Further development of SAS 9 is severely limited

SAS is gradually phasing out further development of SAS 9—which means there will be no more new features, and support is also expected to end in the medium term.

Companies using SAS 9 face a strategic decision: How should they proceed with their existing SAS environment to remain future-proof and competitive?

According to market analyses by Forrester and Gartner, an increasing number of companies are simultaneously turning to modern, cloud-based analytics platforms. Maintenance costs for legacy systems are rising, integrations with modern technologies are becoming more difficult, and regulatory requirements demand increasingly flexible systems.

What does this mean for companies that still rely on SAS 9 today? What alternatives are available, and what risks does the status quo entail?

This article provides a clear, technology-neutral overview of the three key options, their advantages, and challenges—so you can make an informed decision.

SAS Viya is SAS's cloud-enabled evolution, designed to integrate into modern IT architectures. It offers:

• Better performance through cloud scalability
• Support for open-source technologies such as Python and R
• Ongoing updates and a long-term roadmap

Who should consider this option?

• Companies that want to continue using their existing SAS applications with as few code changes as possible
• Companies with stringent regulatory requirements that rely on SAS as a validated solution
• Organizations that want to migrate their SAS infrastructure to the cloud or modernize it

Challenges of migrating to Viya

• Effort: Depends on the SAS 9 environment—not every application can be migrated on a 1:1 basis.
• Costs: Viya operates on a subscription-only model (SaaS), which may result in rising license costs over the long term.
• IT integration: Existing on-premises processes must be adapted.

Many companies are using the phase-out of SAS 9 as an opportunity to realign their data and analytics platforms—particularly with open-source languages such as Python or R.

Why?

• No licensing costs for the languages and packages used
• Larger developer community—easy integration of new methods and tools
• Cloud-native architecture—greater scalability and performance

Who should consider this option?

• Companies that want to move away from licensing costs and closed systems
• Teams that already have experience with Python or R
• Companies that want to integrate analytics and AI directly into their cloud strategy

Challenges of Replacing SAS with Open Source

• Code migration: SAS programs must be migrated or rewritten.
• Data pipelines & reporting: Existing BI and data warehouse processes must be adapted.
• Training needs: Users and developers must be trained in open-source technologies.

Many companies are opting for a smooth transition by running SAS and open source in parallel. Under this approach, the existing SAS 9.4 continues to be used until the end of support, while new processes are migrated to open source. Ultimately, however, this approach still leads to a complete migration—whether to Viya or a cloud platform.

Why?

• Less risk than a complete switch all at once
• Existing SAS applications continue to run
• New use cases benefit from open source

Who should consider this option?

• Companies that cannot or do not want to completely replace SAS
• Teams that are developing new applications in Python or R but are keeping SAS for existing applications
• Organizations with a large body of SAS code that cannot be migrated in the short term

Challenges of a hybrid approach

• Data integration: SAS and open-source tools must be able to communicate with each other.
• Governance & Security: A dual system can lead to increased management overhead.

The decision between SAS Viya, open source, or a hybrid approach is not a simple one—it depends on:

• Regulatory requirements: How important are regulations and compliance?
• Cost vs. benefit: What will the migration cost, and what is the cost of doing nothing?
• IT resources: Is there in-house expertise in open-source technologies?
• Future-proofing: How flexible should the architecture be in 3–5 years?

What happens if you do nothing?

• Rising maintenance and support costs
• Technological risk due to outdated architecture
• Difficulty integrating new technologies

SAS 9 isn’t going to disappear overnight, but companies should start developing a roadmap for their future analytics strategy now. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution—each option has its pros and cons.

Recommendation: Companies should first take stock:

• Which SAS applications are critical?
• What alternatives are available for individual processes?
• Which infrastructure strategy aligns with the company’s vision?

Planning early on not only minimizes costs and risks but also allows you to build a flexible, future-proof analytics architecture.

We’d be happy to help you analyze your current SAS environment and work with you to handle the implementation—whether it’s SAS Viya, open source, or a hybrid solution.