... and it may not just be the spirit of the season! We've finally arrived: the final user group meeting of 2010. It's hard to believe, to be honest... this has been such a busy, full year with so much to celebrate. I'll have a lot of numbers, testamonials and new developments to share with you in the coming weeks... so just because the meetings are done for now doesn't mean there won't be any more posts! Au contraire, I feel like I'm just warming up...
The last TASS meeting of the year will be taking place this Friday, December 17th: if you haven't yet registered, it's not too late! You'll find the full agendas of both meetings here, as well as opportunities to register. In addition to this being the last meeting of the year, it's also a cause for celebration: this is the 25th anniversary of TASS! One of the original members, Carl Clutton, will be regaling the group with tales of the early days of TASS... 20 people who paid yearly dues to attend the small sessions. Fast forward in time and we're now seeing over 200 people attending what has grown into a full day meeting experience. The morning portion of the meeting focuses on coding-related issues, and the afternoon on more point-and-click interfaces such as Enteprise Guide, JMP, and Enterprise Miner.
This TASS meeting will feature Chevell Parker, an exciting coup for SAS Canada! Chevell is an incredibly valuable member of the SAS family. A Microsoft Office/Excel guru, Chevell will be talking about maximizing output between SAS and Excel, as well as some FAQs around how the two applications mesh. We're very excited to have been able to 'steal' him from Cary for a few short days... and on his wife's birthday to boot! Thanks, Chevell.
Look forward to seeing many of you on Friday and I'll have more following the meeting: stay tuned...
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Parade Held in Montréal for the Business Analytics Forum!
OK, so that's wishful thinking. The truth is that the Forum analytique d’affaires SAS de Montréal happened to coincide with the victory parade for the back to back champion Montréal Alouettes. They were wending their way through the heart of downtown to the joyful cries of fans braving the wet weather in order to salute their heroes. As a native Torontonian whose team was handily eliminated in the preceding round by said Alouettes, I suppose I can take some cold comfort in the knowledge that at least we were beaten by the champs. Félicitations, Montréal: bien fait!
This final trip to a host city was bittersweet. Perhaps it's because I know I won't see many of my friends and colleagues for months, if not a year. Or, perhaps it's because I find travelling the country and meeting such interesting people so invigorating: my next opportunity may be as far away as SAS Global Forum in Las Vegas in early April! It's hard to imagine. However I still had this final trip to take and I was looking forward to enjoying some of the fine dining for which Montréal is reknowned. I had a more-than-willing collaborator in Rick Miller of CIBC.
I've known Rick for a few years having first met him through former TASS President Rupinder Dhillion at a user group meeting early in my SAS career. A long-time SAS supporter and even longer serving CIBC employee, Rick is currently the Vice President of Credit Risk Data Solutions within the Risk Management division of the bank. Approachable and knowledgeable about business and technology, I was thrilled when he accepted my recent invitation to present at the Forum analytique d’affaires SAS de Montréal. His presentation had been seen at SAS Global Forum 2010 by the group's President, Loretto Chiovitti of Desjardins: not surprising as Rick has presented three times at Global Forum. Entitled 'Supercharged Analytics', the talk is a compelling look at the rationale, requirements and ramifications of going to an in-database processing structure for increased performance and productivity. You'll be able to find a copy at the group's website within the coming weeks, but if you can't wait simply email me: I'll be happy to send you an advance version.
Rick's presentation was extremely well-received and inspired quite a few questions. Next, Ronald Allard of SAS Canada took the talk to a more technical level by showcasing some of the in-database processing options available through a variety of SAS tools and applications. As SAS' Jean-Francois Michaud joined the two presenters for an open-room panel discussion, it was clear the audience had saved many of their inquiries for this moment and that the presentations had stimulated some curiosity. Questions and answers filled the room over a half-hour's time and it we actually had to curtail discussion a bit in order to fit in the prize draw! All in all, a very successful meeting.
If I may, a word or two about the amazing hospitality and friendliness of Montréalers. From the amazing cuisine and conversation at Cavalli the evening before or the delicious lunch following the meeting, SAS staff, user group executives and attendees alike were amazingly gracious and hospitable. Thanks for making my last road trip one I'll remember!
There's only one more meeting this calendar year: two weeks from now, the TASS meeting takes place at the SAS offices. We'll be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the group so if you're in the area and haven't registered, please do: it's a great way to close out the year.
I'll have more for you about TASS in the next few days... until then.
This final trip to a host city was bittersweet. Perhaps it's because I know I won't see many of my friends and colleagues for months, if not a year. Or, perhaps it's because I find travelling the country and meeting such interesting people so invigorating: my next opportunity may be as far away as SAS Global Forum in Las Vegas in early April! It's hard to imagine. However I still had this final trip to take and I was looking forward to enjoying some of the fine dining for which Montréal is reknowned. I had a more-than-willing collaborator in Rick Miller of CIBC.
I've known Rick for a few years having first met him through former TASS President Rupinder Dhillion at a user group meeting early in my SAS career. A long-time SAS supporter and even longer serving CIBC employee, Rick is currently the Vice President of Credit Risk Data Solutions within the Risk Management division of the bank. Approachable and knowledgeable about business and technology, I was thrilled when he accepted my recent invitation to present at the Forum analytique d’affaires SAS de Montréal. His presentation had been seen at SAS Global Forum 2010 by the group's President, Loretto Chiovitti of Desjardins: not surprising as Rick has presented three times at Global Forum. Entitled 'Supercharged Analytics', the talk is a compelling look at the rationale, requirements and ramifications of going to an in-database processing structure for increased performance and productivity. You'll be able to find a copy at the group's website within the coming weeks, but if you can't wait simply email me: I'll be happy to send you an advance version.
Rick's presentation was extremely well-received and inspired quite a few questions. Next, Ronald Allard of SAS Canada took the talk to a more technical level by showcasing some of the in-database processing options available through a variety of SAS tools and applications. As SAS' Jean-Francois Michaud joined the two presenters for an open-room panel discussion, it was clear the audience had saved many of their inquiries for this moment and that the presentations had stimulated some curiosity. Questions and answers filled the room over a half-hour's time and it we actually had to curtail discussion a bit in order to fit in the prize draw! All in all, a very successful meeting.
If I may, a word or two about the amazing hospitality and friendliness of Montréalers. From the amazing cuisine and conversation at Cavalli the evening before or the delicious lunch following the meeting, SAS staff, user group executives and attendees alike were amazingly gracious and hospitable. Thanks for making my last road trip one I'll remember!
