First SAS, Teradata Analytic Superhero Unmasked

ORLANDO, Fla. --(Business Wire)--

The first League of Analytic Superheroes member, "Illumino" (aka Rick Andrews), was revealed Monday at SAS (News - Alert)^® Global Forum. One of many to be recognized for powerful analytical skills and accomplishments, he wields market-leading technologies from SAS, the leader in business analytics software and services, and Teradata (News - Alert) (NYSE: TDC), the data solutions leader focused on big data analytics and data warehousing.

The first League of Analytic Superheroes member, "Illumino" (aka Rick Andrews) (Photo: Business Wire)

Rick Andrews' evolution to analytic hero Illumino was depicted during SAS Global Forum in a stylized tale of his exploits. He will receive his own superhero action figure based on an illustration created in his likeness by a professional graphic novel artist.

Andrews, who works in the Office of the Actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has been a programmer-analyst for nearly 20 years in roles including senior data analyst, engineering analyst, systems designer, team leader and mentor. He is experienced in mainframe, UNIX and Windows environments, and his strongest technical skills are SAS programming and SQL. Andrews has trained hundreds of users and meets monthly to keep CMS economists, statisticians, actuaries and health specialists on the top of their fields.

Andrews' predictive insights quickly deliver useful information, producing superhero-sized results.

Launched in March, SAS and Teradata's talent search for the League of Analytic Superheroes seeks best-of-the-best individuals, teams and companies - masters at integrating analytic solutions from SAS and Teradata to produce earth-shattering insights and business value.

The League's illustrious leader, Dr. Insight, has been teasing the industry through his blog and other social media. Also at the event, Dr. Insight revealed himself to be Bill Franks, Teradata Chief Analytics Officer and author of the new book Taming the Big Data Tidal Wave. "The Analytic Superheroes project mixes playfulness and serious business to get people's interest," Franks said. "We're learning powerful lessons about how the best analytics pros are furthering our cause. After all, who wouldn't trade lessons learned for their own superhero character?"

"We've entered an era in which data fuels an economy driven by data scientists," said Michael Rappa, Founding Director of the Institute for Advanced Analytics, faculty member of the North Carolina State University computer science department and leader of the nation's first Master of Science in Analytics program. "Today's Analytics Superheroes are the grandmasters of data science whose skill in the tools and methods of analytics set them apart from their peers. Like the brilliant surgeon or musical genius, they've earned our admiration and accolades. The data universe is an endless frontier. To explore it, students today must master the tools and skills - our economic future depends on it. The Analytics Superheroes program is perfect to inspire them."

Analytic professionals and data scientists using SAS and Teradata can apply for superhero status on the Analytic Superheroes website by quantitatively reporting efforts to advance real-world business objectives - and thus defeat "the forces of chaos." SAS and Teradata associates may nominate analysts. Each nomination is reviewed by an expert panel. Superheroes are immortalized in various ways, and may apply to join the International Institute for Analytics.

Today's announcement was made at SAS Global Forum, the world's largest gathering of SAS users, attended by more than 3,400 business and IT users of SAS software and solutions.

Additional background:

Images: http://pinterest.com/drinsight/
Get Your Superhero On! (AllAnalytics.com)
What Are Analytic Superheroes? (YouTube (News - Alert))
SAS Analytic Advantage for Teradata - competitively priced, integrated packages to quickly and cost-effectively deploy SAS Business Analytics with the Teradata Enterprise Data Warehouse platform.
International Institute for Analytics - defining the path to analytics excellence

About Teradata

Teradata Corporation (NYSE: TDC) is the world's leading analytic data solutions company focused on integrated data warehousing, big data analytics, and business applications. Teradata's innovative products and services deliver data integration and business insight to empower organizations to achieve competitive advantage. Visit teradata.com for details.

About SAS

SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative solutions, SAS helps customers at more than 55,000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Since 1976 SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW^®. 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. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2012 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

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