The goal of a statistical software tester is to verify that the software functions correctly and produces valid results. The mantra of a successful tester is (to paraphrase President Ronald Reagan), “Don’t trust and verify!” Testers build suites of test programs and benchmark the results, including graphical displays. A SAS test suite has thousands of procedure calls to validate numeric results, verify functionality of statements and options, and check for proper error handling. These suites are run frequently during the development cycle and any benchmark changes are investigated. A thorough test suite detects unexpected side effects of updates to the code.
SAS
Analytic Engineer Has a Passion for Solving Puzzles
Justin Rowland, an analytic engineer at the Advanced Analytics Lab at SAS, talks about what it is to be an analyst, the tools he uses as an analyst, and the variety of problems he solves day to day.
Statistics Teachers Needed in Industrial Settings
It is widely assumed that you need a PhD in statistics to teach applied statistics in an industrial setting. However, many teaching jobs in industrial settings require only a master’s degree in statistics. A career as a statistical instructor can be rewarding, as you continually learn new statistical methods and obtain personal satisfaction knowing you are helping professionals solve problems.