Windows 7 Problem Steps Recorder

I was recently introduced to the Windows 7 Problem Steps Recorder (PSR). Wow, it's a well-hidden nugget of gold in Windows! Have you ever had the task of recording the steps you took in Windows? Perhaps to describe a problem, or maybe to create some user guide documentation, or perhaps to record your activities for audit purposes. Regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals demand that evidence of test execution be collected.

The PSR is a great tool for quickly documenting a series of steps that you take on your PC. Screenshots are automatically captured by the recorder (showing keystrokes and screen clicks) and comments can optionally be added to provide a more detailed description of what is happening. Once the recording is finished, the screenshots and comments are saved to a zip file.

To start the Problem Step Recorder, click the Start menu, then type Problem in the search field; you will see Problem Step Recorder in the results list. Click the Start Record button. It's pretty simple to use, but if you need an overview you can refer to the PSR video on Microsoft Technet; for further help, check the How Do I Use PSR article on the Microsoft web site.

NOTE: SAS BI Logs Made Easy

I just found a couple of useful tools that I'm looking forward to using next time I have a problem with a SAS BI server!

I've been quiet over the last couple of weeks because I've been working from home and looking after the kids while my wife has cycled the length of Britain (from Land's End in the South West of England, to John O'Groats in North East Scotland). It's a 1,000 mile journey and Cathy did it in 10 days. I'm very proud of her, and so are the kids. You can see her blog of her journey at http://LeJogBlog.TheRatcliffes.net. (and you can still donate to her chosen charity and congratulate her on her success - don't forget to say you're a NOTE: reader)

Sadly, taking care of the kids' requirements for dropping-off at school, and picking-up from school, and dinner, and help with homework meant that I was unable to attend the SAS Professionals conference at Marlow. I will be there next year. It's an excellent forum to pick-up new SAS-related information and to catch-up with old friends from the SAS world.

Anyway, now that life in the Ratcliffe household is back to normal (well, as normal as it ever is) I have time to get back to the NOTE: blog...

...and I came across a SAS e-newsletter article from 2007 that described a couple of tools that SAS made available for reading SAS BI server logs.

• The SAS BI Color Coding Application color codes SAS BI log files and highlights important information. The application makes it easier to read and understand the log files

• The Object Spawner Request Summary Report Application reads SAS Object Spawner log files and produces reports and graphs of what it finds

Both sound useful. I'm just waiting for a problem so I can try them out for real!

NOTE: Data Set Reader and Log Analyser from Oceanview

UK-based Oceanview Consultancy have a couple of neat SAS utilities that just might meet your SAS team's needs. DSREAD reads a SAS data set and provides information about it without requiring SA software; and Elvis(!) is a log analyser par excellence.

Back in May 2006 when NOTE: was an email newsletter and boasted 3,700 subscribers worldwide, issue 17 featured the Elvis log analyser (and some awful usage of some of The King's record titles). Well, Chris Long wrote to me recently to tell me of his latest creation - DSREAD.