Welcome to the latest issue of In the Know, the bi-monthly newsletter for the SAS user community.

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback on our launch issue - it was clear the technology-focused articles and Hints & Tips generated the most interest. In the Know is intended as a two-way communication, so please tell us about any areas you'd like covered in future issues, as well as forwarding your own insights on how you're getting the best value out of SAS.

In this issue, you'll find news on how data mining delivers practical solutions to real-world challenges, and how SAS Integration Technologies are extending the power of SAS to wherever it's needed (which is great news for application developers and other SAS technology professionals). Hints & Tips include information on how to delete user-defined macro variables from the global symbol table and how to create a SAS report from information on the web.

And don't forget, seugi 21 in Vienna is fast approaching. It kicks off on 17th June, and has an entire day dedicated to technology issues. Seugi is one of the best ways to ensure you stay ahead of the game with information on new features and direction for SAS products and solutions.

We hope you enjoy reading In the Know.

SAS UK Announces New Risk Management Practice
The creation of a new risk management practice at SAS UK will focus on helping organisations in the financial services and energy sectors identify and understand their overall exposure to risk and to establish a strong risk position to report to regulators and stakeholders.

Revenue Growth Fuels High R&D Investment
SAS has announced it's 26th consecutive year of revenue growth, an increase in staff worldwide and 25 percent of revenues being invested into research and development. This success results in SAS UK customers benefiting from increasingly powerful software and ever-more responsive technical support. TECHNOLOGY & SOLUTIONS

SAS System 9: The Revolution Continues
Join the Director of SAS Foundation Technology Strategy, Jim Metcalf, as he presents an overview of SAS System 9 with a peek into future releases. This informative video is a must-watch if you are curious about the new features and direction for SAS products and solutions. SAS System 9 is predicated on four cornerstones: usability, scalability, manageability and interoperability. Metcalf walks viewers through the cornerstone highlights.

Data Mining: A Practical Solution to Business Challenges
If you still think of data mining as an esoteric technology then think again. Data mining is providing practical solutions to business challenges in a vast range of enterprises, enabling them to understand their customers, help develop new products, meet quality targets, forecast trends and generally analyse business activities.

SAS Integration Technologies: Open Access to SAS
SAS Integration Technologies enables you to integrate all of your disparate technologies into a seamless whole by providing support for industry standards and a robust information delivery architecture. SAS works with distributed object standards through a set of standard, well-defined interfaces known as the SAS Integrated Object Model. SUPPORT & SERVICES

Training Needs Analysis - Making the Most Out of Your Training Budget
Training Needs Analysis (TNA) ensures that you get maximum value from your staff development budget, ensuring effective use of resources. SAS provides TNA free and without obligation.

SAS System Essentials for Pharmaceutical Users
A new industry specific course developed by SAS Education and Oxford Pharmaceutical Sciences focuses on the needs of professionals working in the pharmaceutical industry.

Customer Support - Tell Us How We're Doing
SAS has a long tradition of acting on customer feedback and we are now contacting customers who have used SAS Customer Support to find out if they were satisfied and to listen to their suggestions for future improvements. HINTS & TIPS

SAS/AF: An Update
Following a number of queries regarding the future of SAS/AF we have put together some of the most frequently asked questions about SAS/AF.

Deleting User-Defined Macro Variables from the Global Symbol Table
The %SYMDEL macro function can be used to delete user-defined macro variables from the global symbol table and ensure the correct values are stored at the time of running your code.

Creating a SAS Report from Information on the Web
There is a lot of useful information on the web and SAS code can be easily used to extract information from a web page and produce a SAS report in ODS format. EVENTS

Data Quality Showcase
Manchester, 20 May
Edinburgh, 30 May
Due to the interest we received following the announcement of the SAS Data Quality Showcase in our last issue, we are pleased to announce further dates for this showcase in Manchester and Edinburgh. This morning-only event is designed for SAS business analysts, data warehouse administrators, IT data management specialists, and systems managers. It includes a high-level introduction and detailed demonstrations showing how the SAS data quality solution works. Delegates will also get practical advice about how to deploy data quality software within their organisations with the minimum pain.

Data Mining Showcase - Marlow, 25 June
This half-day seminar explains how you can use advanced analytical software in your organisation to spot opportunities, target your best customers, forecast quality trends, optimise production resources, model organisational changes, and much more. Designed for IT and data management specialists, business analysts, data analysts working in research and development, and statisticians, you will learn about basic data mining and analytical concepts and see how data mining software can be used in both business and development scenarios. The seminar will conclude with a brief introduction to the financial impacts that mining and analytical software could have in your organisation.

Operational Risk Executive Forum - London, 13 May
This exclusive forum will allow you to find out how your organisation can tackle the vast expanse of enterprise-wide operational risk, as well as practical solutions for operational risk measurement and management to support resilience strategies and improve business performance. The agenda will focus on key areas of operational risk including: the Regulatory View, the Market View, the Business Case, the Insurance Perspective, Operational Risk Measurement Techniques and the SAS approach to Operational Risk Management.

Seugi 21 - Vienna, 17-19 June
Seugi 21 in Vienna is the place to be for SAS users this summer - and particularly the SAS technology professionals who want to hone their skills and meet other SAS experts. It is a fantastic opportunity to hear about new technologies and solutions, to meet your industry peers, share best practice and learn from the experts.

An entire day, Thursday 19th June, is devoted to SAS Technology Expertise. The focus is on current solutions and coming developments in the Intelligence Value Chain and SAS System 9. Topics covered include Analytical Intelligence, Process, Statistics, Business Intelligence, Application Development, Intelligent Storage, ETLQ and Data Quality, and Manageability and Metadata. Wednesday 18^th June covers SAS in Action, where SAS customers describe how their work with SAS adds 'return on intelligence' to the corporate equation. In addition, presentations by and for executives, senior managers and other decision-makers make up SAS in the Boardroom on the Tuesday of seugi week.

For full listing of SAS UK events please click here. DID YOU KNOW?...

SAS UK recognised as a Top Company to Work For
SAS has been named the top software company in its sector and one of the top three software companies in the UK in The Sunday Times "100 Best Companies To Work For" survey for 2003. These results underline the SAS ethos that creating an excellent working environment is essential in the delivery of superior products, service and support.