In order to run SAS version 8.1 as supported at WPI, you need to (1) copy several files into your home directory and (2) configure SAS for printing and accessing macros. The following eight steps will accomplish (1) and (2).
To copy the SAS configuration files, type
> /math/mathlab/bin/sasetup8b
(Note: the ">" is the prompt supplied by the computer; you just type the "/math/mathlab/bin/sasetup8b" part and hit <enter>.) If the computer responds with anything other than just the prompt, you've probably done this step incorrectly and you should seek help.
> sas &
(NOTE: the ">" is the prompt supplied by the computer; you just type the "sas &" part and hit <enter>.)
Usually, there are two printers in the stat lab: stat1 and stat2, but presently, stat1 is being fixed (we hope). Therefore, you will just set up printing for stat2. Follow the steps below to set up printing for stat2. Later if and when stat1 returns, you can repeat the instructions with appropriate changes to set up printing for stat1. Items a.-c. below will will set up printing to one printer, and will enable you to print to that printer from from the EDITOR, OUTPUT, LOG, or RESULTS windows as well as from SAS/INSIGHT. You will have to do these items a second time to set up printing to both stat1 and stat2.
The same steps will set up printing from the two printers in the math lab in SH 306: math3 and math3b.
To exit the setup, click OK.
When printing from the graphics window, you will always have to go through steps d.-f.
You cannot change your printer at the SAS/GRAPHICS window, as you can in SAS/INSIGHT, or in the other SAS windows. Directions for changing your printer for printing from the SAS/GRAPHICS window are found in the section Changing Your Graphics Printer, in the document An Introduction to SAS/EIS.
For those of you taking a statistics course, your instructor and TA are primary sources for information about SAS. Another resource is email to ma-questions.
All SAS documentation is available online at http://www.math.wpi.edu/saspdf in the form of pdf files. For those of you taking the introductory courses, MA 2611/12, the only one of these documents likely to be of interest or use is the SAS/INSIGHT User's Guide.
In general, SAS is a pretty reliable program, but there are times when it just seems to have behavior problems. By behavior problems, we don't mean things you may have done, like click on the wrong button, or input the wrong type of response in a macro (like 37.5 when a Y/N was asked for). We mean really strange unexplained phenomena, like the recent example of a student who typed sas & at the unix prompt and got the message
ERROR: Generic critical error.
and no SAS windows. Only when she typed sas & a second time did the SAS windows appear. In cases like these, you can try a number of approaches, among them:
Sometimes you run a SAS program or procedure that you realize is both wrong (perhaps you gave it a wrong input) and long. To bail out of the program or procedure, you can use the "SAS Session Management" icon (the one on your desktop with the lightning bolt). Clicking on this icon will produce the SAS Session Management window. Click on the "interrupt" box in the window to stop the program or procedure without ending your SAS session. When all else fails, click on "terminate" to bail out of SAS.
Introduction to SAS/EIS, which you'll use to run SAS macros (programs)
for labs and specialized applications.
Introduction to SAS/INSIGHT I: Elementary Concepts. This is the
minimal tutorial you should do to be familiar with the basics of
SAS/INSIGHT, a graphically-oriented data analysis system
Introduction to SAS/INSIGHT II: Advanced Concepts. This tutorial will
show you some of the more advanced features of SAS/INSIGHT
Getting Started in the Statistics Multimedia Computer Classroom. (for new users)