The Technical Support FAQ was the first effort by SAS Institute to place a document online before placing the book in print. However, the popularity of the FAQ on the web was so impressive, it was quickly decided to keep this document only as an online version. The format of a FAQ is ideal for web browsing. Hyperlinks from one topic can lead a user through a series of similar topics. The searchable index allows users to find key words in products they may not find otherwise.
Most topics also have links to related documentation.
With one click, the user finds themselves in the Publications Catalog, and able to place a quick order of a book. As the FAQ expands to over 1500 questions, we have found that this document has also become an invaluable resource to the employees of SAS Institute. By mirroring this document on our intranet, we have a tool that can be used by both SAS programmers and the Technical Support staff. The FAQ is updated as needed by members of our Technical Support staff. In the future, the Technical Support Staff plans to implement an interactive question and answer section, a query for finding the status of a request, and a query to assign a Sales Representative when further purchases or site renewals are required.