There's only one more meeting this calendar year: two weeks from now, the TASS meeting takes place at the SAS offices. We'll be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the group so if you're in the area and haven't registered, please do: it's a great way to close out the year.
I'll have more for you about TASS in the next few days... until then.
Monday, November 29, 2010
SAS Goes To A Ceilidh (Sort Of)
My manager Wally Thiessen was lucky enough to travel to beautiful Halifax for the SHRUG user group meeting last week. I say 'lucky' through gritted teeth set in a face tinged by the horrible green of jealousy... I absolutely adore Halifax and Nova Scotia in general and selfishly try to get out there myself as often as I can! I think I may have made a deal with SHRUG Dictator-for-Life (or the foreseeable future) John Fahey to ensure that my colleague Sylvain and I are able to join them for their spring meeting: John has amicably agreed to guarantee good weather... so how can we say no? But that is then, and this is now.
Wally was good enough to contribute a guest post for the blog this week. He's already given me very glowing reviews of the meeting in general, and this spells it out in a bit more detail. With no further ado, take it away, Wally!
Checking In With the SHRUG ‘Family’
It had been a few years since I last had the opportunity to visit the SHRUG user community, and I was curious to see how the group was faring. Ever since its formation in ’02, SHRUG has fostered a wonderful spirit of cooperation for sharing ideas— with the kind of kinship that you often find in a number of the user groups based in key cities across the country. They may be smaller in size, but certainly not in engagement and energy! It’s a real thrill to watch colleagues connect and pick up conversations which had been left at the last SHRUG meeting, and to clearly see how this community of SAS users goes out of its way to support each other outside the structured confines of the SHRUG meeting.
Of course I was not to be disappointed in this meeting either. Under the leadership of the SHRUG executive committee—John Fahey, Pan Andreou, Jo-Anne Douglas, Barry Campbell, Jill Casey and Martha Cox, I was pleased to find that the group was continuing to find new and interesting ways to encourage participation from everyone in the room. A series of shorter tips and tricks presentations from Lynn Lethbridge, Pan, and John provided enough new ideas to keep attendees’ synapses firing until well into the New Year! Prior to the break, Jill Casey, our emcee for the afternoon, asked everyone to introduce themselves, share a little bit about how they used SAS as well as one problem they had used SAS for in the past year (or alternatively, what they would like to use SAS for). Not only was this great fodder for future presentations (as Barry Campbell diligently noted everyone’s comments), but it also provided a terrific starting off point for networking during the break.
The interactive nature of the meeting continued as Gordon Flowerdew challenged everyone with a quiz on missing values, for which a series of prizes following the meeting were awarded. And by the time Peter Eberhardt had shared his content-filled 45 minute presentation on SAS dictionary tables, it certainly seemed as if people’s heads were ready to explode with the sheer volume of new SAS knowledge gained that afternoon. To end things off on a lighter note, I shared Matt’s social media presentation with the group as well as discussed some of our initial plans around building a Canadian community site to complement the SAS user group and insights e-newsletter programs. .. but more on that in the weeks and months to come.
To finish off the afternoon on a happy - if not completely sobering – note, the SHRUG gang invited Peter and I to join them at a popular local establishment called the Henry House - the historic home of William Alexander Henry, one of the fathers of Confederation. Although politics and history weren’t on the menu, good discussion on alcoholic and non-alcoholic topics ensued as Peter shared his passion for craft beer-making as well as the making of his DVD “Brewing Made Easy”. I thought I saw a glint in John’s eye as Peter expounded upon the DVD, perhaps hoping to put his newfound marathon skills to the test by running home to give it a first watch. While our plans for bringing SAS Global Forum to Halifax, or at least to Canada, didn’t get quite as fully formed as we would have liked, the company, the discussion, the food, and yes, the drink, were all top drawer, leaving us in healthy anticipation of the next SHRUG meeting in the spring!
W
Thanks Wally, and again: I'm very jealous! I hope I'll have great stories myself after the next SHRUG gathering.
As for me: well, I've reached the natural end of my Fall user group season with more than a little sadness. I'm off to Montréal tomorrow with Rick Miller of CIBC for the Forum Analytique d'Affaires SAS de Montréal meeting on Wednesday: I hope you can join us, and stay tuned for my feedback within a few days time.
Until then...
Wally was good enough to contribute a guest post for the blog this week. He's already given me very glowing reviews of the meeting in general, and this spells it out in a bit more detail. With no further ado, take it away, Wally!
Checking In With the SHRUG ‘Family’
It had been a few years since I last had the opportunity to visit the SHRUG user community, and I was curious to see how the group was faring. Ever since its formation in ’02, SHRUG has fostered a wonderful spirit of cooperation for sharing ideas— with the kind of kinship that you often find in a number of the user groups based in key cities across the country. They may be smaller in size, but certainly not in engagement and energy! It’s a real thrill to watch colleagues connect and pick up conversations which had been left at the last SHRUG meeting, and to clearly see how this community of SAS users goes out of its way to support each other outside the structured confines of the SHRUG meeting.
Of course I was not to be disappointed in this meeting either. Under the leadership of the SHRUG executive committee—John Fahey, Pan Andreou, Jo-Anne Douglas, Barry Campbell, Jill Casey and Martha Cox, I was pleased to find that the group was continuing to find new and interesting ways to encourage participation from everyone in the room. A series of shorter tips and tricks presentations from Lynn Lethbridge, Pan, and John provided enough new ideas to keep attendees’ synapses firing until well into the New Year! Prior to the break, Jill Casey, our emcee for the afternoon, asked everyone to introduce themselves, share a little bit about how they used SAS as well as one problem they had used SAS for in the past year (or alternatively, what they would like to use SAS for). Not only was this great fodder for future presentations (as Barry Campbell diligently noted everyone’s comments), but it also provided a terrific starting off point for networking during the break.
The interactive nature of the meeting continued as Gordon Flowerdew challenged everyone with a quiz on missing values, for which a series of prizes following the meeting were awarded. And by the time Peter Eberhardt had shared his content-filled 45 minute presentation on SAS dictionary tables, it certainly seemed as if people’s heads were ready to explode with the sheer volume of new SAS knowledge gained that afternoon. To end things off on a lighter note, I shared Matt’s social media presentation with the group as well as discussed some of our initial plans around building a Canadian community site to complement the SAS user group and insights e-newsletter programs. .. but more on that in the weeks and months to come.
