September 21 2010
Nineteen years is ages in the computing world, so when it came time for author Rick Aster to prepare a new edition Professional SAS Programming Secrets, first released in 1991, it took more than a few adjustments to bring the book up to date.
“I was surprised at how much I had to change,” Aster said. “A lot of things that were hard in the 1990s are easy now. There were pages and pages of complicated techniques that could be reduced to a couple of lines with the advances in SAS 8 and 9.”
But the new edition isn’t any shorter than the previous editions, because there are more things SAS programmers can do now. Most notably, SAS programs now create web pages of their results, and the longest chapter in the 3rd edition of Professional SAS Programming Secrets is about the new world of computer reporting, in which web pages are more common, and easier to create, than printed reports.
The new edition was released today by Breakfast Books, simultaneously in paperback (ISBN 978-1-891957-13-0) and expanded print paperback (ISBN 978-1-891957-17-8) editions. An e-book edition is expected in October.
In addition to the new content, the new edition also has a new outline, which focuses each chapter on one of the key distinctions, or “secrets,” that Aster believes will allow a person to learn SAS programming quickly.
SAS, published by SAS Institute Inc. of Cary, NC, is integrated software for working with data. An estimated 3 million people around the world work with SAS.
Rick Aster’s other books include Professional SAS Programmer’s Pocket Reference and Professional SAS Programming Shortcuts.
Breakfast: http://www.breakfast.us
Breakfast catalog page for Professional SAS Programming Secrets: http://www.breakfast.us/catalog/professional-sas-programming-secrets.html
Rick Aster: http://www.globalstatements.com
Breakfast is a registered trademark of Breakfast Communications Corporation. SAS is a registered trademark of SAS Institute Inc.