Thread regarding SAS Institute layoffs

The Future of Data Management

Is more managers apparently

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| 2234 views | | 16 replies (last October 23, 2024) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1qY7aGkS

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@1hjt+1qY7aGkS

The original IMDB as programmed by JG was a standalone program with chunks of memory holding data fronted by a bizarre "hat language" which allowed you to do simple manipulations to said data by using random shift-key characters as operators and some quickly assembled code to do the operations.

Make it part of SAS they said.

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Post ID: @4aqvq+1qY7aGkS

@cfke+1qY7aGkS
Give us at least a hint with initials.

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Post ID: @eqde+1qY7aGkS

@bjem+1qY7aGkS

… someone retired and wealthy

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Post ID: @cfke+1qY7aGkS

@1hjt+1qY7aGkS

"before handing it off to one of the more competent data management R&D practitioners in SAS history."

Who was that practitioner, pray tell?

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Post ID: @bjem+1qY7aGkS

https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1qGOrFzi#replies

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Post ID: @2zdr+1qY7aGkS

@1bek+1qY7aGkS

That’s sadly who I suspected. NR is an excellent developer and human being to work with. She truly endeavored to make the “top down “approach in Data Management work as well as it possibly could.

Given her extensive cross-the-stack engineering background and ongoing personal passion for lifelong learning, I believe NR did the best she could under the circumstances.

She certainly has the technical chops to do her part to make Data Management at SAS much better than it is, had the overall strategy (which cuts across V9, Viya and many varied data source/connector technologies) provided her that opportunity. It’s sad to see someone of her caliber and long-term contribution let go.

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Post ID: @1dpt+1qY7aGkS

I recall watching some town hall type meeting some months ago. GR and JP were both transparent about the challenges facing the group.

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Post ID: @1ddv+1qY7aGkS

@1lor+1qY7aGkS

Initials are NR.

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Post ID: @1bek+1qY7aGkS

@1bxj+1qY7aGkS

Could not have said it better! Spent a long R&D career flabbergasted over exactly what you described. TKTS was an even bigger #CF than SPDS. JG himself designed the initial IMDB (In memory database) before handing it off to one of the more competent data management R&D practitioners in SAS history. In any case, JG was never truly interested in developing a deep bench of data management internals/infrastructure talent. Both the talent and the products have to be built from “the bottom up” with copious basic research from patient, mature specialist developers, undistracted by micromanaging politicians. Unfortunately the opposite was true for most if not all of these aspects.

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Post ID: @1hjt+1qY7aGkS

Talk data to me! There's a button for that.

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Post ID: @1whm+1qY7aGkS

There is no future for Data Management at SAS. SAS blew that many years ago.

SAS hasn't innovated in data management for 20 years. DI Server was an average ETL tool that was released, refined a little bit and then left to whither and die. Dataflux was acquired and then never properly integrated into the SAS9 stack. SPDS was primitive and flawed and could never compete in the scalable storage space. SAS backed the wrong horse with Hadoop....and as for data management on Viya, well, don't get me started!

SAS never gave data management the attention it deserved, and instead focused too much on AI/ML which was much more se-y...but sadly also an area where SAS was totally ill equiped to compete.

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Post ID: @1bxj+1qY7aGkS

Hints on who this Director is? What product did she primarily manage?

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Post ID: @1lor+1qY7aGkS

:@1dmn+1qY7aGkS

If the position was eliminated then there isn’t a replacement.

The staff will be assigned to other managers.

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Post ID: @1uiz+1qY7aGkS

The visionary director’s position was eliminated. This could be very difficult for the amazing team of developers and sdets and hands on managers who have worked so collaboratively for years. I’d say it’s similar to loosing a family member.

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Post ID: @1htv+1qY7aGkS

Nah the answer is always more directors, senior directors, VPs and senior VPs!

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Post ID: @1hld+1qY7aGkS

At SAS, the answer is always more managers!

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Post ID: @1rli+1qY7aGkS

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