SAS® History: I started using SAS® at Statistics Canada, where I first learned about Base SAS. Since then I’ve been hooked, and continue to use SAS. I moved on from Statistics Canada into different roles during my career; I was a consultant for a couple of years, then settled in at Human Resources and Development Canada for eight years. Now, I’m proud to say that I work for SAS as a technical instructor in the Ottawa office.

SAS is a great software tool, and the majority of people I have met during my career that started using SAS won’t use any other tool. The quality and reliability is in the software and is backed up by employees that believe in its capabilities. SAS … THE POWER TO KNOW®

Partner/Family: I am the father of two very adorable, young girls.

Pets: I am more a dog person, but my kids have wanted a cat for a while now. So, I got some fish and a snail for the meantime, and they are pretty happy about them. If I tell you their names, you would probably laugh.

Sports/Hobbies: My two favorite sports are skiing and basketball. I like to involve my kids; so far, they have picked up skiing and in the winter that’s where you’ll find us.

Favorite Foods: Italian, home-cooked meal (hint … my mom’s cooking).

What your ideal weekend would be: My ideal weekend would be to spend time hosting my family and friends. I love action at home; growing up in Montreal, I got used to having guests over to our house every weekend. My kids and I live two hours away from everyone, so I try to go down to Montreal as often as I can.

If I could be anything at all (besides a SAS programmer): My biggest hobby for about eight years now has been construction. I like it so much I’ve taken on completely renovating a condo and will be building my first house this year. Life is short and I’m a firm believer that there is nothing you can’t accomplish if you apply yourself. When I’m not programming in SAS, I like to enjoy time with my kids.

One thing every SAS programmer should know: Well, one thing I’ve learned over the years that has come in handy is using macros. One tip I’ll mention is that SAS macro variables can be used to create dynamic code. Take a look at the following example (PDF).