SAS

SAS® software is a comprehensive set of integrated tools and solutions for accessing, managing, and analyzing data. SAS, which was formed as a company in 1976, is a leading developer of statistical software, which is widely used in academic, business, and government organizations. Since the 1980s, SAS has expanded its analytical software to include forecasting and econometrics, data mining, text mining, and operations research. SAS now builds on these components to provide software for business analytics and solutions for industry‐specific problems such as customer intelligence, fraud prevention, and risk management. This article describes the evolution of SAS as a company and overviews new directions in its analytical software. An example program illustrates key elements of SAS programming that are useful for statistical analysis. WIREs Comp Stat 2011 3 1–11 DOI: 10.1002/wics.131