To finish off the afternoon on a happy - if not completely sobering – note, the SHRUG gang invited Peter and I to join them at a popular local establishment called the Henry House - the historic home of William Alexander Henry, one of the fathers of Confederation. Although politics and history weren’t on the menu, good discussion on alcoholic and non-alcoholic topics ensued as Peter shared his passion for craft beer-making as well as the making of his DVD “Brewing Made Easy”. I thought I saw a glint in John’s eye as Peter expounded upon the DVD, perhaps hoping to put his newfound marathon skills to the test by running home to give it a first watch. While our plans for bringing SAS Global Forum to Halifax, or at least to Canada, didn’t get quite as fully formed as we would have liked, the company, the discussion, the food, and yes, the drink, were all top drawer, leaving us in healthy anticipation of the next SHRUG meeting in the spring!
W
Thanks Wally, and again: I'm very jealous! I hope I'll have great stories myself after the next SHRUG gathering.
As for me: well, I've reached the natural end of my Fall user group season with more than a little sadness. I'm off to Montréal tomorrow with Rick Miller of CIBC for the Forum Analytique d'Affaires SAS de Montréal meeting on Wednesday: I hope you can join us, and stay tuned for my feedback within a few days time.
Until then...
Thursday, November 25, 2010
A Moustachio-ed Tim Trussell Returns to his Roots
One week after the Health User Group and I'm FINALLY able to pass on some great stories from the meeting! Boy oh boy, this backlog of blog posts has bothered me beyond belief. I'll be very pleased when I've caught up completely after this entry... I want to ensure I'm doing justice to everyone in an appropriate and timely fashion.
Last week's Health User Group meeting was notable for a few reasons. I would like to acknowledge Eugene Wen of CIHI who has stepped down as President of the executive committee after many years of sitting at the helm. Eugene steered a perfect route through the storm: he went out of his way to ensure that the mandate of the group - to support health industry professionals - was respected through and through. Health practitioners in Toronto, you'll be hard pressed to have as vocal and tenacious a champion again... thanks for all of your contributions, Eugene.
The second person I need to acknowledge is Ruth Croxford of ICES. I honestly don't know where to begin with Ruth. She's a tireless champion both of the Health User Group as well as the first person to step forward in order to support that community. Case in point: Ruth volunteered to not only research but deliver a large 'SAS Tips & Tricks' presentation specific to healthcare. The appreciative murmurs I heard running through the room told me that she hit the proverbial nail right on the head. Great job, Ruth, and thanks for personifying the spirit of the SAS user community so well.
Finally, I come to Mr. Tim Trussell. Those who know me are very well aware that Tim is a great friend of mine. Professionally and personally, he's been there for me above and beyond the call of duty.... and I'm not alone in this sentiment. In fact, Tim was the driving force (along with Ruth and Eugene) behind forming the health-specific user group around 5 years ago. His background is in epidemiology and statistics, meaning he speaks the language of the industry and understands the challenges, pains and priorities of this critical vertical. Given his demand as the analytics guru for SAS Canada, being able to secure his time for the meeting was a real coup and Tim certainly didn't disappoint (except in the patchy growth of his Movember moustache: to learn more and to sponsor him in this worthy cause, click here).
Tim's hour-long talk was on the topic of text analytics within the health industry, and I think it's fair to say that the presentation was both eye-opening and thought-provoking. Leveraging his intimate familiarity with all aspects of healthcare, Tim was able to bring forward non-Canadian examples of how text analytics is being used in new and dynamic ways in order to help parse health records, doctor's notes, journal articles, exit surveys, and much more. In fact, Tim's looking for some willing healthcare organizations here in Canada to help validate the utility of SAS' text analytics solution... and he's willing to make the solution available in order to do so! If this is of interest, definitely reach out to him via his email address to discuss further...
The meeting was a bit smaller than normal but this actually proved to be a boon, not a limitation. The intimacy of the room and the willingness of the presenters to engage with the audience ensured that the room was relaxed and ready to talk... and they sure did! I had a great conversation with a gentleman about the fact that it was Facebook's 'un-friend' day - ironic, considering that I was about to deliver a large social media-themed talk. All the same, I made note of some pleasant smiles and nods of understanding as I framed out SAS Canada's early social media forays specific to healthcare through the newly formed HUG LinkedIn group. A few individuals have already connected with me there and I'm looking forward to getting to know many more of you!
Tim was able to demonstrate the text analytics solution as a variety of scenarios and potential roadblocks were suggested by the group. Ruth's talk was punctuated by individuals validating or asking for further detail around one of her tips and tricks, and there was a lot of furious scribbling on SAS notepads. The sense of community and the desire to share knowledge was truly palpable, a consistent hallmark of this group. All in all, the meeting was a great success. It was really fun to watch Tim and the executive team help to set establish a warm, welcoming environment: my thanks to all of them for their assistance. I'll be posting the results of the evaluations in the LinkedIn group shortly for your feedback, and of course the presentations have already been posted at the Health user group site.
Next up: my manager is in Halifax attending the SHRUG meeting and will be guest-posting upon his return... and I learn to bellydance: with photographic evidence! Stay tuned...
Last week's Health User Group meeting was notable for a few reasons. I would like to acknowledge Eugene Wen of CIHI who has stepped down as President of the executive committee after many years of sitting at the helm. Eugene steered a perfect route through the storm: he went out of his way to ensure that the mandate of the group - to support health industry professionals - was respected through and through. Health practitioners in Toronto, you'll be hard pressed to have as vocal and tenacious a champion again... thanks for all of your contributions, Eugene.
The second person I need to acknowledge is Ruth Croxford of ICES. I honestly don't know where to begin with Ruth. She's a tireless champion both of the Health User Group as well as the first person to step forward in order to support that community. Case in point: Ruth volunteered to not only research but deliver a large 'SAS Tips & Tricks' presentation specific to healthcare. The appreciative murmurs I heard running through the room told me that she hit the proverbial nail right on the head. Great job, Ruth, and thanks for personifying the spirit of the SAS user community so well.
