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SAS

Software Description: SAS® (Statistical Analysis Software) is a statistical analysis program.

Platform: Windows, Linux, App2Go server, Koti server.
Cost: No charge for authorized use. SAS software for Windows and Linux is available on a USB drive at RamTech for $20.

App2Go Login

SAS for Teaching & Research Use

VCU has a SAS university site license for VCU Academic Education and Research only.  Teaching faculty may use it as a resource for teaching and learning, to gain analytical skills, build courses, create degree programs, grant certificates, conduct academic research and network with other SAS users.  It does NOT allow use for administrative purposes (see the Admin Use tab above) or use by VCUHS employees. 

Site License Restrictions

  • Usage is limited to VCU related academic teaching and academic research.
  • Any other use, including but not limited to university administration and operations, is strictly prohibited.  In particular, the following are prohibited:
    • VCU administrative use  (if you need SAS for administrative use, please visit the above Admin Use tab)
    • any VCUHS use or McGuire VA Medical Center use
  • Usage is limited to currently enrolled VCU students and currently employed faculty or staff members of VCU.
  • Installation and licensing is limited to computers owned by:
    • VCU
    • Currently enrolled VCU students **
    • Currently employed faculty or staff members of VCU **

    **  If your VCU enrollment, employment, or computer ownership ends, the SAS products must immediately be uninstalled.

  • All software installations must be registered.  If you obtain SAS at RamTech, you are asked at RamTech to register SAS online for a specified number of installations.  Any other installations, including those using SAS obtained elsewhere (e.g., from a fellow VCU colleague) must be registered by following the steps listed within the above Renew/Register tab.
  • In addition, you MUST NOT:
    • Make SAS license files (aka SID files or setinits) available to other persons or organizations.
    • Transfer or export SAS outside the USA.
    • Resell or distribute the SAS license or software.
    • Reverse assemble, reverse engineer or decompile the Software or otherwise attempt to access the source code.
    • Use the SAS logo in SAS applications developed by VCU.

Note:  Violation of the license policy may result in civil or criminal legal actions as well as University disciplinary action.  Review the VCU Computer and Network Resource Use Policy for compliance details.

  

SAS for Administrative Use

The SAS teaching and research site license, referenced in the above Teaching/Research Use tab, CANNOT be used for administrative purposes.  However, separate administrative use licenses are available:

  • For Data on Banner ODS (Operational Data Store)

    If you need to use SAS for administrative purposes in regard to data stored on the Banner ODS, such as HR, finance, or student records data, that can be accomplished by using certain SAS tools, such as SAS Enterprise Guide, without installing the full "Base SAS" software on your PC.  For assistance, please contact the appropriate Banner ODS data owner.   Additional Banner ODS data resources are available at ODS Data Access and Reporting.

  • For Other Data Sources or Uses

    If you feel you need to install the full "Base SAS" software on your PC to use for administrative purposes, for example to analyze non-Bannner data, please visit SAS Admin request for more information and assistance.

 

SAS for Administrative Use

To obtain SAS that will be used for administrative purposes, please refer to the above Admin Use tab.

 

SAS for Teaching & Research Use

Supported Operating Systems:

Windows:  (64-bit and 32-bit)

  • Windows 10 Professional/Enterprise/Education/Home
  • Windows 8 and 8.1 Pro   (limited technical support)
  • Windows 8 and 8.1 Enterprise   (limited technical support)
  • Windows 8 and 8.1 Basic  (only for SAS Education Analytical Suite products)  (limited technical support)
  • Windows 7 Ultimate/Professional/Enterprise SP1
  • Windows 7 Home Premium SP1  (only for SAS Education Analytical Suite products)

Complete Windows system requirements.

Linux:  See Linux system requirements.

Mac:  See the SAS On A Mac section below.

Purchase/Obtain SAS Install Media

The SAS application is too large to offer for individual download.  SAS for Windows and Linux is available for purchase at RamTech, the VCU Computer Store located at 930 W. Grace Street.  It is supplied on a USB flash drive for $20 (you keep the flash drive).  VCU schools may request download access to SAS for Windows.  For Macs, see the SAS On A Mac section below.

