academic degrees

• In abbreviated degrees, cut the periods: MA, MBA, BA, MFA, PhD. 
• MS in biotechnology but Master of Science in Biotechnology.
• For a PhD, it is OK to use Dr. with the person's full name on the first reference if that's what they prefer, but on subsequent references, don't use Dr. (e.g., "Dr. James H. Goodnight" on second reference would be "Goodnight," not "Dr. Goodnight.")

acronyms
In general, only introduce an acronym if it appears again in the text. If a term is better known by the acronym than its full name, however, it's OK to make an exception to this guideline. 

Unless otherwise specifically noted in the Master Name List, never shorten SAS trademarks or solution names into acronyms.

actionable
Try to avoid, as it has a specific legal meaning. Better choices include useful, usable or practical.

adtech

advisor

AI (acceptable on first reference for artificial intelligence) 

ampersand
Acceptable in headlines and display text. Do not use the & symbol in text unless you are citing a title or organization whose name includes it.

analytics
Treat as singular.

Apple trademarks
Use appropriate trademarks for first and prominent use. See Apple's trademark list.

application service provider, ASP

architect
Avoid using as a verb. Alternatives: build, design or construct.

artificial intelligence
AI is acceptable on first reference.

Asia Pacific

Basel II Capital Accord; Basel II accord

beta-test (v.); beta test (n.); beta tester (n.)

bulleted lists
Use parallel construction, begin with a capital letter, and end each item with a period. If list items are one or two words and do not complete a sentence, periods are optional, but aim for consistency.

If a list consists of names, companies, product names, etc., in general, do NOT use a period. Even if the names on the list are more than "one or two words."

Business Intelligence Competency Center

capitalization
We often use the terms "title case" and "sentence case." What do those mean, exactly?

Title case = all major words are capitalized. This means the first and last words in a phrase, plus everything else except articles, conjunctions and prepositions with fewer than four letters (e.g., a, an, the, and, but, in, for).

Sentence case = Only the first word and any proper names are capitalized.

clickstream (adj.); click stream (n.)

client/server

CO2

Coders' Corner

commas
Unless deemed necessary for clarity, do not use the serial/Oxford comma, i.e., a comma before the last in a series of terms. e.g.: The editor checked the text for issues of style, grammar, punctuation and accuracy.

companies
Whenever possible and reasonable, make your writing inclusive of all types of organizations (not just companies) that use SAS, including government entities, colleges and universities, and nonprofit groups. Diverse organizations use SAS, and writing more inclusively will enable us to distribute our communications materials more widely.

composition titles
Use italics for titles of formal compositions in text, including white papers, reports, webcasts, interactive tours, brochures, movies, television programs, books, etc.

Italics are not required in display uses. Do not italicize course or workshop titles or names of newspaper columns or blogs.

Titles of SAS-produced white papers should appear in sentence case, per the standards of the collateral team that creates them.

Use quotation marks for names of individual articles, success stories, chapters or episodes.

Other titles, such as periodical names or presentations, should be set in regular title case without italics or quotes.

compute-intensive (adj.)

copyrights
Each piece (press release, magazine, white paper, article reprint, etc.) should contain the company's standard copyright notice: Copyright © [year], SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.

currency
When writing dollar amounts, communications should generally use the following style:

• On first reference: Revenue in 2016 was US$3.2 billion (no space between US and $). On subsequent references to currency, omit the "US" and use only the dollar sign. The "US" may not be needed at all when writing about currency for exclusively US audiences.
• When writing about foreign currency figures, insert the dollar equivalent parenthetically on first reference only. Omit the conversion in subsequent references.
• For abbreviations of foreign currencies, see the listing of ISO currency codes. For conversions, consult the online Currency Calculator.

customer-centric; customer-centricity

dashes
Use an en-dash with a space on each side. Do not use em-dashes or hyphens as dashes.

data
Treat as singular.

data mart

data set

DATA step

dates
For specific dates, abbreviate months of more than five letters: Aug. 11; April 30. Do not abbreviate when only the month and year are included: November 2017. For date ranges in display text, spelling out the month is acceptable. For a range in display text, use an en dash with spaces: Jan. 13 – 15.

daycare
All uses.

deduplicate

dialog box; dialogue

early-bird discount; early-warning system

e-book 

ellipsis
An ellipsis typically indicates missing or omitted text. When pausing for emphasis, an en-dash is often the better choice. When using an ellipsis, include a space ... on each side (like so).

email

end users
Consider whether users might work just as well.

enterprise resource planning
ERP on second reference.

e-reader 

failover (n., adj.), fail over (v.)

