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SAS Visual Analytics

SAS Visual Analytics

Overview

What is SAS Visual Analytics?

SAS Visual Analytics provides a complete platform for analytics visualization, enabling users to identify patterns and relationships in data that weren't initially evident. Interactive, self-service BI and reporting capabilities are combined with out-of-the-box advanced analytics so everyone can discover insights…

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

SAS Visual Analytics has proven to be a valuable tool for organizations dealing with big data, allowing them to present complex statistics …
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 28 features
  • Drill-down analysis (13)
    9.0
    90%
  • Publish to PDF (13)
    9.0
    90%
  • Formatting capabilities (13)
    8.0
    80%
  • Pixel Perfect reports (12)
    8.0
    80%
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Pricing

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SAS Visual Analytics for SAS Cloud

Cloud
Annual By Users: 5, 10, 20

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Demos

Configuring prompts for different data sources in SAS Visual Analytics

YouTube

Creating Tables and Charts in SAS Visual Analytics | Lecture #2 | SAS VA Demo | SAS VA Training

YouTube

SAS Demo | SAS Graph Builder: Custom Line Chart with Reference Line

YouTube

SAS Demo | Data Entry in SAS Visual Analytics using SAS Viya Jobs

YouTube

SAS Demo | How to prompt for a date range in a SAS Visual Analytics report

YouTube

SAS Demo | Using Common Filters in SAS Visual Analytics

YouTube
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Features

BI Standard Reporting

Standard reporting means pre-built or canned reports available to users without having to create them.

8.3
Avg 8.2

Ad-hoc Reporting

Ad-Hoc Reports are reports built by the user to meet highly specific requirements.

8.8
Avg 8.1

Report Output and Scheduling

Ability to schedule and manager report output.

9.2
Avg 8.4

Data Discovery and Visualization

Data Discovery and Visualization is the analysis of multiple data sources in a search for patterns and outliers and the ability to represent the data visually.

9.7
Avg 8.1

Access Control and Security

Access control means being able to determine who has access to which data.

8.3
Avg 8.6

Mobile Capabilities

Support for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

8.3
Avg 7.9

Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding

APIs are a set of routines, protocols, and tools for used for embedding one application in another

9.2
Avg 7.9
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Product Details

What is SAS Visual Analytics?

SAS Visual Analytics provides a complete platform for analytics visualization, enabling users to identify patterns and relationships in data that weren't initially evident. Interactive, self-service BI and reporting capabilities are combined with out-of-the-box advanced analytics so everyone can discover insights from any size and type of data, including text.

BI & Analytics Features

Platform

  • Administration via Windows App
  • Administration via Web Interface
  • Live Connection to External Data
  • Snapshot of External Data
  • Multi-Data Source Reporting (Blending)
  • ETL Capability
  • ETL Scheduler

Supported Data Sources

  • MS Excel Workbooks
  • Text Files (CSV, etc)
  • Oracle
  • MS SQL Server
  • IBM DB2
  • PostgreSQL
  • ODBC
  • Cloudera Hadoop
  • Hortonworks Hadoop
  • EMC Greenplum
  • IBM Netezza
  • HP Vertica
  • SAP Hana
  • Teradata
  • Salesforce
  • SAP
  • Google Analytics

Standard Reporting Features

  • Customizable dashboards
  • Report formatting templates

Ad-hoc Reporting Features

  • Drill-down analysis
  • Output formatting
  • Predictive modeling
  • Report sharing & collaboration

Report Output & Scheduling Features

  • Publish to Web
  • Publish to PDF
  • Output raw supporting data
  • Report delivery scheduling

Data Discovery & Visualization Features

  • Multiple pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots, etc.)
  • Location analytics/geographic visualization
  • Predictive analytics
  • Machine learning models
  • Pattern recognition & data mining
  • Integration with R/other statistical packages

Access Control and Security Features

  • Multi-user support (named login)
  • Role-based security model
  • Multiple access permission levels (Create/Read/Delete)
  • Report-level access control
  • Table-level access control (BI-layer)
  • Row-level access control (BI-layer)

Mobile Capabilities

  • Responsive design for web access
  • Dedicated iOS application
  • Dedicated Android application
  • Dashboard/Report/Visualization mobile interactivity

Additional Features

  • SAS Visual Analytics also includes web-based self-service data preparation, text analytics, forecasting, pathing, prescriptive and descriptive analytics.

