One of the country's largest universities, the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), is providing students and researchers with access to the world's leading analytical software for statistical analysis and research purposes.
The implementation of the SAS analytical software, valued at R7 million, ensures a campus-wide solution for all Wits students and researchers. The software can now be accessed by those needing strong analytical functionality and will also be included in the teaching curriculum.
Wits, a user of SAS analytical software since the 1970s, acquired the end-to-end solution via a special academic licence offered by SAS Institute's South African subsidiary. SAS is the market leader in providing a new generation of business intelligence software and services that create true enterprise intelligence. Wits has signed a three-year agreement, replacing all individual SAS licences as well as analytical software previously supplied by another vendor, with one university-wide SAS licence.
"The major benefit is that all researchers and students now have access to the SAS software, including those registered with us who work out in the field, such as part-time PhD students," says Professor Paul Fatti of Wits' School of Statistics and Actuarial Science, one of the university's major users of SAS software.
He says the previous situation was untenable as various departments used different, individual software packages for statistical analysis. SAS was running on a mainframe at the university, as well as on a number of individual PCs, but it was difficult for the average student to access SAS to perform statistical analysis.
Last year the university decided to standardise on one analytical package. "We shortlisted two solutions, then chose SAS because we believe it to be the Rolls Royce of analytical software and the company was able to offer us an attractive, cost-effective campus-wide academic license agreement." says Fatti. The School of Statistics and Actuarial Science will use SAS mainly for research and statistical data analysis. SAS will also be used to teach courses in statistical analysis.
The software has now been rolled out on the university's computer networks, the mathematical sciences computer laboratories and on the individual machines of academic staff and postgraduate students. Other major users of statistical analysis software within the university include Business Economics, Medical School, the Dental Research Institute and the Social Sciences.
The university bought the state-of-the-art Windows interface tool, SAS Enterprise Guide, and data mining solution, SAS Enterprise Miner, and has access to the full range of SAS's statistical tools.
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