How time flies! It has been more than a year since I joined Elixir Clinical Research as a SAS programmer. From a confused newcomer to the now skilled programmer who can actively learn and master new skills, my colleagues have given me a lot of care and support, allowing me to think more proactively about how to improve myself from the perspective of a SAS programmer. Based on experience shared by senior colleagues and my personal growth journey, today I would like to share in the following aspects:

Standardization

When we talk about the self-improvement of SAS programmers, the first thing that has to be highlighted is "CDSIC", which is short for "The Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium". CDSIC uniformly process clinical trial data generated in the project according to the prescribed standards. I believe that many newcomers have the same idea as I did, thinking that programming skills are the most important, yet the truth is that they only serve as a basis. After mastering basic programming skills, it is especially critical to improve your understanding of the CDISC standards as you have access to more different types of projects. According to protocols and SAP, the setting and value of variables should be determined based on the specific criteria in CDISIC.

Modularization

Programmers need to deliver appropriate TFLs based on SAP, and many times the data sets or TFLs are handled in the same or similar manner. The way how you modularize your daily work will affect productivity. On the one hand, you can summarize common processing methods and write macro programs, which can be applied directly when needed, just by changing some parameter values; on the other hand, you can summarize similar form programs into template programs, then there is no need to write them repeatedly. Modularization can enhance our summarization capabilities and programming skills, as well as improve our productivity.

Automation

I think automation is actually an upgraded version of modularization, which is the current trend in the industry. That is, according to CDISC, project experience can be summarized, similar requirements can be categorized and processed to the maximum extent, and we can manage to set scenarios that may be encountered, into different parameters to create an aggregation tool, and enhance readability through a visual operation interface. With that being said, I also want to confess that "automation" is the goal of my career development. I wish to achieve that as soon as possible through continuous learning and practice!

Talk Show -- Voice of the Pharmaceutical and Health Industry

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Insight and reflection on the pharmaceutical and health industry

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How SAS programmers improve themselves (I)

As a new SAS programmer in the pharmaceutical industry, I think the core competitiveness still lies in his/her programming skills and understanding of data standards. Programming skills are closely related to productivity, while a comprehensive and deep understanding of data standards is a strong guarantee of project quality improvement. Of course, adapting to this job is an inevitable and crucial process for newcomers, especially those "who have no SAS experience at all".

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