FedRAMP®
Use the registered trademark symbol with FedRAMP on its first reference. If that first reference is not the most prominent appearance of FedRAMP, then also use the trademark symbol on the most prominent reference of FedRAMP.

file extensions
Write in all caps, with no period preceding: XML, PDF, DOC.

FinCrime

FinOps

fintech

The Forrester Wave™ 
Use trademark symbol on first reference. Also, capitalize Leader in reference to that designation/category by Forrester.

Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For

freeform (adj.)

Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ 
Use registered copyright and trademark symbols on first reference. Also, capitalize Leader in reference to that designation/category by Gartner.

generative AI 
GenAI is acceptable on second reference.

greenhouse gases
GHG is acceptable on second reference.

hard-copy (adj.); hard copy (n.)

headlines
Follow these guidelines when formatting headlines:

• Headlines, subheads, buttons and calls to action use sentence case. Short labels and headlines/subheads may use title case.
• Headlines, subheads, buttons, calls to action, ads and social tiles generally do not use end punctuation, with exceptions for grammatical necessity (e.g., questions, multiple sentences or phrases) and avoiding the appearance of inconsistency. For instance, when you have single- and multisentence- headlines in the same environment, punctuate them all.

health care
All uses.

HR
OK on first reference for human resources.

hyphenated terms
When a hyphenated term appears in title case, capitalize all words in the hyphenated phrase. e.g., "Expert-Led," not "Expert-led."

impact
Best used as a noun. Avoid using it as a verb except to describe a literal physical impact. Better: affect or influence. Try to avoid impactful.

industry descriptions
General industry descriptions or market areas - e.g., business analytics, manufacturing, financial services - are generic terms and should not be capitalized in sentence case.

insurtech

internet

Internet of Things
An exception to lowercasing internet. Use IoT on second reference. Depending on audience familiarity or when it's part of a proper name, IoT may be acceptable on first reference in some cases; use your judgment here.

IT
Acceptable on first reference for information technology.

JavaScript

Jim Goodnight
There are two options for writing Jim Goodnight's name/title: a formal option and an informal option. The informal option is Jim Goodnight, CEO of SAS. The formal option is James H. Goodnight, PhD, CEO of SAS. Most documents should use the informal option.

• The following documents should use the formal option for Goodnight on first reference: SAS Annual Report; white papers by Goodnight; formal letter (for example, to a government leader); Cary Academy commencement program.
• Do not use the courtesy title Dr. with Goodnight's name, except in some academic, Asian and political audiences.
• Do not use hybrids of the two options, such as James Goodnight or Jim Goodnight, PhD, CEO.
• Refer questions about whether a document is formal or informal to Pasqualina Favale, Goodnight's Executive Assistant. 

job titles
Capitalize titles when associated with a specific person: Senior Vice President Joe Blow of Microsoft Corp.; Joe Blow was Senior Vice President of Microsoft Corp. Lowercase when reference a general title: "Any chief executive officer bears ultimate responsibility for their organization's success." 

Leaders quadrant
Gartner term.

leverage
Avoid using as a verb to mean use. Other alternatives: include or capitalize on. (Also note that "leverage" holds a different meaning when used in a financial context.)

life cycle
All uses.

Live Web classroom; Live Web course (n.)

market basket analysis

MarTech

metadata
Metadata is a trademark of Metadata Corp., so we should be careful in our use of the term. For generic references, use metadata spelled as one word, lowercase.

mid-market

midsize (adj.)

midtier (adj.)
Middle-tier is also acceptable.

mind share
Avoid. Better: awareness, visibility, attention.

modeling

near-real time (n.), near-real-time (adj.)

next-generation, next-gen (adj.)

North Carolina State University
NC State or NC State University acceptable on second reference.

NRF EXPO

numerals

• In general, spell out numerals less than 10 and use figures for 10 or more.  
• Always use figures for units of measure, ages, tables, headers and ads.
• Per AP style, use figures for ages. A 6-year-old girl; an 8-year-old law; the 7-year-old house. 
• No. 3, not #3.  

oilfield
All uses.

on-demand (adj.); on demand (adv.)

one-on-one (adj.; adv.)

one-to-one; 1-to-1
But not 1-1 or 1-2-1.

on-premises
Try to avoid on-premise. Also acceptable: on-site.

open source
All uses.

out-of-stocks (n.)

