SAS Viya

Enable advanced analytics, data visualization, and AI-driven insights for business intelligence.

Globe Linkedin Youtube Facebook Twitter
  • Overview
  • Features
  • Pricing
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Reviews

SAS Viya Overview

  • Updated September 1, 2025

SAS Viya is a powerful, cloud-native platform designed for advanced business intelligence and analytics. It empowers organizations to uncover insights through data visualization, machine learning, and AI-driven analytics.

With its scalable architecture, SAS Viya supports data management, predictive modeling, and real-time decision-making, enabling businesses to optimize operations and drive strategic growth. Its user-friendly interface and robust integration capabilities make it a versatile solution for data-driven enterprises.

Key Features

  • Cloud-Native Architecture: The platform runs in cloud, on-premise, or hybrid setups with Kubernetes ensuring scalability. It adapts smoothly to changing workloads.

  • Data Management & Integration: Connections to databases, data lakes, and streams allow flexibility. Both no-code and code-based options support strong pipeline creation.

  • Advanced Analytics & AI: Statistical tools, machine learning, deep learning, and NLP enable predictive modeling and scenario analysis.

  • Automated Machine Learning (AutoML): Algorithm selection and tuning occur automatically. High-quality models reach production faster and more efficiently.

  • Data Visualization & Reporting: Interactive dashboards, charts, and maps enhance clarity. Autocharting suggests visuals, while custom reporting remains available.

  • Open-Source Integration: APIs ensure compatibility with Python, R, Lua, and Java. Teams gain flexible workflows across varied environments.

  • Model Management & Deployment: Full lifecycle support includes version control, monitoring, retraining, and deployment as APIs for real-time applications.

  • Collaborative Workspaces: Teams share data, code, and reports within secure spaces. SAS Drive and similar tools improve organization and feedback exchange.

  • Governance & Security: Role-based access, encryption, auditing, and GDPR compliance strengthen protection. Data lineage tracking builds trust in results.

  • Streaming Analytics: IoT and real-time streams deliver instant insights. Automated actions keep responses fast and reliable.

  • Interactive Data Preparation: Visual tools allow profiling, cleansing, and enrichment without the need for coding. Calculated fields and filters expand flexibility.

  • Mobile Accessibility: Dedicated iOS and Android apps provide offline access, voice commands, and mobile-optimized reports.

  • Augmented Analytics: Automated insights, pattern detection, and natural language explanations simplify exploration for all users.

Price

Pricing Model Details
Official Pricing Not publicly disclosed—requires consultation with SAS.
Azure Marketplace (Pay-As-You-Go) Available but no public price listed.
Historical Reference (Mar 2020) Ranges from ~$1,100 to ~$24,600/month depending on deployment size and modules.
Overall Expectation Pricing varies based on deployment configuration, ML modules, and environment size.

Pros

Competitor

Pros of SAS Viya
Tableau SAS Viya shines with its robust, end-to-end analytics platform that goes beyond Tableau’s focus on data visualization. It integrates advanced machine learning, AI, and data management in a cloud-native environment, which supports complex predictive modeling and governance.

Users on G2 praise SAS Viya’s scalability and performance for large datasets, and this gives it an edge for enterprises needing comprehensive analytics over Tableau’s more visualization-centric approach. Its open-source integration (Python, R) also broadens its appeal for data scientists.
Qlik Sense SAS Viya stands out with its all-in-one platform, combining data prep, analytics, and AI, whereas Qlik Sense leans heavily on associative data modeling and dashboards. SAS Viya’s strength lies in its advanced analytics capabilities, like AutoML and time-series forecasting, which G2 reviews highlight as intuitive for both coders and non-coders.

Its cloud-native architecture ensures seamless scaling, and this makes it ideal for organizations needing flexibility across hybrid environments compared to Qlik’s more focused BI tools.
Microsoft Power BI SAS Viya offers deeper analytical depth than Power BI, which excels in user-friendly dashboards and Microsoft ecosystem integration. SAS Viya’s advanced AI, machine learning, and governance features cater to data scientists and enterprises, and G2 reviews note its reliability for complex use cases like fraud detection.

Its ability to handle massive datasets with in-memory processing outpaces Power BI’s performance for large-scale analytics, and this suits data-heavy industries.
Alteryx SAS Viya provides a more comprehensive platform than Alteryx, which focuses on data prep and self-service analytics. SAS Viya’s integrated AI, model deployment, and governance tools give it an advantage for end-to-end workflows, and TrustRadius reviews highlight its robustness for enterprise-grade analytics.

Its cloud-native design and support for multiple languages (Python, R, SAS) offer greater flexibility, and this appeals to diverse teams compared to Alteryx’s narrower focus.

Cons

Competitor

Cons of SAS Viya
Tableau SAS Viya can feel less intuitive than Tableau for users prioritizing quick, visually appealing dashboards. G2 reviews mention Tableau’s drag-and-drop interface as simpler for non-technical users, and SAS Viya’s broader feature set comes with a steeper learning curve.

Pricing is another hurdle, as SAS Viya often requires custom quotes (potentially $2,000+/month on Azure), while Tableau offers transparent plans starting at $15/user/month, and this makes it more accessible for smaller teams.
Qlik Sense SAS Viya’s complexity can be a drawback compared to Qlik Sense, which offers a more straightforward BI experience. G2 reviews point out SAS Viya’s learning curve and occasional slow load times for complex visualizations, whereas Qlik Sense’s associative engine is praised for speed and simplicity.

Qlik Sense’s pricing ($825/month) is clearer than SAS Viya’s custom model, and this can deter cost-conscious businesses seeking predictable budgets.
Microsoft Power BI SAS Viya lags behind Power BI in affordability and ease of use for smaller teams. Power BI’s pricing starts at $10/user/month, and its seamless Microsoft 365 integration makes it a go-to for SMBs, as noted in G2 reviews. SAS Viya’s custom pricing and higher complexity can overwhelm non-experts, and its specialized licenses for advanced features limit accessibility compared to Power BI’s all-inclusive plans.
Alteryx SAS Viya’s high cost and complexity can be a disadvantage compared to Alteryx, which TrustRadius reviews praise for its user-friendly data prep tools. Alteryx’s pricing (starting at $4,950/year for Designer) is more transparent than SAS Viya’s quote-based model, and this appeals to mid-sized teams.

SAS Viya’s extensive features may feel overkill for users focused on data blending, and its interface can be less intuitive for quick tasks.

Customers' Reviews From Reliable Websites

Gartner Review
G2 Review
Reddit Review
TrustRadius Review
Getapp Review