MWSUG 2024 Conference Waukesha, Wisconsin
[Midwestern SAS Software Users Group]
In October 2024, I had the privilege of attending the Midwestern SAS Users Group MWSUG Conference in Waukesha, Wisconsin — a
vibrant gathering
of data scientists, statisticians, and analytics professionals from across the
region. The event
highlighted innovative applications of analytics in industry and academia, with a strong focus on both
traditional SAS
tools and modern integrations with open-source technologies.
Together with Ryan Paul Lafler [Premier
Analytics], I co-authored and
presented a paper on the integration of
Python’s
libraries for data
cleaning, processing, and modeling within the SAS Viya framework. Our work showcased how Python’s
flexibility and SAS
Viya’s enterprise-scale capabilities can be seamlessly combined to build reproducible, efficient, and
production-ready
machine learning pipelines. The presentation sparked insightful conversations on hybrid workflows,
reproducibility in
analytics, and the growing role of open-source ecosystems within SAS environments.
The conference also offered a fantastic platform to network with industry leaders, exchange practical
techniques, and
explore real-world case studies. Beyond the technical sessions, MWSUG fostered a collaborative spirit
where new ideas,
coding strategies, and best practices were shared openly — reinforcing the importance of bridging
proprietary and
open-source technologies in today’s data-driven world.
