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You are Visitor # 
Bob Virgile
44 Woburn Street
Lexington, MA 02420
Phone: (781) 862-4642
Email:
When Robert Virgile Associates, Inc. presents a SASŪ class, you get:
The Instructor
Bob Virgile has been developing and teaching SAS courses since 1983. He has presented a
dozen papers for SUGI, NESUG, MWSUG, PharmaSUG, and SESUG. He creates the
problem-solving contests for SUGI and NESUG, and has written two books for SAS Institute.
When you ask Bob a question, you get the answer! Since he has specialized in SAS software
for so many years, he knows (or will invent) programming techniques that will address your
question. You will get the techniques (not just the syntax), as well as analysis of relevant
factors that might favor one approach over another.
When you hire Robert Virgile Associates, you always get Bob Virgile as the instructor.
The Courses
For all courses, full-page descriptions are available upon request.
All course materials can be customized to fit the background of the students. For example,
workshops can be designed to use your data. There is never an extra charge for this service.
Programming at Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced Levels
Introductory courses cover the basics of DATA and PROC steps. Some more difficult topics
are also included (PROC FORMAT, BY variables) because experience shows that
programmers need these tools at an early stage.
Intermediate topics go on to the next level, covering such topics as arrays, customized
reporting, and reading unusual forms of incoming data. Advanced topics focus on the internal
workings of the DATA step such as compilation vs. execution and the Program Data Vector.
The right mix of topics may depend on the experience of the students. Remember, all in-house courses can be customized.
Macro Language Programming
This course focuses on the basics of SAS macro language on the first day, and more advanced
features on the second day. Expect that we will go into more depth than most introductory
macro language courses. For example, this course explains how to resolve &&VAR&I during
the morning of the first day, and shows realistic sample applications throughout the course.
Includes paper-and-pencil workshops, or can be expanded to a three-day version with hands-
on workshops. A condensed, half-day version is also available.
Efficient Everyday Programming
How can you reduce the CPU time and other resources which your SAS jobs consume? This
course is organized according to functions that we all perform regularly, such as reading data,
sorting, and summarizing data. It can be combined with the advanced level programming
material. Includes paper-and-pencil workshops.
JCL for SAS Users
Yes, some of us still use mainframes! This course is first and foremost an introduction to
JCL. However, the course omits material (such as DCB information) that a COBOL
programmer might want but a SAS programmer wouldn't need. As a result, the course
requires only one day. Includes paper-and-pencil workshops.
Advanced Customized Reporting for Clinical Data
Clinical data present special challenges for reporting purposes. How can you list 10 variables,
including three which are 200 characters apiece, side by side on the page? As you do this,
how can you ensure that you never split a patient's data across pages? The situations and
programming techniques can be quite challenging. Students will need to know both
customized reporting and macro language as prerequisites.
Cleaning Clinical Data
Intermediate level course on cleaning data, focusing on the techniques and approaches
typically used when cleaning clinical data. Some experience with macro language would be
helpful.
The Right Price
The current (2000) price for in-house classes is $1,700 per day. This price includes all travel
and other expenses (and thus applies specifically to classes taught in Connecticut).
You will never see any additional charges of any kind! Not for travel expenses, not for
course materials, not for the time it takes to customize course content. You always know
beforehand what the price will be.
Contact Information
Bob Virgile
Robert Virgile Associates, Inc.
23 Independence Drive
Woburn, MA 01801-3857
Phone: (781) 938-0307
Email:
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