SAS Adds New Analytics to Unlock Secrets to Operations Efficiency

Business Wire, July 9, 2007

Enhanced Optimization Software Solves World's Most Complex Problems

CARY, N.C. -- To help organizations create and implement action plans for growth and productivity, SAS, the leader in business intelligence announced major enhancements to SAS/OR([R]). Eliminating guesswork, SAS/OR enables a scientific, logical and guided approach to optimizing business practices. It automates what were once time-consuming decisions by integrating massive amounts of data to surface insights that would otherwise remain hidden. This optimization benefits organizations, businesses and governments using SAS worldwide.

Enhancements in this July 2007 SAS/OR release build upon several March 2007 improvements. Most significant, the new release delivers Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) - which is critically acclaimed in the optimization community. These MILP advances add structure and adaptability to assist leaders challenged by complex decisions in today's high-pressure, fast-paced world. Now the world's toughest operations research problems can be solved with more accuracy.

"In the face of reduced budgets and limited resources, SAS/OR helps improve operations without compromising effectiveness," said Mary Grace Crissey, Analytics Product Marketing Manager at SAS. "SAS responded to customer demand with MILP. It eliminates repetitive trial-and-error approaches and cuts the time to intelligence. The new release also provides expanded options for specifying the problem-solution method. By defining the problem at this more granular level, SAS/OR users are improving efficiency in ways other approaches don't allow."

Today's operations research users streamline operations in a wide range of functions, including:

* Supply chain management and optimization.

* Resource allocation and management.

* Production and inventory planning.

* Product mix and planning.

* Staffing and training allocations.

* Distribution, routing, scheduling and traffic flow.

* Capital budgeting, asset allocation and portfolio selection.

For example, the Air Force Personnel Center Analysis Branch uses SAS/OR to automate scheduling of training so new airmen are trained as soon as possible. The branch also uses SAS/OR to assign new airmen to the best-fitting job for their skills and desires.

SAS/OR is part of the SAS Enterprise Intelligence Platform, which optimally integrates individual technology components into a single, unified system. The result is an information flow that includes data access and cleansing, reporting, descriptive and predictive analytics, and operations research methods.

About SAS

SAS is the leader in business intelligence and analytical software and services. Customers at 43,000 sites use SAS software to improve performance through insight from data, resulting in faster, more accurate business decisions; more profitable relationships with customers and suppliers; compliance with governmental regulations; research breakthroughs; and better products and processes. Only SAS offers leading data integration, storage, analytics and business intelligence applications within a comprehensive enterprise intelligence platform. Since 1976, SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW([R]). www.sas.com

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. [R] indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright (c) 2007 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.