acknowledgments

Each book starts as a seed in an author’s mind. It takes care and nurturing from many dedicated souls to become a finished product. This book is no exception.

First, we want to thank the technical reviewers who challenged our ideas and corrected our words: Michelle Homes, Peter Wiijers, Robert Borst, Ted Stolarczyk, Varsha Chawla, and Rosie Poultney.

Many SAS employees supported, advised, and encouraged this book. The SAS Visual Analytics Product Management team, led by Rick Styll, provided demos, suggestions, and guidance. Chris Hemedinger and Anna Brown of the SAS Visual Analytics Communites assisted with the research and other suggestions.

We also want to thank the SAS Press staff for their flexibility and professionalism. We extend our thanks to Denise T. Jones for production, Kathy Underwood for copyedit, Robert Harris for artwork, and Cindy Puryear for marketing. We would like to especially thank Brenna Leath, our editor, who has tirelessly ensured that the rubber hit the road when it came to getting this book published. Thank you to all.

Tricia Aanderud

Writing is a solitary task, but all writers benefit from sounding boards and cheerleaders. Certainly, I would have to give thanks to my brilliant co-authors Ryan and Rob for fulfilling those roles completely. We have truly made another great book!

My colleagues at Zencos were another source of inspiration. They were able to answer technical questions and provide ideas for examples. Ben Zenick and David Septoff helped just by being excited about the project and providing the time off to complete this assignment.

Thanks for my wonderful husband Ken, who brought me coffee, assisted with developing ideas, and encouraged me to write even when I would have preferred to be taking a nap.

Rob Collum

I’d like to express gratitude and recognition to my teammates and colleagues at SAS. Much of my understanding regarding system architecture and software interactions is built upon a solid foundation provided by the rock stars of the Global Enablement & Learning team as well as generous support from the folks in Research & Development. Special thanks to my core team members Simon Williams, Jack May, Edoardo Riva, Stuart Rogers, Erwan Granger, and Mark Thomas, as well as folks from R&D including Brian Bowman, Oliver Schabenberger, Steve Krueger, and Mark Gass.

I’m thankful as well for the team working on this book. Tricia is a firebrand who launched this ambitious project with a clear and definitive vision. She was critical to keeping us – okay, me – on track over the course of this effort. Ryan was a rock, cool and steady, as we thrashed back and forth on content. And Brenna managed some of the most challenging work – coordinating the authors in conjunction with the SAS Press organization – while somehow getting compromises that looked like we each got our own way.

I am also very appreciative of my family who gave me time and space for the occasions I needed to lock myself in a closet to meet key deadlines. They were my reward each time I emerged from reclusion, always ready to engage, play, and remind me why I’m working so hard.

Ryan Kumpfmiller

Completing this project was quite the ride that spanned over many months. It took a lot of dedication and was finished only by the professional and personal support of everyone around me.

I’d like to thank everyone at Zencos for all of their assistance. This could not have been done without Ben Zenick and David Septoff. They were supportive from day one and eager for us to pursue this project. I would like to especially thank Ivan Gomez and Ben Murphy for their expert advice and guidance.

I’m also very grateful to have so many supportive friends and family in my life. Their excitement and curiosity about the project always kept my motivation going. They were understanding when I needed time to myself and there for me when I needed to wind down after long days.

Lastly, I’d like to thank my incredible co-authors Tricia and Rob. Tricia was always there to make sure our writing was on track and we never had to go very far for a question with Rob’s technical expertise.