SAS Visual Analytics Screenshots

Screenshot of Explore your data using analytics and interactive data visualizations.

SAS Visual Analytics Integrations

SAS Visual Analytics Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsWindows, Linux
Mobile ApplicationApple iOS, Android, Windows Phone
Supported CountriesGlobal
Supported Languages26

Frequently Asked Questions

SAS Visual Analytics provides a complete platform for analytics visualization, enabling users to identify patterns and relationships in data that weren't initially evident. Interactive, self-service BI and reporting capabilities are combined with out-of-the-box advanced analytics so everyone can discover insights from any size and type of data, including text.

Reviewers rate Report sharing and collaboration and Report Delivery Scheduling and Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.) highest, with a score of 10.

The most common users of SAS Visual Analytics are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).

SAS Visual Analytics Customer Size Distribution

Consumers0%
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)5%
Mid-Size Companies (51-500 employees)25%
Enterprises (more than 500 employees)70%
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(76)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

SAS Visual Analytics has proven to be a valuable tool for organizations dealing with big data, allowing them to present complex statistics in a meaningful way. Users have found that the software helps them identify correlations that may not be evident at first glance. For example, the fraud, risk, and marketing teams have utilized SAS Visual Analytics for portfolio analysis of various clients. They have been able to gain insights into client behavior and make data-driven decisions.

Multiple departments, including marketing and SRM, have used SAS Visual Analytics to create dashboards that facilitate easier analytics usage. This has allowed them to monitor key metrics and track performance effectively. Additionally, some organizations have leveraged the software to analyze medical data and identify trends and improvements in the healthcare sector.

Another use case for SAS Visual Analytics is attrition analysis. In one instance, a small department focused on merchant solutions used the software to understand why people were leaving and where they were going. By analyzing the available data, they were able to identify patterns and take proactive measures to reduce attrition.

The software has also been utilized for report generation and building interactive dashboards based on census data and website logs. Users find that the tool helps them keep their data organized and presentable, allowing for quick and efficient information retrieval.

SAS Visual Analytics excels at identifying data types and filtering data fields as per specific requirements, providing accurate results in a systematic manner. Users have compared its interface to that of SPSS combined with R language, making it easy for them to relate to and use the software effectively.

Marketing agencies and database consulting firms have found value in using SAS Visual Analytics to provide BI dashboards to clients. This allows clients to access updated data and analyze metrics of interest easily.

Internally, SAS Visual Analytics has been used for exploration purposes, such as decision trees and network diagrams. The software has proven valuable in visualizing credit risk data for regulatory reporting and analysis, helping users identify gaps in data quality and understand the data from a business standpoint. Overall, SAS Visual Analytics provides users with a versatile platform to derive insights and make informed decisions across various industries and departments.

Fast and Efficient Data Presentation: Users consistently praise SAS VA for its speed and efficiency in presenting data across various axes. Many reviewers state that the tool allows them to quickly analyze large volumes of data and generate meaningful insights.

Comprehensive Analytics Package: Reviewers appreciate that SAS VA offers both ETL, Extract, Transform, Load, and analytics capabilities in one package. This comprehensive suite of features makes it a valuable tool for users who need to perform a wide range of tasks from data extraction to advanced analytics.

Easy-to-Use Interface with Drag-and-Drop Functionality: The user interface of SAS VA has been commended for its simplicity and ease of use. Multiple reviewers mention the drag-and-drop functionality, which allows users to easily perform complex analytics tasks without requiring extensive coding or technical expertise.

Poor Customer Support: Several users have reported experiencing issues with the customer support of the software. They have mentioned that when they reached out for help, they were directed to contact their site admin instead, leading to frustration and delays in resolving their concerns.

Large Installation File Size: Some reviewers have found the size of the installation file to be a problem, especially for remote employees or areas with poor networking. This has caused difficulties in downloading and installing the software, impacting productivity and user experience.

Lack of Tutorials for Beginners: A common complaint among users is the lack of tutorials specifically designed for beginners. They feel that more resources are needed, particularly on the presentation side of the software, to assist new users in understanding its features and functionalities better.

