SAS Enterprise Guide Reviews

Vendor: SAS

4.1 out of 5

24 reviews
89% willing to recommend

111 followers

What is SAS Enterprise Guide?

SAS Enterprise Guide is an intuitive statistical analysis solution that enables users of all backgrounds to engage in statistical analysis.

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SAS Enterprise Guide is the #2 ranked solution in top Data Preparation Tools. PeerSpot users give SAS Enterprise Guide an average rating of 8.2 out of 10. Based on the analysis of the 24 most recent SAS Enterprise Guide reviews, the overall sentiment is positive, with a sentiment score of 6.5. (Among the highest in the category). SAS Enterprise Guide is most commonly compared to Alteryx: SAS Enterprise Guide vs Alteryx. SAS Enterprise Guide is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 72% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 24% of all views.

Helped 816,406 peers since 2012

Featured reviews

Marcelo Amado

Business analyst at BB seg

Our primary use case for the solution is creating views and filters, and we deploy the solution on-premises The query builder feature is the most valuable. The stability of the solution can be improved. We have been using the solution for approximately three years and currently use version…

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reviewer2232579

Data Analyst at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Recently, we realized that SAS Enterprise Guide is not so stable and gives us some outputs which are not suitable, but it works well on rerunning the program. Sometimes it's quite hard to report its stability issues. Most of the time, its stability issues need to be reported with which our colleagues help. Another issue is that SAS Enterprise Guide gives us hardware output, but when we run a program that does not run correctly, we don't know what's wrong even though the output is good. When we try to report to technical support and they run the program, they cannot find anything from the log, but it is the same issue we find in the solution when we run it afterward. Sometimes we need to restart the computer, and it works, which is not so good. We set up quite a few programs to autorun, and sometimes the customer is not confident that the result would be good. It would be easier to use the solution if it had more functions. The solution needs to be more stable. The additional feature I want to see in the future would be visualization because, currently, the visualization from SAS is a bit like Python or similar ones in general.

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JohnRobertson

IT Administrator with 1-10 employees

It crashes more frequently than I would like. For example, you can create projects, but with our data system, the field changes from time to time. Our data-driven managers will occasionally attempt to update. They speed up everything and change the names of the fields slightly. When you go back in there and try to make changes, the project frequently crashes. When you attempt to make those various changes. And it can take some time to get it right. I guess what I'm working on right now is a project that I completed two years ago and needed to be re-run. It's also crashing because the data fields have changed. It just gets stuck in a never-ending loop. Then you must control, alt, delete, and return to the program's main menu to exit. That's a little frustrating. I would like it to give more information rather than just a forever loop that forces you to shut down the system. Give you more error messages without stopping the entire project, or even the entire application. That it displays more error messages rather than terminating the application.

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SAS Enterprise Guide mindshare

As of November 2024, the mindshare of SAS Enterprise Guide in the Data Preparation Tools category stands at 23.8%, down from 27.4% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Data Preparation Tools

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Nov 21, 2024

Valuable Features

Statistical functionality and basic database interaction are valuable for non-SQL users. The Query Builder allows drag-and-drop ease. Importing/exporting data is efficient. Users without SQL or analytics background appreciate its user-friendliness. Server access enables data sharing. It excels in ETL processes and data science projects. Advanced SAS programming, data cleaning, and reporting capabilities stand out. The interface supports drag-and-drop operations, versioning, and flow chart visualization, making it accessible for beginners and business users.

"It streamlines our workflow involving multiple steps, from data extraction to modeling, and it is aimed at improving various aspects of banking operations, including customer retention and risk management."
"One of the features of the SAS Enterprise Guide is that it has a server, and we can access the server."
"The query builder feature is the most valuable."

Room for Improvement

SAS Enterprise Guide needs better scheduler integration, visualization improvements, ease of database connectivity, enhanced stability, and expanded features like machine learning. Users find the interface too complex and would like more error details, better support for large datasets, and a stronger user community. Performance with Netezza database needs improvement. Users also seek simpler tool access, greater deployment capabilities, and enhanced predictive modeling techniques. Integration with open-source tools and more robust functions are also desired.

"The technical support response time has been consistently slow, and this has been a concern."
"Recently, we realized that SAS Enterprise Guide is not so stable and gives us some outputs which are not suitable...Sometimes it's quite hard to report its stability issues."
"The stability is not very reliable."

ROI

Users found that SAS Enterprise Guide notably improved their data analysis efficiency, leading to quicker decision-making and better strategic insights. The automation features reduced manual tasks, saving time and lowering operational costs. Enhanced data visualization tools allowed for more in-depth trend analysis, facilitating targeted planning. Users experienced faster processing times, smoother project workflows, and improved data management, which together contributed to higher productivity and significant business growth.

Pricing

SAS Enterprise Guide's pricing is notably high, with a yearly licensing model. Many organizations find the license per seat more affordable than traditional SAS environments, but the basic version lacks several features. The costs are substantial, and special corporate rates influence overall expenses. Evaluating alternatives like KNIME may be necessary due to the significant financial commitment required for SAS solutions.

