C op yr i g ht 2 01 2 , S A S I n s t i t u t e I n c . Al l r i g h ts r es er ved.

Chapter 1: Getting Started with SAS Visual

Analytics
1.1 Exploring SAS Visual Analytics Concepts

1.2 Using the SAS Visual Analytics Hub

1.3 Discussing the Course Environment and Scenario

C op yr i g ht 2 01 2 , S A S I n s t i t u t e I n c . Al l r i g h ts r es er ved.

Chapter 1: Getting Started with SAS Visual

Analytics
1.1 Exploring SAS Visual Analytics Concepts

1.2 Using the SAS Visual Analytics Hub

1.3 Discussing the Course Environment and Scenario

C op yr i g ht 2 01 2 , S A S I n s t i t u t e I n c . Al l r i g h ts r es er ved.

Objectives

List the benefits of using SAS Visual Analytics.

List the components of SAS Visual Analytics.
Describe the purpose of the SAS Mobile BI app.

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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 convey
your visual results to others using
the web or a mobile device.

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SAS Visual Analytics Architecture

SAS Visual Analytics consists of several parts.

Hub

Explorer

Designer

create and manage content

visualize data interactively

create interactive reports

Web Viewer

Data Builder

Administrator

view reports in a browser

build new data sources

manage the environment

Mobile BI

SAS LASR Analytic Server

view reports on a tablet

in-memory server

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Why Use SAS Visual Analytics?

SAS Visual Analytics provides you with a way to derive

value from your data.
Find previously unknown relationships in your data.
Spot trends in data using an intuitive user interface.
Use the auto-charting functionality to help create
the best possible visualizations.
Add advanced analytics to your data visualizations.
Navigate through data with
on-the-fly hierarchies.
Establish interactions between
report objects.
Build dashboards of key metrics.
Access reports from a mobile
device.

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SAS Business Intelligence

SAS Visual Analytics is one of the business intelligence
offerings from SAS.
SAS Enterprise
BI Server
SAS Business
Intelligence

SAS Office
Analytics
SAS Visual
Analytics

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Who Uses SAS Visual Analytics?

SAS Visual Analytics empowers analysts, report
designers, data administrators, IT administrators,
and other information consumers to accomplish tasks
from an integrated suite of applications.

Analyst

Explore Data

Report Designer

Create Reports

Data Administrator

Prepare Data

IT Administrator

Manage Environment

View Reports

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SAS Visual Analytics Hub

The SAS Visual Analytics Hub is the central entry point
and enables users to perform a wide variety of tasks.

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SAS Mobile BI
The SAS Mobile BI app enables users to view and
interact with SAS Visual Analytics reports on a mobile
device such as an iPad.

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Using SAS Mobile BI

This demonstration illustrates using the SAS
Mobile BI app on an iPad to display sample
reports.

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Chapter 1: Getting Started with SAS Visual

Analytics
1.1 Exploring SAS Visual Analytics Concepts

1.2 Using the SAS Visual Analytics Hub

1.3 Discussing the Course Environment and Scenario

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Objectives

14

Log on to SAS Visual Analytics.

Identify the elements of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub.
Manage content on the Home page.
Set general preferences for SAS Visual Analytics.
Interact with comments on explorations and reports.
Search the Home page for content.

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Logging On to SAS Visual Analytics

SAS Visual Analytics requires you to log on before you
can access the available functionality.

After your credentials

are validated, the home
page opens by default.
The home page is also
known as the Hub.
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Components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub

Here are the components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub.

16

...

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Components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub

Here are the components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub.

menu bar

17

...

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Components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub

Here are the components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub.

menu bar
Create
Content
area

18

...

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Components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub

Here are the components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub.

menu bar
Create
Content
area

My Content
area

19

...

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Components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub

Here
Hereare
arethe
thecomponents
componentsof
ofthe
theSAS
SAS Visual Analytics Hub.

menu bar
Create
Content
area

My Content
area

Other
Content area
20

...

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Components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub

Here are the components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub.

menu bar
Create
Content
area

Common
Actions pane

My Content
area

Other
Content area
21

...

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Components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub

Here are the components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub.

menu bar
Create
Content
area

My Content
area

Common
Actions pane

Links pane

Other
Content area
22

...

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Components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub

Here are the components of the SAS Visual Analytics Hub.

menu bar
Create
Content
area

My Content
area

Other
Content area
23

Common
Actions pane

Links pane

SAS Resources
pane

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Managing Content on the Hub

The My Content area of the Hub can
display recently accessed content or
content that has been set up as favorites.
To manage your
content, click
Manage to the right
of the My Content
heading or click
Manage My Content
in the Common
Actions area.

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Using the Manage My Content Window

The items in the Manage My Content window enable
you to work with the content on your Home page.

Create a new folder for your reports and explorations.

Add an item to your list of favorites or to a collection. You

can also use this item to create a new collection.

Options Clear recent history or clear favorites.

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Delete the selected item including favorite folders and

collections.

Move the selected item up in the list.

Move the selected item down in the list.

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Creating Collections
You can create collections to organize
your content.
To create a collection,
click
and select
Create a Collection.
Name the collection,
specify the location, and
click Add.

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Specifying Preferences
From each SAS Visual Analytics web
component, including the Hub, you
can access the Preferences window
where you can specify the following
types of preferences:
global preferences
component-specific preferences
such as General and Home for the
Hub

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Global Preferences
Global preferences are applied across all of the SAS
Visual Analytics web components.

