categories

contain alphanumeric or datetime values. New category data items can be
calculated.
Geography Special role to identify types
of geographical information for mapping.

Measure Numeric items whose values are used in computations.

Measures can be calculated or aggregated.

Hierarchy Used to navigate through the data. Hierarchies are

based on category or geography values.

Data Options

Clicking (Options) in the Data pane enables you to work with the data source as well as create, edit, a
delete data items. The Options menu also enables you to control the appearance of the Data pane.

Data Properties Table

The Data Properties window displays properties for all the data items in the data source. This window c
be used to change the values for selected properties.

Measure Details

The Measure Details window displays descriptive statistics for all the measure data items in the data s

Data Source Details

The Data Source Details window displays information about the number of rows and columns in the da
source and the number used for the exploration.

You can edit which columns are shown and add a data source filter to control which rows are returned

Creating Data Items

The following data items can be created in the Data pane:

• custom categories
• calculated items (unaggregated)
• aggregated measures
• derived items
• duplicate items
• geography data items
• document collection (text analytics)
• unique row identifier (text analytics)
Assigning Colors to Category Values

You can associate colors with values of category data items for visual consistency.

The colors are applied to visualizations where the data item is used in the Group role.

Roles Tab

The Roles tab enables you to view the roles and data item assignments for the selected visualization.

You can assign data items by dragging them from the Data pane or selecting them using the (Edit sele
button.

Filtering Data

A filter is the specification of one or more conditions to subset the data source.

The types of filters in the Explorer include the following:

∎ Filters associated with the data source (global filters) apply to all of the
visualizations using that data source in the exploration.

∎ Visualization filters (local filters) apply only to the current visualization.

Data Source Filters

Data source filters subset the data at the data source level and apply to all visualizations using that da
source.

Data source filters can be created, edited, and deleted from the Data Source Details window. They can
accessed from the Options menu on the Data pane or by selecting Data ⇨ Data Source Details.

Ranks Tab

The Ranks tab enables you to view, create, and edit ranks to subset the data in the visualization. A ran
either the top (greatest) or the bottom (least) aggregated value for a category.

You can right-click a data item in the Data pane and select Add as Rank, or you can drag a data item
Ranks tab in the Right pane.
Properties Tab

The Properties tab lists the properties for the currently selected visualization. All visualizations have a
property. Most visualizations have other properties that enable you to control the appearance of the vis
and how the results are displayed.

Comments Tab

The Comments tab enables you to view and reply to existing visualization comments, as well as add n
comments. The (Comments) icon appears on the title bar for visualizations with comments.

Types of Visualizations

If SAS Visual Statistics is licensed, the following visualizations are available:

∎ Linear Regression ∎ Logistic Regression ∎
Generalized Linear Model ∎ Cluster