compositional.mle
An MLE package rebuilt around composable solvers, then renamed to match.
Comparison · Analytics
libr vs procs
A side-by-side editorial comparison of libr and procs — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:sas-migrationr-packageclinical-reporting
libr vs procs: at a glance
What is libr?
The SAS datastep clone for R just got roughly nineteen times faster.
libr gives R users SAS-style data libraries and a datastep() construct, sitting alongside logr, reporter and procs in the r-sassy suite for analysts moving clinical workflows off SAS. Most of its release history is narrow bug-fixing in the libname() readers, particularly the sas7bdat engine. The exception dominates the window: a single 2026 release that rewrote datastep() performance and cut the installed package to a quarter of its former size.
What is procs?
An R package rebuilding SAS procedures one PROC at a time, now filling in their options.
procs reimplements SAS statistical procedures — FREQ, MEANS, TTEST, REG, SORT, TRANSPOSE — as R functions returning both datasets and report-ready output, as part of the r-sassy suite. The catalogue of procedures is largely assembled; recent releases concentrate on the parameters each one accepts rather than on adding new procedures. Validation documentation is maintained alongside the code, consistent with the regulated environments the suite targets.
libr vs procs: editorial side-by-side
libr
2.5ANALYTICS
The SAS datastep clone for R just got roughly nineteen times faster.
◆ Current state
libr gives R users SAS-style data libraries and a datastep() construct, sitting alongside logr, reporter and procs in the r-sassy suite for analysts moving clinical workflows off SAS. Most of its release history is narrow bug-fixing in the libname() readers, particularly the sas7bdat engine. The exception dominates the window: a single 2026 release that rewrote datastep() performance and cut the installed package to a quarter of its former size.
◆ Where it's heading
Two threads run through these entries — steady correctness work on SAS file import, and a much less frequent but far more consequential push on making datastep() viable at real data volumes. The recent fix to empty-variable typing suggests the sas7bdat reader is still where edge cases surface. Having addressed both speed and package size in one release, the obvious remaining pressure is correctness and coverage of SAS semantics rather than throughput.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next releases to continue narrowing sas7bdat import edge cases, with any further datastep() work aimed at supporting more SAS syntax rather than at speed.
procs
0.0ANALYTICS
An R package rebuilding SAS procedures one PROC at a time, now filling in their options.
◆ Current state
procs reimplements SAS statistical procedures — FREQ, MEANS, TTEST, REG, SORT, TRANSPOSE — as R functions returning both datasets and report-ready output, as part of the r-sassy suite. The catalogue of procedures is largely assembled; recent releases concentrate on the parameters each one accepts rather than on adding new procedures. Validation documentation is maintained alongside the code, consistent with the regulated environments the suite targets.
◆ Where it's heading
The work has shifted from breadth to fidelity: where earlier releases introduced whole procedures, recent ones add the options a SAS user expects to find on them, most visibly the where parameter spread across five functions at once and plotting support across three. Statistical output is being widened too, with AIC and adjusted Chi-Square appearing. The remaining gap is per-procedure option coverage rather than missing procedures.
◆ Prediction
Expect continued option-level parity work on the existing procedures, with new statistics added to their output tables, rather than a new proc_* function.
Alternatives to libr and procs
Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either libr or procs.
nabla
nabla dropped its C++ engine to chase exact derivatives at any order.
snowflakeauth
Eight months from first release to keyring caching and workload identity.
kwb.geosalz
A research-project workflow package where the interesting work is in the plumbing.
cyclocomp
A cyclomatic complexity checker that ships once every couple of years, and lands when it does.
revdbayes
Extreme value sampling in pure upkeep mode, mostly answering to Rcpp and CRAN.
Recent activity from libr and procs
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 11d agolibrsas7bdat import no longer types empty variables as logical
- 2mo agoprocsproc_ttest() gains sides, freq and weight parameters
- 3mo agolibrdatastep() runs 83K rows in 21.6 seconds instead of 6.7 minutes ⚡
- 4mo agoprocsA where parameter arrives across five procedures
- 5mo agolibrTest data removed to reduce package size
- 8mo agoprocsAdjusted Chi-Square added, altering the proc_freq() table
- 2y agolibrlibname() no longer fails on an empty dataset
- 2y agolibrlib_write() detects dataset changes again
- 2y agolibrlibname() handles file names containing multiple dots
- 2y agoprocsproc_reg() added for regression
- 2y agoprocsOrdered-factor handling fixed across three procedures
- 2y agoprocsproc_ttest() added, plus factor casting on proc_sort()
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between libr and procs?
Both compete on the same themes — sas-migration, r-package, clinical-reporting — within Analytics. libr is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is libr better than procs?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. libr is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to libr?
Top libr alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "libr alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/libr for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to procs?
Top procs alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "procs alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/procs for the full list with editorial commentary on each.