Need help choosing data visualization colors? Try ColorBrewer2.org

Are you making a data visualization and interested in adding a custom set of colors to make the information really fly off of the page?

If so, I recommend checking out ColorBrewer2.org because it has all sorts of great tools for choosing colors, including color calculators.  It also has tips on choosing color combinations that are color-blind friendly, print friendly, and more.

My favorite SAS proc: proc freq

No doubt, my favorite proc step is proc freq. It is extremely simple, but therein lies its beauty: it's fast to run and easy to understand. With just two lines of code (almost zero effort), it delivers a set of frequency output for all variables in one printout that anyone can understand, regardless of their involvement with the actual data set. I've found raw proc freq output to be a terrific starting point for conversations on data cleaning or data exploration, no matter who is involved in the conversation:

PROC freq data=NAME;
run;

Free SAS Date Calculator

Date:

Days since 1/1/1960:


For valid results, SAS date value must be between 1582 CE and 20,000 CE on the Gregorian Calendar. Note that American Colonies and Great Britain did not adopt the Gregorian Calendar until 1752.

Free SAS Datetime Calculator

Datetime:

Seconds since midnight 1/1/1960:


For valid results, SAS date value must be between 1582 CE and 20,000 CE on the Gregorian Calendar. Note that American Colonies and Great Britain did not adopt the Gregorian Calendar until 1752.

SAS Date Calculator Now Available

Interactive SAS Date Calculator*

Date:
Days since 1/1/1960:

Interactive SAS Datetime Calculator*

Datetime:
Seconds since midnight 1/1/1960:

*For valid results, SAS date value must be between 1582 CE and 20,000 CE on the Gregorian Calendar. Note that American Colonies and Great Britain did not adopt the Gregorian Calendar until 1752.

We have added an online, interactive SAS Date Calculator and Converter. It is available for free in this post (above). To use it, enter a date value in the first text box, and the unformatted date value (i.e., the number of days since 1/1/1960) that SAS associates with that number will appear in the second text box. The calculator also works in reverse.

We have also added a SAS Datetime Calculator and Converter, also available for free in this post (above). It works in the same way as the date calculator, except it calculates Datetimes.

It is also possible to run such conversions within SAS. Example code:

/*print date formatted as number*/

DATA _NULL_;

 d = INPUT('21DEC11'd, best12.);

 PUT d;

RUN;

/*print number formatted as date*/

DATA _NULL_;

 d = 18982;

 FORMAT d date9.;

 PUT d;

RUN;

/*print datetime formatted as number*/

DATA _NULL_;

 dt = INPUT('21DEC11 12:00:35'dt, best12.);

 PUT dt;

RUN;

/*print number formatted as datetime*/

DATA _NULL_;

 dt = 1640088035;

 FORMAT dt datetime.;

 PUT dt;

RUN;