Finally, I come to Mr. Tim Trussell. Those who know me are very well aware that Tim is a great friend of mine. Professionally and personally, he's been there for me above and beyond the call of duty.... and I'm not alone in this sentiment. In fact, Tim was the driving force (along with Ruth and Eugene) behind forming the health-specific user group around 5 years ago. His background is in epidemiology and statistics, meaning he speaks the language of the industry and understands the challenges, pains and priorities of this critical vertical. Given his demand as the analytics guru for SAS Canada, being able to secure his time for the meeting was a real coup and Tim certainly didn't disappoint (except in the patchy growth of his Movember moustache: to learn more and to sponsor him in this worthy cause, click here).
Tim's hour-long talk was on the topic of text analytics within the health industry, and I think it's fair to say that the presentation was both eye-opening and thought-provoking. Leveraging his intimate familiarity with all aspects of healthcare, Tim was able to bring forward non-Canadian examples of how text analytics is being used in new and dynamic ways in order to help parse health records, doctor's notes, journal articles, exit surveys, and much more. In fact, Tim's looking for some willing healthcare organizations here in Canada to help validate the utility of SAS' text analytics solution... and he's willing to make the solution available in order to do so! If this is of interest, definitely reach out to him via his email address to discuss further...
The meeting was a bit smaller than normal but this actually proved to be a boon, not a limitation. The intimacy of the room and the willingness of the presenters to engage with the audience ensured that the room was relaxed and ready to talk... and they sure did! I had a great conversation with a gentleman about the fact that it was Facebook's 'un-friend' day - ironic, considering that I was about to deliver a large social media-themed talk. All the same, I made note of some pleasant smiles and nods of understanding as I framed out SAS Canada's early social media forays specific to healthcare through the newly formed HUG LinkedIn group. A few individuals have already connected with me there and I'm looking forward to getting to know many more of you!
Tim was able to demonstrate the text analytics solution as a variety of scenarios and potential roadblocks were suggested by the group. Ruth's talk was punctuated by individuals validating or asking for further detail around one of her tips and tricks, and there was a lot of furious scribbling on SAS notepads. The sense of community and the desire to share knowledge was truly palpable, a consistent hallmark of this group. All in all, the meeting was a great success. It was really fun to watch Tim and the executive team help to set establish a warm, welcoming environment: my thanks to all of them for their assistance. I'll be posting the results of the evaluations in the LinkedIn group shortly for your feedback, and of course the presentations have already been posted at the Health user group site.
Next up: my manager is in Halifax attending the SHRUG meeting and will be guest-posting upon his return... and I learn to bellydance: with photographic evidence! Stay tuned...
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
SAS Presents: Kerry Blanchard in Ottawa!
As promised, I'm turning over this space to my colleague Kerry Blanchard. Many of you will know Kerry as an indispensable asset in the SAS user community. Assisting with user group logistics, analysis and support, she's definitely made my life easier and helped grow the user community through her bright personality and eagerness to contribute. With no further ado, over to you, Kerry! I'll have the Health User Group post ready for your consumption within a few days.
Musings from a TRUE Outlier
– by Kerry Blanchard
To begin my first guest blogging experience on Matt’s wonderful blog ‘Musings from and Outlier’, I must say I’m a little intimidated! I’ve read quite a few of his posts and he always writes with such eloquence, passion and pizazz that I don’t think that it’s at all possible to mimic the feel that he gives to his readers…but I’ll give it a shot!
As a TRUE newbie to SAS (a mere 6 months young) I was both nervous and excited to head out to my first on-the-road user group meetings for the Ottawa Area SAS Society (OASUS) and the Ottawa Platform User’s Society (OPUS.) Arriving the night before and staying in downtown Ottawa was such a nice experience as I’m familiar with the area having grown up about an hour away in Brockville. There is something about Ottawa that is so peaceful to me - I’m not sure if it’s the stunning beauty of the Parliament Buildings or the Chateau Laurier, or just the fact that it seems a lot less busy than downtown Toronto (even during rush hour!) – but it was nice to be back in a city that I knew and loved.
The morning of the meeting started bright and early and even though I made it to the National Arts Centre by 7:15 am, the executive committee was already hard at work setting up. I have to say a few ‘thank-yous’ here to the entire executive for making me feel so welcome even though I had never met any of them face-to-face. Hing-Poon Chan was diligently working at the sign-in table and cheerfully greeted me as I walked into the room. OASUS President John Ladds gave me such a warm smile I would have thought I was visiting a dear old friend. It was great to see that even though I thought I was an outsider, they definitely didn’t make me feel like one.From then on the day went quite smoothly. The sound, computer and equipment tests were all completed before the first guest arrived and the NAC staff was more than happy to get any little extra thing we asked for (they even photocopied more evaluation forms for us!) The only issue throughout the whole day occurred around 8:45 am when we realized that we wouldn’t have enough SAS pens for all the attendees. Now, we still aren’t 100% sure what happened, but somewhere between receiving 200+ pens in the mail from our Toronto office the day before and 8:44 am when most of them had been given out… well, let’s just say that they were ‘misplaced.’ I’d like to make a formal apology to the attendees of the OPUS meeting in the afternoon because of this unfortunate incident and I hope that many of you had brought your own pens which hopefully made up for it …but I will say this: someone out there must really be enjoying about 50 SAS pens right about now, and shame on you for not sharing with the others!
Regardless of this little mishap, OASUS and OPUS went flawlessly. We had a wonderful turn out with 132 people at OASUS in the morning, and although attendance was smaller in the afternoon, Joel Orr and the rest of the OPUS executive gave members who had attended the past five OPUS meetings with a token of their appreciation for being so dedicated. I have also been informed that this little ritual is going to continue, giving you all the more reason to make it out to the next OPUS meeting on June 1st (shameless user group plug, I know!) We also had some great presentations such as Robert West’s ‘SAS & Excel Targets’ in the morning, a pair of very detailed book reviews, a great explanation and demonstration of how to use OLAP cubes by Benoit Morin (I especially liked the NHL sample data he used) and a phenomenal panel discussion around the ‘Challenges of BI’ moderated by SAS’s Tara Holland in the afternoon.
As OPUS began to wind down at around a quarter-to-four I was suddenly struck by feelings of sadness. My on-the-road user group experience had just begun and it was already time to go home! The people I had met that day and the whole trip to Ottawa had been such a fun and educational experience that it didn’t feel right to just up and leave. It wasn’t until I was in the car on the way back to the airport did the excitement from the day begin to fade away and tiredness settled in.