The installation and use of SAS must conform to the site license restrictions noted within the above Teaching/Research Use tab.

Personal Purchase of SAS Media:

  • SAS for Windows and Linux is available on a 32GB flash drive for $20 from RamTech. **
  • Pay via cash or credit card.

Departmental Purchase of SAS Media:

  • SAS for Windows and Linux is available on a 32GB flash drive for $20 from RamTech. **
  • Must be paid via budget code.
  • No tax is charged for departmental purchases.

School Download of SAS:

  • A VCU school's tech support group may request download access to the SAS installation files (Windows only), at no charge.
  • The downloaded files can be used to install SAS within the school in labs and classrooms or on individual computers.
  • All installations of SAS must be registered by following the steps listed within the above Renew/Register tab, and the SAS license restrictions listed within the above Teaching/Research Use tab must be adhered to.
  • To request download access, please contact the IT Support Center.

**  Note:  One SAS flash drive may be shared with current VCU students, faculty, and staff, provided that all resulting SAS installations are registered by following the steps listed within the above Renew/Register tab, and that the SAS license restrictions listed within the above Teaching/Research Use tab are adhered to.

SAS Installation Instructions

SAS 9.4 for Windows:

Download the SAS 9.4 Windows Installation Instructions document for instructions on installing or upgrading to SAS 9.4 TS1M6 (Rev. 940_18w47), which is the version available at VCU RamTech on or after February 13, 2019.  They will install the following products:

  • Base SAS, SAS Enterprise Guide 7.1, and the other products in the SAS Education Analytic Suite
  • SAS Enterprise Miner 15.1
  • SAS Text Miner 15.1
  • SAS Studio 3.8

For additional information on SAS Enterprise Miner / Text Miner, please see SAS Enterprise Miner/Text Miner.

SAS 9.4 for Linux:

Download the SAS 9.4 Linux Installation Instructions document for instructions on installing SAS 9.4 TS1M6 (Rev. 940_18w47), which is the version available at VCU RamTech as of February 13, 2019.  Base SAS and the other products in the SAS Education Analytical Suite will be installed.

SAS On A Mac:

SAS, per se, is not available for the Macintosh, only for Windows and Linux.  However, there are some options available to allow you to use SAS on a Mac:

  • There are two free versions of SAS that can be used directly on the Mac.  See the Free SAS discussion below.
  • You can install either Windows or Linux on a Macintosh, and then install and use SAS within that Windows or Linux environment.  For information about obtaining and installing Windows, please see Windows on a Mac
  • You can access SAS via the App2Go server.  Researchers can also access SAS on the Koti Linux server.  These two options are discussed below.

Other Ways to Access SAS

SAS is available for teaching and research use on VCU Technology Services servers:

  • App2Go Server - If you need quick access to SAS, the software may be accessed from the App2Go server via a web browser.  App2Go provides you access to SAS (and several other applications) virtually.  SAS appears to be running on your local computer, and you can open and save files on your computer and print on your local printer.  More information is provided on the App2Go website and how to use the app2Go server.  Applications on the App2Go server cannot be used in classroom settings.
  • Free SAS - There are two free versions of SAS that can be used directly on Windows, Mac, and Linux:
    • SAS University Edition
    • SAS OnDemand

    These are "real" SAS and are provided by SAS, Inc.  They can only be used for learning and educational purposes or for academic research at VCU that is not being published for profit.  For more information, please see this Free SAS document.

  • SAS on a Linux Server - Koti is a central Linux server that provides access to SAS for researchers.  SAS may be run in batch mode or interactive mode, or by using SAS/Connect in conjunction with SAS on your PC.

 

 

SAS for Administrative Use

To renew or register SAS that will be used for administrative purposes, please refer to the above Admin Use tab.

 

SAS for Teaching & Research Use

Renew/Register Your SAS License

Renewal of SAS licenses must be completed annually.  SAS licenses expire on June 30 each year.  There is a 90-day grace period that extends through September 28.  Failure to renew prior to September 29 will result in SAS not running on your computer.  All SAS licenses must be registered.