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SAS Visual Analytics Application Preferences

SAS Visual Analytics Application Preferences enable you
to set options within each application.
SAS Visual Analytics Hub

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SAS Visual Analytics Application Preferences

SAS Visual Analytics Application Preferences enable you
to set options within each application.
SAS Visual Analytics Designer

SAS Visual Analytics Explorer

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SAS Visual Analytics Application Preferences

SAS Visual Analytics Application Preferences enable you
to set options within each application.
SAS Visual Analytics Administrator

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SAS Visual Analytics Application Preferences

SAS Visual Analytics Application Preferences enable you
to set options within each application.
SAS Visual Data Builder

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Interacting with Objects on the Hub

In the Hub, you can click an object to display the object
inspector, which displays the following types of
information:
the object type
a description of the object, if one exists
the metadata location where the object is saved
the author
the most recent date that the object was modified

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Adding Comments
If you have the necessary permissions, you can use
the object inspector on the Hub to view comments
for an exploration or a report.
You can also add
a new comment
or respond to an
existing comment.

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Editing and Deleting Comments

If you have the necessary capability, you can edit and
delete comments. The Comments: Administrator role
provides this capability.

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Searching from the Hub

From the Hub, you can search all reports, explorations,
stored processes, tables, and queries that are on the
metadata server for which you have permission. The
search field on the menu bar supports the following types
of searches:
single word
multiple word
in-word wildcards
spaces in strings that use quotation marks
plus (+) and minus (-) syntax

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Exploring the
SAS Visual Analytics Hub
This demonstration illustrates logging on to
SAS Visual Analytics and exploring the
components of the Hub.
Pp 1-21

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Exercise
This exercise reinforces the concepts
discussed previously.
Pp 1-33

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Chapter 1: Getting Started with SAS Visual

Analytics
1.1 Exploring SAS Visual Analytics Concepts

1.2 Using the SAS Visual Analytics Hub

1.3 Discussing the Course Environment and

Scenario

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Objectives

41

Describe the server components of the

SAS Visual Analytics architecture.
List the functionality provided by the
SAS LASR Analytic Server.
List the types of roles and capabilities used
with SAS Visual Analytics.
Describe the classroom environment.

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SAS Visual Analytics Server Components

SAS Visual Analytics is built on the platform for
SAS Business Analytics and is designed to work
with the SAS LASR Analytic Server.
Clients
Web Browser

Mobile Device

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Server Components
SAS Visual
Analytics Web
Applications

Hub
Explorer
Designer
Viewer
Data Builder
Administrator

Platform Servers

SAS Metadata Server

SAS Workspace Server
and so on

SAS LASR Analytic Server

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SAS Visual Analytics Deployments

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
SAS High-Performance Deployment of Hadoop
Greenplum Data Computing Appliance
Teradata Data Warehouse Appliance

The classroom environment uses a

non-distributed deployment.
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Non-Distributed Deployment
This diagram shows a typical non-distributed deployment
of SAS Visual Analytics on a single machine.
SAS VISUAL ANALYTICS

SINGLE MACHINE

DESKTOP CLIENTS

SAS Management Console

WEB-BASED CLIENTS

METADATA
SERVER

Hub
Explorer

IN-MEMORY STORE
MID-TIER

SAS LASR ANALYTIC

SERVER

Designer
Viewer

WORKSPACE SERVER

Data Builder
Administrator
MOBILE CLIENTS

iPad
Android

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Hadoop

RDBMS

Nonrelational

Click Stream

PC Files

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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
A second in-memory server, the SAS Public
LASR Analytic Server, might be available at your
site.
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User Credentials Used during the Training

The administrator has created several identities that
include credentials, security controls, and role-based
capabilities that are necessary to perform common tasks.
Christine

IT Administrator

Lynn

Data Administrator

46

Christine, an IT administrator, can start the

SAS LASR Analytic Server, load data into
memory, and monitor the SAS LASR
Analytic Server.
Lynn, a data administrator, can prepare
data and load data into the SAS LASR
Analytic Server.

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User Credentials Used during the Training

Throughout this course, you adopt several personas.
Eric

Eric, who is both an analyst and report

designer, can explore data and create
reports.

Analyst

Report Designer

Rob

47

Rob, an information consumer, has only the

ability to view reports.

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Roles and Capabilities

Users of SAS Visual Analytics might have access to
different functionality, depending on their assigned roles.
Roles are mapped to capabilities. A capability, also known
as an application action, defines the operations that a
user can perform.
SAS Visual Analytics is shipped with four predefined
roles:
Visual Analytics: Administration
Visual Analytics: Analysis
Visual Analytics: Data Building
Visual Analytics: Report Viewing

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Roles and Capabilities

Some users of SAS Visual Analytics might have the ability
to delete and edit comments or create themes for their
organization.
These roles are not specific to SAS Visual Analytics:
Theme Designer for Flex: Administrator
Comments: Administrator

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Data Used during the Training

Throughout this course, you access tables that have
previously been defined and are registered in metadata
within the Source Data Library.

These tables are then loaded into the SAS LASR Analytic
Server using the Visual Analytics LASR library.

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Data Used during the Training

You will access data, explorations, and reports that were
defined and secured in the metadata.
This content is stored in the
Shared Data folder within the
SAS Folders metadata structure.
You also use the Shared Data
location to store the items
that you create during class.

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Classroom Environment
Throughout this course, you access a non-distributed
SAS Visual Analytics environment that has been deployed
on a Windows environment.
The classroom environment is set up to facilitate training.
Each student uses a completely separate environment
that has no impact on the other students.
SAS Visual Analytics times out after 30 minutes
of inactivity. Be sure to save your work often.

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Exercise
This exercise reinforces the concepts
discussed previously.
1-44

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