I’m not sure where I’ll be next, but I’ve been told that I may get to experience more user group meetings on the road in the spring time. Will I get to experience the mountainous West, or possibly an ocean-side city in the East? Only time will tell. In the meantime I just want to let my new-found friends in Ottawa know that I am extremely grateful for the warm wishes and friendliness you showed me. Not only did you give me an experience I will never be able to repeat, it was also something I will never be able to forget.
Until next time…
Thanks for that great contribution, Kerry: I had no doubt you'd have a warm reception in Ottawa. Those two groups are standard bearers for community and support: thanks John and Joel for being yourselves and for once again surpassing expectations.
My brief hiatus from this space will resume a little later this week. As I mentioned earlier, I'll be writing about the Health user group meeting which took place last week within a few days... but my manager, Wally Thiessen, is headed out to the east coast with SAS legend Peter Eberhardt for some SHRUG-style user support: I have to admit, I'm incredibly jealous! I'm sure he'll have great tales to tell upon his return as well, and I've asked him to contribute an upcoming post as well.
Stay tuned, lots more to come!
Musings from a TRUE Outlier
– by Kerry Blanchard
To begin my first guest blogging experience on Matt’s wonderful blog ‘Musings from and Outlier’, I must say I’m a little intimidated! I’ve read quite a few of his posts and he always writes with such eloquence, passion and pizazz that I don’t think that it’s at all possible to mimic the feel that he gives to his readers…but I’ll give it a shot!
As a TRUE newbie to SAS (a mere 6 months young) I was both nervous and excited to head out to my first on-the-road user group meetings for the Ottawa Area SAS Society (OASUS) and the Ottawa Platform User’s Society (OPUS.) Arriving the night before and staying in downtown Ottawa was such a nice experience as I’m familiar with the area having grown up about an hour away in Brockville. There is something about Ottawa that is so peaceful to me - I’m not sure if it’s the stunning beauty of the Parliament Buildings or the Chateau Laurier, or just the fact that it seems a lot less busy than downtown Toronto (even during rush hour!) – but it was nice to be back in a city that I knew and loved.
The morning of the meeting started bright and early and even though I made it to the National Arts Centre by 7:15 am, the executive committee was already hard at work setting up. I have to say a few ‘thank-yous’ here to the entire executive for making me feel so welcome even though I had never met any of them face-to-face. Hing-Poon Chan was diligently working at the sign-in table and cheerfully greeted me as I walked into the room. OASUS President John Ladds gave me such a warm smile I would have thought I was visiting a dear old friend. It was great to see that even though I thought I was an outsider, they definitely didn’t make me feel like one.From then on the day went quite smoothly. The sound, computer and equipment tests were all completed before the first guest arrived and the NAC staff was more than happy to get any little extra thing we asked for (they even photocopied more evaluation forms for us!) The only issue throughout the whole day occurred around 8:45 am when we realized that we wouldn’t have enough SAS pens for all the attendees. Now, we still aren’t 100% sure what happened, but somewhere between receiving 200+ pens in the mail from our Toronto office the day before and 8:44 am when most of them had been given out… well, let’s just say that they were ‘misplaced.’ I’d like to make a formal apology to the attendees of the OPUS meeting in the afternoon because of this unfortunate incident and I hope that many of you had brought your own pens which hopefully made up for it …but I will say this: someone out there must really be enjoying about 50 SAS pens right about now, and shame on you for not sharing with the others!
Regardless of this little mishap, OASUS and OPUS went flawlessly. We had a wonderful turn out with 132 people at OASUS in the morning, and although attendance was smaller in the afternoon, Joel Orr and the rest of the OPUS executive gave members who had attended the past five OPUS meetings with a token of their appreciation for being so dedicated. I have also been informed that this little ritual is going to continue, giving you all the more reason to make it out to the next OPUS meeting on June 1st (shameless user group plug, I know!) We also had some great presentations such as Robert West’s ‘SAS & Excel Targets’ in the morning, a pair of very detailed book reviews, a great explanation and demonstration of how to use OLAP cubes by Benoit Morin (I especially liked the NHL sample data he used) and a phenomenal panel discussion around the ‘Challenges of BI’ moderated by SAS’s Tara Holland in the afternoon.
As OPUS began to wind down at around a quarter-to-four I was suddenly struck by feelings of sadness. My on-the-road user group experience had just begun and it was already time to go home! The people I had met that day and the whole trip to Ottawa had been such a fun and educational experience that it didn’t feel right to just up and leave. It wasn’t until I was in the car on the way back to the airport did the excitement from the day begin to fade away and tiredness settled in.
I’m not sure where I’ll be next, but I’ve been told that I may get to experience more user group meetings on the road in the spring time. Will I get to experience the mountainous West, or possibly an ocean-side city in the East? Only time will tell. In the meantime I just want to let my new-found friends in Ottawa know that I am extremely grateful for the warm wishes and friendliness you showed me. Not only did you give me an experience I will never be able to repeat, it was also something I will never be able to forget.
Until next time…
Thanks for that great contribution, Kerry: I had no doubt you'd have a warm reception in Ottawa. Those two groups are standard bearers for community and support: thanks John and Joel for being yourselves and for once again surpassing expectations.
My brief hiatus from this space will resume a little later this week. As I mentioned earlier, I'll be writing about the Health user group meeting which took place last week within a few days... but my manager, Wally Thiessen, is headed out to the east coast with SAS legend Peter Eberhardt for some SHRUG-style user support: I have to admit, I'm incredibly jealous! I'm sure he'll have great tales to tell upon his return as well, and I've asked him to contribute an upcoming post as well.
Stay tuned, lots more to come!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Rain, Sunshine, Sleet and Fog: Just Another Day in Vancouver
Vancouver strikes me as a bit of an abnormality on the west coast, at least in one sense. With its frantic, hurry-up, always-changing weather patterns it reminds me in some ways of the pace of life here on the east coast which is so markedly different from the more relaxed, outdoors-focused way of life we generally associate with BC. OK, so maybe it's just the weather that reminds me of the east and I'm likely stretching that comparison just a teensy bit too far, but the weather analogy is also useful as it serves to reflect my general inner-state of being upon landing in Vancouver.