Users report that SAS Visual Analytics offers accurate outputs compared to other products. They recommend trying out SAS Visual Analytics to determine its fit for business needs. Users also praise the great algorithm of SAS Visual Analytics. Consideration of SAS Visual Analytics is recommended, especially for handling large data and utilizing SAS Viya for end-to-end data science modeling and visualization. However, users advise against making tables with SAS Visual Analytics. Despite being an expensive tool, it is deemed worthwhile for businesses needing information integration and dialog boxes. Suggestions include incorporating simulation models and creating a more affordable version for small companies. SAS Visual Analytics provides a free trial, in-person training, and documentation for webinars as well as online cloud-based performance support. It is considered an ideal software for developing predictive models and creating descriptive tables for statistical business analysis. Although SAS Visual Analytics is good for visualization and data exploration, some users find the installation process challenging and the data load process complex for batch loads. Nonetheless, users recommend it for efficient coding and graph creation. Lastly, some users find SAS Visual Analytics easy and efficient to analyze data on campus and uncover student trends, suggesting it as a good tool with minimal training required in the Visual Analytics domain.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-2 of 2)
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Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It is majorly used to explore our data and discover new patterns. It aids in answering any curious mind's research questions. And most importantly it helps share the answers and the insights to relevant stakeholders in all the ways they can understand. It makes the data analyst's job easier and decision maker's decisions smarter.
  • Robust software
  • Amazing Microsoft Office Integration
  • Always increasing number of features
  • It can be sometimes be little clunky
  • Need for seamless integration with more external softwares like R
  • Installation, maintenance and user management can be made more simpler
Substantial discounts to plenty of industries, ample of users to support the ever growing community and industry specific solutions that work; all make it extremely appropriate for us.
BI Platform
N/A
N/A
Supported Data Sources
N/A
N/A
BI Standard Reporting (3)
70%
7.0
Pixel Perfect reports
60%
6.0
Customizable dashboards
70%
7.0
Report Formatting Templates
80%
8.0
Ad-hoc Reporting (4)
70%
7.0
Drill-down analysis
90%
9.0
Formatting capabilities
70%
7.0
Integration with R or other statistical packages
30%
3.0
Report sharing and collaboration
90%
9.0
Report Output and Scheduling (4)
80%
8.0
Publish to Web
50%
5.0
Publish to PDF
100%
10.0
Report Versioning
70%
7.0
Report Delivery Scheduling
100%
10.0
Data Discovery and Visualization (3)
80%
8.0
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)
80%
8.0
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization
80%
8.0
Predictive Analytics
80%
8.0
Access Control and Security (3)
100%
10.0
Multi-User Support (named login)
100%
10.0
Role-Based Security Model
100%
10.0
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)
100%
10.0
Mobile Capabilities (3)
76.66666666666667%
7.7
Responsive Design for Web Access
70%
7.0
Mobile Application
90%
9.0
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile
70%
7.0
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
N/A
N/A
We use both. But SAS is always the starting point to all analytics projects. It is a wider array of products and features. Gives robust results and reporting is easier. There is always this one or two things for which you turn to some other products to fill the holes.
200
Developers of reports from organizational data and users of the data who make decisions
12
Developers have varied skills including SAS Programming and data modelling skills. They also perform the IT functions of maintaining security and user access in the SAS BI system
  • daily reporting of data for operational use of decision makers
  • interactive dashboards that help executive leadership explore the impacts of their policy decisions
  • develop strong data drive insights on budgets and constraints
  • more interactive dashboards
  • more smarter visualizations layering more data over each other to see relations and patterns
  • data modeling for accurate predictions
Nicole Jagusztyn | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
The Institutional Research Department at the college uses the full functionality of SAS BI to manipulate data, and produce reports and dashboards. These products are placed on the SAS Information Delivery Portal for use by administrators, deans and other staff across the college in data-driven decision making. Having a centralized repository for reports that are timely, interactive and easy to use has helped our employees in their decision making.
  • Collect and combine data from multiple sources. For example, data from the college database, the National Student Clearinghouse and our student services tracking software can combine to feed one report.
  • Condense millions of rows of data into a single, easy to use report. For example, we can produce a cube that is collapsed at a high level, and users can drill down to their area of interest in seconds.
  • Create interactive reports. It was important that our reports contained the ability for users to play with the data. They had to be able to filter large datasets, drag and drop comparison groups into graphs, and drill down to student-level data. SAS BI provided all of this and more.