PDF
Acceptable on first reference. Do not use the redundant PDF format.

percent, %

• Use the % sign when paired with a numeral, with no space, in most cases. The project had a 120% ROI. 
• In casual uses, use words rather than figures and numbers: She said he has a zero percent chance of winning.

post-conference; pre-conference

post-sales

prebuilt

predefined

prepaid

preregister

R&D
OK on first reference.

real-time (adj.); real time (n.)

regtech

résumé

roadmap

ROI
Acceptable on first reference for return on investment.

run time (n.); run-time (adj.)

sales force (n.); salesforce (adj.)

SAS®9
Trademark on every use with no space between the trademark and 9. But with any other version, use a space after the trademark (SAS® 9.4) and the term SAS can be treated like any other instance of SAS, only requiring a trademark if a first reference (see below).

SAS, SAS®
On first reference, refer to the company as SAS, not SAS Institute. However, there are a few occasions when Institute is still required:

• In legal documents, we remain SAS Institute. 
• Trademark statements: SAS is a registered trademark of SAS Institute Inc.
• The full company name – SAS Institute Inc. – will still appear on stationery, business cards, contracts, etc.

SAS is a brand that describes both the company and its products. To protect the brand, it is important to use the registered trademark symbol in appropriate circumstances when SAS refers to the company's subbrands, products or services – e.g.,  SAS® software, SAS® Anti-Money Laundering – but not when it refers to the company name. An easy way to help distinguish between the two is that if the word "Institute" could be inserted after "SAS" and it makes sense, then the trademark symbol is not needed.

First references to SAS products and services must be trademarked; you can omit the trademark on second reference. Logos with trademark symbols count as first references, as long as they appear first visually. As of February 2024, headlines, subheads and other prominent copy do not need trademark symbols if the trademarked term is not a first reference. Trademark symbols are not required in window tile bars and email subject lines.

The trademark on the first reference to SAS covers all subsequent SAS references – including other solutions – other than solution names that are themselves trademarked, such as SAS® Viya®.

Do not combine the SAS brand name with any other words, for example, by using a slash, hyphen or dash.

Do not form a possessive from any trademarked term – e.g., Viya's.

Possessive form for references to SAS the company is SAS' (not SAS's). Ex: SAS' employee-friendly work environment has gained widespread recognition.

SAS® Academic Program

SAS® Academy for Data Science

SAS Books

SAS campus 

SAS® certification 

SAS® Communities, SAS® Support Communities 

SAS Customer Connection, SAS Customer Connections 

SAS® Day 

SAS Education
Refers to a division of SAS, not a service.

SAS® Enterprise Guide®
Because the solution name itself is trademarked, always trademark both terms (SAS and Enterprise Guide) on first reference.

SAS® Enterprise Miner™
Because the solution name itself is trademarked, always trademark both terms (SAS and Enterprise Miner) on first reference.

SAS® Expo 

SAS® Fellowship Program 

SAS Financial Services Executive Forum 

SAS® Global Forum
Do not abbreviate.

SAS® Integrated Roadmap 

SAS Interactive Roadshow 

SAS® Partner Program
Replaced the SAS Alliance; do not use the old term.

However, the word partner should not be capitalized unless specifically related to the SAS Partner Program.

SAS President's Club
President's Club is acceptable on second reference.

SAS Press 

SAS Publications 

SAS Publishing 

SAS® Reseller Program 

SAS® Software Certification for Young Professionals program
SAS SCYP is acceptable on second reference.

SAS® Student Network 

SAS Talks 

SAS Technical Enablement Academy 

SAS and Teradata Warranty Analysis Advantage Program 

SAS® training; SAS® training center 

SAS® Training Points 

SAS® Viya® 
Because the solution name itself is trademarked, always trademark both terms (SAS and Viya) on first reference.

It is acceptable to write Viya as a standalone after first reference to SAS Viya. When there are many references in a document, you may want to alternate "SAS Viya" with standalone "Viya" depending on context.

For SAS Viya Workbench, always include SAS Viya or Viya with the name (SAS Viya Workbench or Viya Workbench on subsequent references), just as for all solutions that have a Workbench version.