I've stated many times in this blog how fortunate and grateful I am to be able to do what I do. Travelling from one end of the country to the other for the purpose of sharing experiences and supporting SAS users is a fantastic opportunity to broaden my horizons culturally and socially. However, it's not just my horizons being stretched: it's also my constitution and health! Adjusting to time zones and constantly looking at my watch are both minor irritants to what is an otherwise amazing occupation. The constant stress on my body systems does eventually take it's toll, unfortunately, and I was a sorry sight stepping off the helicopter upon our landing in Vancouver. Thankfully, and unbeknownst to me at the time, I was about to have an energizing and revitalizing encounter courtesy of former SAS Customer Value Award winner and past-President of TASS, Rupinder Dhillon.
This is yet another great example of SAS users supporting SAS users. One of Rup's best friends from her school years now lived as an actor and presentation coach in Vancouver. Knowing full well the importance - as well as the challenge - of encouraging and supporting new presenters from within the user group community, Rup had suggested that we take the time to connect in hopes that we could pick her brain. It was certainly worthwhile! Colleen McGahan and I chatted at length with her about common fears and limitations which presenters deal with and also put on themselves as well as some suggestions on how best to approach a presentation. This was incredibly valuable insight for myself as someone who presents quite often in front of large groups, and even moreso in terms of recognizing how to support new presenters. Thanks for the introduction, Rup: if I could give you the CVA again, I would... ;)
The meeting the next morning was truly outstanding. the VanSUG executive committee are an incredibly engaged and innovative group. I was meeting some of them for the same time, and they definitely lived up to the exceptional feedback I'd heard. Sharon Relova - a relatively new member of the team - drafted one of her colleagues and faithfully manned the registration table (without complaint, might I add!). Mei Chong the new president was omni-present, socializing and helping out where she could. Of course, perennial dynamos Colleen McGahan and Nate Derby - in addition to presenting once again - ensured that the catering was set-up, that the networking functioned smoothly, and that all possible logistic issues were dealt with far in advance. I need to single out Colleen here. Dealing with some difficult home issues which had suddenly sprung up, Colleen pushed on to both support the group and deliver her presentation flawlessly. My respect for her - which was already very high - has gone through the roof.
Content-wise, the meeting was a great one. As I mentioned, Colleen and Nate reprised their talks to exceptional acclaim - with Nate somehow managing to populate his presentation with some small coding errors in the 12 hours between deliveries. Nate is a master at dealing with adversity and the group really engaged around his transparency and willingness to admit and address his errors. Of course, the content was exceptionally valuable as well! Colleen's talk found a receptive audience able to grasp the complex concepts she was illuminating. And yes, Cheryl Sivertson's demo went off fantastically this time (albeit with her working in a version of Enterprise Guide she was unfamiliar with: version 4.3). She's a natural with the software, though, so it went off without a hitch.
I'm saving some of my biggest praise for David Dobson. The Vancouver community has been wrestling for some time with what type of interesting, new content to deliver to their members. Coming primarily from a health, academic and telecommunications background, there seemed to be diverging ideas of how best to support everyone. Enter David, our willing guinea pig! An additional session was added on to the user group meeting with David delivering an hour long talk on the importance and future of business analytics within Canadian industry... and more than 50 people stayed to hear the talk! It was extremely well delivered and generated a lot of questions afterwards. I think it's safe to say that we'll be seeing a lot more business analytics-themed talks taking place in Vancouver in the near future. As always, all of these presentations will be posted over the course of this week on the VanSUG website as well as a VanSUG newsletter update and more.
Finally, a word or two about the Vancouver SAS user community: what a warm and welcoming group. I'd like to first give a hat-tip to Mr. Howard Cherniack. Howard is familiar to many in the SAS world in Vancouver; a long-time user and supporter, Howard has presented and been an active supporter of VanSUG since it's inception and before! At any rate, Howard is the first person to answer a challenge I often throw out to the user groups. I have one prize in particular which has been a mystery to me: it's full of strange, seemingly unrelated components and I've been utterly flummoxed. Without instructions, it seemed that the item would remain shrouded in confusion. I've made the commitment to every group I've offered it to that if it can be deciphered, I will be happy to ship one of every single other item I have to the lucky solver of the 'mystery prize' riddle. I'm happy to report that Howard has done so! Thanks, Howard! Just in case there are other entrants reading this, I'm going to keep your solution a mystery for now...
I'd also like to share a little about the community itself. In the span of the morning, I connected with a young lady from BC Hydro looking for some Enterprise Guide help, a recent UK transplant hoping to connect with other SAS users with an overall goal of finding SAS employment, a faux-celebrity (great to see you, Mr. Mel Gibson!) and a wonderful gentleman from TELUS who - to my absolute shock - used to pack 5 double Americano's into his body EACH EVENING... and then he would go to sleep! I'm also pleased that I've already had a few members of the community connect and start discussions within the VanSUG LinkedIn group. If you haven't yet joined, please feel free!
Although my second-last roadtrip of this user group season has come to a close, there's still lots more to report from last week. As I was in Vancouver, my colleague Kerry was experiencing her first user group meeting in Ottawa. She's been good enough to write a guest-blog post at my request, and I'll be sharing that with you in the next few days. Finally, I still have to tell all of you about the Health User Group meeting which featured impossibly long titles, sublime SAS tricks and one very happy quasi-epidemiologist... but more on that in the next few days!
Thanks again, VanSUG: sorry to leave but looking forward to the spring meetings already.
I've stated many times in this blog how fortunate and grateful I am to be able to do what I do. Travelling from one end of the country to the other for the purpose of sharing experiences and supporting SAS users is a fantastic opportunity to broaden my horizons culturally and socially. However, it's not just my horizons being stretched: it's also my constitution and health! Adjusting to time zones and constantly looking at my watch are both minor irritants to what is an otherwise amazing occupation. The constant stress on my body systems does eventually take it's toll, unfortunately, and I was a sorry sight stepping off the helicopter upon our landing in Vancouver. Thankfully, and unbeknownst to me at the time, I was about to have an energizing and revitalizing encounter courtesy of former SAS Customer Value Award winner and past-President of TASS, Rupinder Dhillon.
