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Getting started with SAS

How to download, install, and activate SAS on Windows.

Applies to SAS Teaching & Research Applies to SAS Administrative Windows
Mike CabanManager, OIT Help Desk

Last revised:

These steps are for people who have already ordered SAS. If a colleague needs SAS, please do not forward your license file to them. Point them to the AntSoft software catalog so they can place their own order and receive their own license.

Before you begin

A couple of things to have ready before you install.

You need your SAS license file on hand. Your SAS order confirmation email has a Get your SAS license file & instructions button. It opens a secure page where you sign in with your UCI account (UCInetID or Microsoft 365) and download the file. Only you, the license holder, can get it there. Save the file somewhere you can find it, because you will use it at the very end of the installation to activate SAS. Your license file is tied to your order, so please keep it private and do not share it.

The download links on that page only last a few minutes. If one expires, refresh the page while you're signed in to get a fresh one. Didn't get the email? Contact oit-licenses@uci.edu and we will help.

One installer, both editions

You do not need to hunt for a specific installer. The Windows installer is labeled TR, but it is the same installer whether you ordered SAS Teaching & Research or SAS Administrative. The software is bit-for-bit identical no matter which SAS license you were assigned. Only the license file differs, and it never changes what SAS can do or how you install it.

Why is SAS assigned by role? SAS is licensed by role purely for licensing compliance and auditing: academic appointees (faculty, lecturers, researchers) receive Teaching & Research, staff receive Administrative, and SAS Server is provided on request. It is only a matter of which license file is on record for you. Whatever your role, the steps below apply to you either way.

Using a Mac

There is no macOS version of SAS. To run SAS on a Mac you first need to run Windows on it.

You can run Windows on a Mac using Boot Camp or VirtualBox. Either option requires a licensed copy of Windows.

  • Students can get a free copy of Windows through the Student Use Benefit program.
  • Employees using personal computers or department-managed or university-owned Macs should partner with their CSC for help obtaining a Windows license and setting up Boot Camp. Unfortunately, OIT cannot assist with this request.

Just updating your license?

Already have SAS installed

If SAS is already on your computer and you only need to apply a new license file:

  1. Go to the Start Menu › SAS › Renew SAS Software.
  2. Follow the prompts to install the new license file.

Installing SAS for the first time? Skip this and start with Download SAS below.

Download SAS

You will be asked to sign in. The download site is protected, so it will prompt you to log in with your UCI Microsoft 365 account, the same username and password you use for UCI email. Use your full UCInetID address (for example peter@uci.edu).
  1. Open our software download site and sign in with your UCI Microsoft 365 account. It opens straight to the SAS folder.
  2. Select the folder for the version (for example 9.4), then select the Windows Workstation zip file.
    1. Even though the installer says TR, it is the same installer whether you ordered SAS Administrative or SAS Teaching & Research. The software is identical; only your license file differs by role, and the one you downloaded through your order confirmation email is the correct one for you. Use that file at the activation step and you are set.
  3. When prompted, select Download. This is a very large file, so it may take hours to download.
  4. Once the file has downloaded, double-click the zip file and follow the prompts to unzip it.
  5. Open the new SAS folder on your computer, then continue with the install below.

Install SAS (first time)

Work through these in order. When a screen is not mentioned, leaving the default is safe.

  1. Start the SAS installer by double-clicking setup.exe.
  2. On the language prompt, leave the default as English (or choose another language) and click OK.
  3. On the SAS Deployment Task screen, leave it on Install SAS Software and click Next.
  4. For the deployment type, choose Install SAS Foundation and Related Software and click Next. Do not leave it on the default Perform a planned deployment.
  5. On Select Products to Install, tick the box next to each product you want, then click Next. If you are unsure, leave the default, since some options require extra configuration.
  6. Select SAS Foundation Mode: leave the default unless you are sure of changes, then click Next.
  7. Select SAS Enterprise Guide Mode: leave the default unless you are sure of changes, then click Next.
  8. Select SAS Foundation Products: leave the default unless you are sure of changes, then click Next.
  9. Specify SAS installation data file (this is your license file). Click Browse, find the license file you downloaded earlier, double-click it, then click Next.
  10. Select Language Support: choose your languages. For most people, click Clear All (leaving only English), then click Next.
  11. Default Product for SAS file types: leave the default if you are unsure, then click Next.
  12. Specify SAS Clinical Standards Toolkit Libraries: leave the default unless you are sure of changes, then click Next.
    If you see "You selected a directory that already exists." Add something unique to the end of the folder name, such as today's date, for example c:\cstGlobalLibrary-20210921, then click Next.
  13. Specify SAS Document Conversion Host and Port: this shows your computer's IP address and a default port. Leave the defaults and click Next.
  14. Checking System: SAS runs a series of compatibility and disk-space checks. When it finishes, click Next.
  15. SAS Deployment Wizard: click Start. SAS checks for the private SAS Java runtimes and installs them if needed. If they are not needed, click Finish and the install continues automatically. When it completes, click Next.
  16. Deployment Complete: click Next.
  17. Select Support Option: click Next.
  18. You will see a set of support links. Click Finish to complete the installation.
That's it. SAS is installed and activated with your license file. You're ready to go.

Need help?

If you get stuck, email oit-licenses@uci.edu and the OIT licensing team will help you out. If your computer is managed by a departmental CSC, they are also a great first stop for installation help.