SAS world headquarters 

screenshot

signatures

As a general guideline, SAS no longer uses an electronic signature for corporate officers due to security concerns. For any exceptions, consult Corporate Creative for executive approval. In a marketing letter or email that uses SAS letterhead or the SAS logo, do not use "SAS" after the name/title of a corporate officer below the signature.

small to medium businesses (SMB)

solution names
For a complete list of SAS solution names, please visit the Master Name List. Use the following guidelines:

• SAS does not use release, version or system in software titles. The SAS name will appear on all products but without release or version. Example: SAS® 9.1.
• Most SAS solution names should not be preceded by "the." But if the primary noun in the solution name is the name of an actual object (as opposed to a metaphor), if that object is a countable noun, and if the software industry generally agrees with what that object is or does, then using "the" is acceptable. Examples: SAS Business Intelligence, SAS Web Analytics, SAS/OR, the SAS Metadata Server, and the SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office. 
• Always keep "SAS" as part of SAS solution names and follow trademark guidelines. Because of our generic and descriptive approach to naming, simply referring to "Anti-Money Laundering" instead of "SAS Anti-Money Laundering" will not explicitly communicate that you're talking about the specific SAS offering. 
• SAS solution names should always be capitalized. However, if using the word "solution" after the name, the word "solution" should generally be lowercase. The word "solution" is no longer a formal part of most SAS solution names, unless it identifies a family of solutions.
• In general, do not abbreviate SAS solution names. Just writing about "SAS" (without specifying the solution) is also an acceptable alternative to vary the terminology on subsequent references.

spend
Do not use as a noun. Alternatives include spending, expenditures, expenses, investing/investment, budget.

SQL pass through (n.), SQL pass-through (adj.)

standalone (adj.)

stock keeping unit
SKU is acceptable on second reference.

states
When referring to US cities in communications to US-only audiences, abbreviate state names using two-letter US Postal Service abbreviations (without periods): Cary, NC. Do not abbreviate state names in communications with an audience that includes people outside the US.

super demo 

sync
All uses.

THE POWER TO KNOW^®

For inclusion within text, use all caps in the same font as the surrounding text. In display text or headers, use initial caps: The Power to Know^®. Do not use italics. Do not use bold unless the surrounding text is bold. Use superscript for the registered trademark symbol. For complete usage rules, please go to the legal division's page Trademarks and Logos.

time of day

• When indicating the time zone, omit references to "daylight" or "standard": 1 p.m. ET.
• In general, do not include trailing zeroes: 1 p.m., not 1:00 p.m. But it's acceptable to include the zeroes in display uses or agendas. 
• For time ranges in display text, use a hyphen or dash with space on each side: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• When using from in a time range, always use to: from 1 to 2 p.m.
• Do not repeat a.m. or p.m. when both times in a range are the same: from 1 to 2 p.m.
• Consider using "noon" or "midnight" for 12 p.m. or a.m.

time series analysis

toolbar; toolset; toolkit (n.)

trademarks

• For trademarking references to SAS software, see the entry for "SAS, SAS®" above.
• A trademark is necessary for first references to SAS solutions and services in any text in an article, email, ad, web page, etc. It is also necessary in graphics that contain SAS trademarks and attached to all trademarked SAS logos.
• Include the SAS trademark in the first references to solutions where the solution name is also trademarked, even if it is not the first reference to SAS – e.g., SAS^® Enterprise Guide^® (not SAS Enterprise Guide^®). Also, Enterprise Guide can't stand alone. Always write as SAS Enterprise Guide.
• Do not include trademarks in pull-out quotes, email subject lines or email preview text.
• For a complete list of SAS solution names and trademarks, see the Master Name List. 

The Umstead Hotel and Spa
On second reference, use The Umstead.

triple bottom line (n.)

trustworthy AI

URL

Do not include "http" or "www" in visible SAS web addresses. For example, instead of http://www.sas.com/businessanalytics, simply write sas.com/businessanalytics. Exceptions may be made for other companies' boilerplate copy or when a page does not load correctly without including the prefixes. Also, try to avoid including excessively long URLs in printed documents. If a URL is at the end of a sentence, put a period after it. This includes regular or vanity URLs.

US

users group; users groups

wait list (n.); waiting list (n.); waitlist (v.)

Webex

what-if analysis
Do not use quote marks.

x – 10x faster

XML
Acceptable on first reference.