This is yet another great example of SAS users supporting SAS users. One of Rup's best friends from her school years now lived as an actor and presentation coach in Vancouver. Knowing full well the importance - as well as the challenge - of encouraging and supporting new presenters from within the user group community, Rup had suggested that we take the time to connect in hopes that we could pick her brain. It was certainly worthwhile! Colleen McGahan and I chatted at length with her about common fears and limitations which presenters deal with and also put on themselves as well as some suggestions on how best to approach a presentation. This was incredibly valuable insight for myself as someone who presents quite often in front of large groups, and even moreso in terms of recognizing how to support new presenters. Thanks for the introduction, Rup: if I could give you the CVA again, I would... ;)
The meeting the next morning was truly outstanding. the VanSUG executive committee are an incredibly engaged and innovative group. I was meeting some of them for the same time, and they definitely lived up to the exceptional feedback I'd heard. Sharon Relova - a relatively new member of the team - drafted one of her colleagues and faithfully manned the registration table (without complaint, might I add!). Mei Chong the new president was omni-present, socializing and helping out where she could. Of course, perennial dynamos Colleen McGahan and Nate Derby - in addition to presenting once again - ensured that the catering was set-up, that the networking functioned smoothly, and that all possible logistic issues were dealt with far in advance. I need to single out Colleen here. Dealing with some difficult home issues which had suddenly sprung up, Colleen pushed on to both support the group and deliver her presentation flawlessly. My respect for her - which was already very high - has gone through the roof.
Content-wise, the meeting was a great one. As I mentioned, Colleen and Nate reprised their talks to exceptional acclaim - with Nate somehow managing to populate his presentation with some small coding errors in the 12 hours between deliveries. Nate is a master at dealing with adversity and the group really engaged around his transparency and willingness to admit and address his errors. Of course, the content was exceptionally valuable as well! Colleen's talk found a receptive audience able to grasp the complex concepts she was illuminating. And yes, Cheryl Sivertson's demo went off fantastically this time (albeit with her working in a version of Enterprise Guide she was unfamiliar with: version 4.3). She's a natural with the software, though, so it went off without a hitch.
I'm saving some of my biggest praise for David Dobson. The Vancouver community has been wrestling for some time with what type of interesting, new content to deliver to their members. Coming primarily from a health, academic and telecommunications background, there seemed to be diverging ideas of how best to support everyone. Enter David, our willing guinea pig! An additional session was added on to the user group meeting with David delivering an hour long talk on the importance and future of business analytics within Canadian industry... and more than 50 people stayed to hear the talk! It was extremely well delivered and generated a lot of questions afterwards. I think it's safe to say that we'll be seeing a lot more business analytics-themed talks taking place in Vancouver in the near future. As always, all of these presentations will be posted over the course of this week on the VanSUG website as well as a VanSUG newsletter update and more.
Finally, a word or two about the Vancouver SAS user community: what a warm and welcoming group. I'd like to first give a hat-tip to Mr. Howard Cherniack. Howard is familiar to many in the SAS world in Vancouver; a long-time user and supporter, Howard has presented and been an active supporter of VanSUG since it's inception and before! At any rate, Howard is the first person to answer a challenge I often throw out to the user groups. I have one prize in particular which has been a mystery to me: it's full of strange, seemingly unrelated components and I've been utterly flummoxed. Without instructions, it seemed that the item would remain shrouded in confusion. I've made the commitment to every group I've offered it to that if it can be deciphered, I will be happy to ship one of every single other item I have to the lucky solver of the 'mystery prize' riddle. I'm happy to report that Howard has done so! Thanks, Howard! Just in case there are other entrants reading this, I'm going to keep your solution a mystery for now...
I'd also like to share a little about the community itself. In the span of the morning, I connected with a young lady from BC Hydro looking for some Enterprise Guide help, a recent UK transplant hoping to connect with other SAS users with an overall goal of finding SAS employment, a faux-celebrity (great to see you, Mr. Mel Gibson!) and a wonderful gentleman from TELUS who - to my absolute shock - used to pack 5 double Americano's into his body EACH EVENING... and then he would go to sleep! I'm also pleased that I've already had a few members of the community connect and start discussions within the VanSUG LinkedIn group. If you haven't yet joined, please feel free!
Although my second-last roadtrip of this user group season has come to a close, there's still lots more to report from last week. As I was in Vancouver, my colleague Kerry was experiencing her first user group meeting in Ottawa. She's been good enough to write a guest-blog post at my request, and I'll be sharing that with you in the next few days. Finally, I still have to tell all of you about the Health User Group meeting which featured impossibly long titles, sublime SAS tricks and one very happy quasi-epidemiologist... but more on that in the next few days!
Thanks again, VanSUG: sorry to leave but looking forward to the spring meetings already.
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Penultimate Road Trip
This past week was the busiest of the fall 2010 Canadian SAS User Group season... and it certainly didn't disappoint in any way! To be honest, I hardly know where to begin. There are so many tales to tell and people to recognize it makes my head spin a little. Actually, I think that spinning is due to this blasted cold I just can't get rid of! Something tells me cruising at 35,000 feet across the country twice in three days may have contributed to this.
But you're not here to metaphorically paddle a canoe down the stream of my tears, are you? Rather than complain, allow me to celebrate the first of this week's meetings in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia.
One of the reasons I enjoy travelling to the BC-based groups so much is because it affords me the opportunity to spend time with the executive committees. In many ways, these groups have embraced the concepts of community and mutual support since their earliest days. I expounded for some time in my presentation about how the executive committee members and in fact some of the regular attendees have become friends as well as colleagues. The professional relationship remains the same, but it's undeniable that we have a great time together when we're able to interact outside of the more structured confines of a user group meeting!
I must admit a wry smile just flashed across my face as I try to associate the word 'structured' with the SUAVe user group. One of it's most endearing and valuable qualities is that it is so informal. In the meetings I have attended, side debates have become points of general discussion and the networking sessions are so popular, it's a challenge to pull everyone back to the presentations. The point of the meeting is not only to learn, but also to connect with a colleague and a stranger. Academia is well-represented amongst the attendees as are a variety of provincial ministries and even a few retirees who attend simply for fun and fellowship. In the words of one of these individuals, 'it's nice to see everyone and keep up with what's going on with their work and with SAS. It's fun. I'll see you next time'. What better testimonial can there be for the positive impact of the user group community?
In terms of the content itself, Mike Atkinson and Cheryl Sivertson - SUAVe executive committee members - were partially thwarted in their attempt to work through their demo and presentation around tweaking graphics generated by Enterprise Guide and SAS/GRAPH by a complaining remote CPU connection... something SAS users are completely unfamiliar with, right? ;) Mike did a fantastic job of elaborating upon his portion of the presentation while we attempted to troubleshoot Cheryl's computer unsuccessfully. I hate to tell you this, SUAVe-ites, but Cheryl was able to deliver her demo the next day at VanSUG after a re-work and moving it to my machine. Hopefully we can convince her to give it another shot at the next meeting.
