CARY, N.C., Aug. 16, 2004 -- SAS(R), the leader in business intelligence, today announced the release of SAS Learning Edition 2.0, the latest version of its popular Learning Edition software. SAS Learning Edition is an educational, PC-based entry point to SAS' business intelligence software, combining data management, statistical analysis, advanced graphics, business forecasting, quality improvement and a roster of powerful Windows-based products from the SAS Intelligence Platform.

"SAS Learning Edition has a well-known reputation for being intuitive and easy to use," said Cindy Puryear, SAS Learning Edition marketing manager. "Corporations, universities and individuals around the globe use Learning Edition as an introduction to SAS software, as well as a way to hone their business intelligence skills. Through the feedback we received from our Learning Edition users, SAS made Learning Edition 2.0 even easier to use with better graphics, additional analytics including forecasting, quality control and correlation, and the ability to customize tasks."

SAS Learning Edition is the ideal product for people who want to learn about SAS software in a user-friendly Windows environment. Learning Edition gives users the foundation not only to increase their knowledge of SAS, but also to use the training to better compete in the job market. "After working with the SAS Learning Edition and SAS' self-paced e-learning courses - and without any prior experience with the material - I was able to interview for and secure a position as a SAS data analyst," said John Spinelli, a SAS user.

"SAS Learning Edition is a great piece of software," said Zoran Cvijanovic, visiting instructor of computer science at Colgate University. "Unlike other similar packages that require a professional statistician to provide amateurish results, SAS Learning Edition is so intuitive, well-organized and well-documented that students can start producing professional-level statistics and charts in almost no time."

SAS Learning Edition 2.0 includes the following new features:

-- Ability to write custom tasks.

-- Introduction dialog box to guide first-time users.

-- Updated code window, allowing for free-form coding.

-- Updated tutorial.

-- Ability to create query templates.

-- New tasks to help users better analyze data in SAS data sets.

-- Updated HTML style output manager.

"SAS is regarded as the industry standard for statistical analyses in my field of plant ecology and biology," said Scott Steinmaus, Ph.D., associate professor in the Horticulture and Crop Science Department at California Polytechnic State University. "With SAS Learning Edition, I can set aside the task of teaching the SAS code and focus on the statistics within an icon-driven computing environment that is very familiar to students today. This user-friendly interface allows the students to actually pick up on how to write SAS code faster than if I tried to do everything using the SAS Program Editor."

SAS Learning Edition 2.0 is available in English, as well as in traditional and simplified Chinese, Japanese and Korean to address the needs of the Asia/Pacific market. Priced at $125, SAS Learning Edition is available in bookstores nationwide, as well as internationally through online sites such as Amazon.com and Borders.com. It may also be ordered directly from SAS at (800) 727-3228 within the United States and Canada, or (919) 677-8000 outside the United States and online: http://www.sas.com/apps/pubscat/welcome.jsp.

About SAS

SAS is the market leader in providing a new generation of business intelligence software and services that create true enterprise intelligence. SAS solutions are used at more than 40,000 sites - including 96 of the top 100 companies on the FORTUNE Global 500(R) - to develop more profitable relationships with customers and suppliers; to enable better, more accurate and informed decisions; and to drive organizations forward. SAS is the only vendor that completely integrates leading data warehousing, analytics and traditional BI applications to create intelligence from massive amounts of data. For nearly three decades, SAS has been giving customers around the world The Power to Know(R). Visit us at www.sas.com.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. (R) indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies.

Copyright (C) 2004 SAS Institute Inc. Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.

www.sas.com/presscenter

Desiree Adkins, 919-531-0736
desiree.adkins@sas.com
Faye Merrideth919-531-4261
faye.merrideth@sas.com