IBUC 2006 Abstract

Standardizing and Automating Blaise Output Test Data Delivery (TransSAS)
Latha Srinivasamohan ; US Census Bureau, USA

The Technologies Management Office (TMO) has developed and supports a multi-user testing environment for
instrument testing. For our CASES instruments we provided data output from this testing environment using the
CASES Output utility. Until recently, however, we were not providing similar output from our Blaise instruments.

This paper will describe the importance of data verification by sponsors and data processors and will discuss how
TransSAS was implemented in a multi-user testing environment. TransSAS is an application that allows instrument
testers and data processors a way to retrieve and review SAS output from a Blaise instrument or module running
on the TMO instrument testing environment, referred to as the TMOUsers system.

Topics:
• Overview of the multi-user testing environment at the Census Bureau;
• Common tools used to create TransSAS application and its usefulness;
• Importance of identifying data issues in early stages;
• Streamlining the extraction of data from Blaise to SAS datasets;
• Packaging and standardizing data delivery.

Providing this mechanism for instrument testers and data processors to retrieve test output from Blaise instruments
provides the following benefits:
• The application is low maintenance and cost effective;
• It ensures better data quality;

Contact: latha.srin@srinivasamohan@census.gov