I have previously mentioned the 'user group executive exchange' taking place between VanSUG and SUAVe. Colleen McGahan and Nate Derby had converged from Vancouver and Seattle respectively to deliver presentations around Proc LOGISTIC and ROC curves in the case of Colleen and with Nate delivering a talk on Proc SQL. Suffice it to say, all presentations will be made available shortly on the SUAVe website. Without minimizing the interesting case study and thorough walkthrough offered by Colleen, I have to single out Nate for delivering one of the most entertaining and engaging presentations I've seen this fall and winter. He alternated between hilarious and forgetful with a heavy dash of genius thrown in the middle. The audience was stunned both by his tremendous knowledge and his willingness to engage them in what can only be called a 'group participation presentation'. Great stuff, Nate!
One of my absolute favourite elements of any user group meeting across the country is SUAVe's 'Open Problem'. In a nutshell, the executive committee posts a problem on their sascommunity.org website. Submitters then present their answers to the problem at the meeting and they all receive a small gift - and thunderous applause - for doing so. It's really fun to watch four or five individuals attack a problem in different ways and give some tremendous insight into how robust SAS can be as a solution.
Finally, it would be remiss of me to not recognize Peter Ott for his tremendous work. My colleague from the SAS Canada offices in Calgary who was meeting him for the first time asked me 'is he really 6'8"?'. I just smiled. Peter was not only an outstanding MC and inquisitive audience member, but he also submitted one of the solutions to the 'Open Problem'. His energy and dynamism are a fundamental reason the meetings are so successful and I thank him for it.
After the meeting, it was a quick scramble to the Helijet port for a quick helicopter ride over to the mainland. I have to admit, the inner child in me felt like a member of G.I. Joe! Colleen and Nate had left the meeting early to catch the car-carrying ferry back to Vancouver and Cheryl and Mike were doing the same afterwards to fulfill their part of the executive exchange by presenting at VanSUG the following day. But first, all of our forces would converge again that evening in Vancouver to meet for dinner, drinks and a fantastic encounter with a presentation coach - but these are all stories for my next post. Until then, thanks to the 45 members of the Victoria SAS user community who attended the meeting: it was great to see you!
But you're not here to metaphorically paddle a canoe down the stream of my tears, are you? Rather than complain, allow me to celebrate the first of this week's meetings in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia.
One of the reasons I enjoy travelling to the BC-based groups so much is because it affords me the opportunity to spend time with the executive committees. In many ways, these groups have embraced the concepts of community and mutual support since their earliest days. I expounded for some time in my presentation about how the executive committee members and in fact some of the regular attendees have become friends as well as colleagues. The professional relationship remains the same, but it's undeniable that we have a great time together when we're able to interact outside of the more structured confines of a user group meeting!
I must admit a wry smile just flashed across my face as I try to associate the word 'structured' with the SUAVe user group. One of it's most endearing and valuable qualities is that it is so informal. In the meetings I have attended, side debates have become points of general discussion and the networking sessions are so popular, it's a challenge to pull everyone back to the presentations. The point of the meeting is not only to learn, but also to connect with a colleague and a stranger. Academia is well-represented amongst the attendees as are a variety of provincial ministries and even a few retirees who attend simply for fun and fellowship. In the words of one of these individuals, 'it's nice to see everyone and keep up with what's going on with their work and with SAS. It's fun. I'll see you next time'. What better testimonial can there be for the positive impact of the user group community?
In terms of the content itself, Mike Atkinson and Cheryl Sivertson - SUAVe executive committee members - were partially thwarted in their attempt to work through their demo and presentation around tweaking graphics generated by Enterprise Guide and SAS/GRAPH by a complaining remote CPU connection... something SAS users are completely unfamiliar with, right? ;) Mike did a fantastic job of elaborating upon his portion of the presentation while we attempted to troubleshoot Cheryl's computer unsuccessfully. I hate to tell you this, SUAVe-ites, but Cheryl was able to deliver her demo the next day at VanSUG after a re-work and moving it to my machine. Hopefully we can convince her to give it another shot at the next meeting.
I have previously mentioned the 'user group executive exchange' taking place between VanSUG and SUAVe. Colleen McGahan and Nate Derby had converged from Vancouver and Seattle respectively to deliver presentations around Proc LOGISTIC and ROC curves in the case of Colleen and with Nate delivering a talk on Proc SQL. Suffice it to say, all presentations will be made available shortly on the SUAVe website. Without minimizing the interesting case study and thorough walkthrough offered by Colleen, I have to single out Nate for delivering one of the most entertaining and engaging presentations I've seen this fall and winter. He alternated between hilarious and forgetful with a heavy dash of genius thrown in the middle. The audience was stunned both by his tremendous knowledge and his willingness to engage them in what can only be called a 'group participation presentation'. Great stuff, Nate!
One of my absolute favourite elements of any user group meeting across the country is SUAVe's 'Open Problem'. In a nutshell, the executive committee posts a problem on their sascommunity.org website. Submitters then present their answers to the problem at the meeting and they all receive a small gift - and thunderous applause - for doing so. It's really fun to watch four or five individuals attack a problem in different ways and give some tremendous insight into how robust SAS can be as a solution.
Finally, it would be remiss of me to not recognize Peter Ott for his tremendous work. My colleague from the SAS Canada offices in Calgary who was meeting him for the first time asked me 'is he really 6'8"?'. I just smiled. Peter was not only an outstanding MC and inquisitive audience member, but he also submitted one of the solutions to the 'Open Problem'. His energy and dynamism are a fundamental reason the meetings are so successful and I thank him for it.
After the meeting, it was a quick scramble to the Helijet port for a quick helicopter ride over to the mainland. I have to admit, the inner child in me felt like a member of G.I. Joe! Colleen and Nate had left the meeting early to catch the car-carrying ferry back to Vancouver and Cheryl and Mike were doing the same afterwards to fulfill their part of the executive exchange by presenting at VanSUG the following day. But first, all of our forces would converge again that evening in Vancouver to meet for dinner, drinks and a fantastic encounter with a presentation coach - but these are all stories for my next post. Until then, thanks to the 45 members of the Victoria SAS user community who attended the meeting: it was great to see you!
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