Re: Development tool recommendations sought

In article <41hrb2$2jl@stc06.ctd.ornl.gov> "K. J. Evans" <v26> writes: >Tim, >For the record SAS in the computing world is Statistical Analysis Software, >created and marketed by SAS Institute, Inc. Box 8000, Cary, North Carolina, USA >27511-8000. Its good for more than sttistics, we use it as a report writer >against Oracle and IDMS databases. But it does have good built-in >statistical functions and graphic capabilities. If you're using the database as a resource for inquiry and what you want to focus your attention on is a presentation or an analysis of the data contained in it, then SAS is indeed an excellent (albeit large) tool for doing this. The unique thing about SAS is that it not only incorporates an [extensible] mechanism of analysis via Procs; it also provides a complete programming language which is especially suited for picking-apart data. This makes it much more practical to do "real world" data analysis within the scope of just one package. Many of the "databases" to which this original post was directed are, in fact, "one layer down" from where you might want to be. They provide the data storage and accessibility, basic analysis and inquiry capabilities via queries, simple reporting, and of course the ability to construct applications for data-entry and the like. All very good. But analyst's tools are one step above that layer. They will, for example, determine an automated sequence of queries to retrieve information, issue those queries automagically, and work with the result, allowing you to concentrate upon the data and what you want to accomplish with it. What you do not want to do is to go through the trouble and expense to re-create such analysis-layers if you can locate and buy one that is suitable. /mr/