Renew/Register Instructions:

All SAS licenses must be registered.  If you obtained SAS at RamTech, you were asked at RamTech to register SAS online for a specified number of installations.  To register any other installations, including those using SAS obtained elsewhere (e.g., from a fellow VCU colleague), select the appropriate link from the list below and, at that website, provide the requested information and click the Continue button.

To renew your SAS license, you must download and apply a new "SID file" (SAS Information Data file).  Applying the new SID file will extend your SAS license through the subsequent June 30, plus a 90-day grace period through September 28.  To download the SID file, select the link below that matches your SAS version (if unsure, you probably have SAS 9.4 for Windows 64-bit).  On the ensuing web page, provide the requested information and click the Continue button.  Then on the final page follow the download instructions provided.  Instructions for applying the SID file will be sent to your VCU email address.

How to determine what version you are running?

  1. Launch SAS.
  2. The SAS Log window will contain NOTEs which display the SAS version number and operating system platform.

How to find your SAS license expiration date?

To determine when your SAS software will expire, submit the following SAS program, and then look in the SAS Log window:

PROC SETINIT;

RUN;

Note that SAS will continue to run during a 90 day grace period beyond the expiration date that is displayed.

SAS Documentation and Resources

Self-Paced Learning

  • SAS e-Learning Modules - SAS e-Learning modules are interactive tutorials that are hosted on the SAS e-Learning website.  They allow you to learn basic, intermediate, and advanced SAS concepts and skills.  Current VCU students, faculty, and staff can setup FREE access to these SAS e-Learning modules by using the VCU activation code.  Visit VCU SAS e-Learning Activation Code and provide the requested information.  An email will be sent to you with the activation code, along with instructions for creating a SAS profile and activating the modules.  After you have created a SAS profile and activated the SAS e-Learning modules, you can access the modules at any time by visiting the SAS e-Learning website.  The following modules are available:

    Applied Analytics Using SAS Enterprise Miner

    Creating Reports and Graphs with SAS Enterprise Guide

    Introduction to Statistical Concepts

    Predictive Modeling Using Logistic Regression

    Rapid Predictive Modeling for Business Analysts

    SAS Enterprise Guide 1: Querying and Reporting

    SAS Enterprise Guide 2: Advanced Tasks and Querying

    SAS Enterprise Guide: ANOVA, Regression, and Logistic Regression

    SAS Macro Language 1: Essentials

    SAS Macro Language 2: Advanced Techniques

    SAS Programming 1: Essentials

    SAS Programming 2: Data Manipulation Techniques

    SAS Programming 3: Advanced Techniques and Efficiencies

    SAS SQL 1: Essentials

  • SAS Help Videos - A series of web-based help videos for learning SAS, created by VCU's Dr. Ed Boone.
  • VCU Online Equivalent Courses - Each selection below lists the SAS e-Learning modules that mirror the content of the VCU instructor-led SAS classes (see next section).

Instructor-Led SAS Classes at VCU

VCU Technology Services Short Courses on SAS - VCU Technology Services offers the following series of hands-on short courses to introduce SAS programming, each taught in 3.5 hour sessions.  This series is typically offered early each fall and spring semester, and registration is required.  An email announcement is sent to all registered VCU SAS users (if you obtained SAS at RamTech, you are automatically registered).  Note that statistical analysis is NOT taught in these classes, and they are NOT appropriate for Banner SAS users.

SAS Overview

SAS Data Management *

SAS File Management *

* These two classes require some prior experience using SAS, such as that learned by taking the SAS Overview course.

Instructor-Led SAS Classes at SAS Inc.

SAS Institute Training SAS Courses - SAS Institute offers an extensive selection of public course offerings.  Nearest training locations are Arlington, VA, Washington DC, and Cary, NC.  VCU faculty, staff, and students are eligible for a 50% educational discount on most SAS Institute public training courses, certification exams, and e-Learning courses.

SAS Consulting Services

Consulting Appointments - The department of Statistical Sciences and Operations Research provides a variety of consulting services through the Statistics and Analytics Consulting Lab.  Inquiries and appointment requests may be directed to statconsult@vcu.edu.

Technical Support

Installing or Licensing SAS - If you have difficulty installing or licensing SAS, please contact the IT Support Center for assistance.