"The pricing and associated costs are substantial."
"I did look at the prices a few years ago, and I believe it was approximately $1,000 for a yearly subscription at that time."
"It is expensive. We get a different price based on our corporate rate. So, I'm not sure what the general cost is because we got a special rate for it."

Popular Use Cases

SAS Enterprise Guide is primarily used for data analysis, data transformation, statistical analysis, and data manipulation. It supports non-programmers, facilitates self-service access, and integrates with other tools like Tableau for visualization. Organizations employ it in diverse sectors, including finance, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals, for tasks such as analyzing sales data, accessing medical claims data, programming, ETL processes, data cleaning, querying databases, creating views and filters, and supporting data analytics and modeling.

Service and Support

Customer service and support of SAS Enterprise Guide receive mixed feedback. Some users find the technical support responsive and helpful, resolving issues within a day. Others encounter slow response times, causing frustration, especially in critical situations. Many rely on the large online community for assistance, while some face difficulties with specific database connections. Users appreciate the availability of alternative resources, but consistency in support quality remains a concern.

Deployment

Users had mixed experiences with SAS Enterprise Guide's initial setup. Some found it straightforward with the right knowledge and resources, though others noted it was complex, especially server installation and migration. Technical support was often required for non-technical users or large deployments. Initial training helped some users, while others relied on resources like YouTube. For maintenance, assistance from experienced IT staff or SAS support was crucial for smooth operation. Deployment duration varied based on project complexity.

Scalability

Many users find SAS Enterprise Guide scalable, handling large data sets effectively, with usage across various departments and organizations. There are mixed opinions regarding data validation and importation processes, sometimes finding these tasks tedious. Subscription mechanisms and diverse user roles contribute positively. Some organizations do not plan to expand its usage, while others are content with current scalability capabilities, supporting hundreds of users, including data analysts, developers, and other professionals.

Stability

SAS Enterprise Guide is generally considered stable. Some issues include indirect database connections, occasional session closures, and internet-related errors. Capacity planning and performance optimization are advisable. Stability varies by organizational infrastructure and technical expertise. Users appreciate its foundation and combination with Teradata, although concerns about storage capacity and server updates exist. Session management and resource allocation are areas for improvement.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our SAS Enterprise Guide Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

24%

Healthcare Company

11%

Government

10%

Computer Software Company

Insurance Company

Manufacturing Company

University

Retailer

Educational Organization

Real Estate/Law Firm

Non Profit

Construction Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Energy/Utilities Company

Comms Service Provider

Pharma/Biotech Company

Legal Firm

Performing Arts

Transportation Company

Hospitality Company

Media Company

Logistics Company

Compare SAS Enterprise Guide with alternative products

Learn more about SAS Enterprise Guide

Users can create and deploy customized tasks and dynamic content that best meet their needs. Interactive content can easily be shared on the cloud and the internet.

Benefits of SAS Enterprise Guide

Some of the benefits of using SAS Enterprise Guide include:

Provides users with robust, centralized, and role based system security. SAS Enterprise Guide enables users to protect their network from a wide variety of threats. A single system of security provides and authenticates system access credentials. Individuals are empowered to easily adjust their organization’s security credentials to meet their changing security needs.

Easily access and manipulate system data. SAS Enterprise Guide employs a user-friendly user interface that enables users to view and and use data without requiring them to have an extensive knowledge of coding. Business analysts can generate and disseminate reports without help. Information technology teams are freed up to handle more pressing issues. Datasets can also be embedded into the system so that users dont have to re-enter them into the system.

Reviews from Real Users

SAS Enterprise Guide is a statistical analysis tool that stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are the solution’s intuitive nature and the suite of functionalities that it offers. SAS Enterprise Guide makes it easy for users who lack a background in statistical analysis to create workflows. The solution enables users to customize and configure queries without requiring them to have a background in coding. SAS Enterprise Guide has a wide variety of functionalities. It is highly flexible and gives users the ability to complete many different tasks.

The head of analytics at a communications services provider writes, “I think that the ease of use is the most valuable feature. I know SQL. I even taught SQL. But new people who come to the tool without in-depth knowledge of SQL or people who do not have an analytics background can still use the tool. It is very easy for these new users to climb the learning curve using SAS Enterprise Guide because of the way it was created with ease-of-use in mind. It is well-oriented to the business user. In no time new users are able to create workflows. Obviously, it is best if they have some basic knowledge of how things work in doing analysis — like the concept of joins, data profiling, and maybe some other SQL-related concepts. But the key here is they do not need to know how it is coded or the exact commands. All the features are available within Enterprise Guide through a drag-and-drop interface so queries can be built without extensive knowledge of how that works behind the scenes. The ease-of-use makes the tool valuable even for someone who is near the beginner level.”

Monica B., an SAS Application Architect at a computer software company, writes, “It has a lot of functionalities. We can build ETL processes. There are clients who are using SAS Enterprise Guide to build ETL processes. They have a SAS-based program that is scheduled to run at a certain frequency to produce some reports for the business. It is a very useful tool for ETL unit tests and functional tests. You can also do data science projects in SAS Enterprise Guide by using different statistics. During my MBA, we used SAS Enterprise Guide for our statistics course.”