Case Study: U.S. Census Bureau achieves optimized reporting and 50% faster data integration with SAS Business Analytics

US Census Bureau optimizes reporting with SAS® Business Analytics

The US Census Bureau runs the decennial census — a multiyear, billion-dollar effort that requires continuous tracking of field progress and spending to meet timelines and budgets. For the 2010 census the bureau needed a system to deliver daily progress reports, up‑to‑date budget positions and ad hoc analysis to support fast, effective operational decisions across many programs and data sources.

The MIS branch implemented SAS Business Analytics and a BI portal that links 14 data sources, enabling direct database access and self‑service ad hoc reporting. The solution streamlined data integration (improving efficiency by 50%), cut code‑review time, and gave managers timely budget and progress views — supporting a 2010 operation that achieved a 72% mail‑back response and finished $1.6 billion under budget.

U.S. Census Bureau

Guinevere Mills

Branch Chief Management Information Systems