  • There will be a steep learning curve for individuals transitioning from BASE SAS to SAS BI. Our department was filled with experienced SAS programmers, but that did little to prepare us for the challenges of SAS BI. Training will be a must.
  • It is possible, but extremely difficult to customize the web-based portions of SAS BI, like the Information Delivery Portal or Web Report Studio. Having an out-of-the box solution is great to get up and coming quickly, but customizing the look and feel for the web-based users will require some previous web design skills.
  • In order to fully appreciate the features of SAS BI, you absolutely need someone on your team with a background in platform administration, security, web design or some other basic IT skills. Alternatively, you may just need strong support from your IT department. Simply having a group of individuals experienced in BASE SAS will not cut it.
Implementing SAS BI will work best when you either have strong IT support or someone on your team with IT experience. We naively went into this adventure with a group of researchers who could not fully articulate what a virtual server was. That was a mistake. SAS BI is typically installed in a multi-tier, multi-server environment. Getting the server configuration and server sizing correct from the outset is critical and the SAS organization can only help so much without inside knowledge of the needs of your organization.
SAS BI is also well-suited for organizations which do not have an existing reporting solution. Previously, our organization had no way to get data into the hands of our users outside of ad-hoc requests delivered as Excel tables or graphs. This was a great way to get up and running quickly delivering interactive reports that are accessible from anywhere and updated daily.
  • Positive Impact: better customer service. We have been able to deliver reports that will help multiple employees and implement any feedback they have on those reports quickly.
  • Positive Impact: increased inter-departmental discussions. We have long had a problem working in silos. Now we are pulling data from multiple departments into one report, and it becomes easy to see how what one department is doing in affecting another. We had a meeting to discuss a preliminary report on course scheduling efficiency. It included data from our Facilities folks and our academic Deans. Once we put the numbers up on the screen, there spawned a helpful discussion about how what one department can do to help another.
  • Positive Impact: organizational transparency. For the first time, our users are exposed to a wealth of data about themselves and other areas of the college. It is starting to make some question the way we do business, and if there is a better way.
1000
College Administration, deans, program managers, marketing, student services, academic affairs and institutional research.
6
An individual(s) knowledgeable in your databases or data sources will be needed. This person can help with the extraction and storage of the data that will be used in SAS BI. A platform administrator will be needed to manage the behind-the-scenes aspects of SAS BI like updating data files, managing metadata, setting user security, promoting content between environments, etc. Then you will need report creators. These individuals create reports, dashboards, information maps, stored processes or other content that is used by your users.
  • To provide timely, appropriate data to decision makers at the college.
  • To provide transparency of the college's data.
  • To promote a culture of evidence or assessment culture at the college.
  • To develop and deliver an auto-graduation system for the college, as well as propel other initiatives to address the completion agenda like reverse transfer and a near-graduates reach-out program.
  • We hope to get into forecasting in the near future, as in predicting enrollment and completion trends.
SAS really is the cutting edge in Business Intelligence. That is all they do! They are constantly coming out with new products, product upgrades, and their tech support is second to none. In addition, their support of Education has made our ability to acquire their product possible.
When you call tech support, you are immediately routed to a person who can answer your question. Often they can answer on the spot. However, if they cannot, you are given a track number and then followed up with. There have been times when I have had multiple track numbers open and they will actually TRACK YOU DOWN to ensure that your problem has been resolved. Issues do not fall into black holes with SAS. They are also willing to do a WebEx with you to diagnose the problem by seeing your environment, which is always helpful.
No
I am not sure if there is "premium" support. The regular support that comes with the product license fee is fantastic on its own.
Yes
Typically, bugs are resolved in the next release of the product, so when we upgrade our license, then the bug is resolved at that time. Bugs are always resolved, but the time it takes to resolve them depends on the next product release.
Shortly after our install of the product, we had a deadline to produce a large number of reports for the college. SAS was able to provide us assistance in producing the foundation for many of those reports, as we were all just starting to learn the product. By providing several basic reports using our data and according to our specifications, we were able to modify them quickly to our final specs. It also sped our learning of the product by having some examples ready to go.
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