ARM API Function Calls

The ARM API function calls are contained in the SAS ARM agent. In the SAS implementation, you do not insert ARM API function calls in a SAS application. Instead, you insert performance macros, which generate calls to the ARM API function calls. The ARM API function calls are defined by the ARM 2.0 standard and are used internally by ARMAGENT.
Here are the six ARM API function calls:
ARM_INIT
names the application and the users of the application and initializes the ARM environment for the application.
ARM_GETID
names a transaction.
ARM_START
signals the start of a unique transaction.
ARM_UPDATE
(optional) provides information about the progress of a transaction.
ARM_STOP
signals the end of a unique transaction.
ARM_END
terminates the ARM environment and signals the end of an application.
ARM API function calls use numeric identifiers (IDs) to uniquely identify the ARM objects that are input and output from the calls. There are three classes of IDs:
  • application IDs
  • transaction class IDs
  • start handles (start times) for each instance of a transaction
IDs are numeric, assigned integers. The ARM agent assigns IDs. The scheme for assigning IDs varies from one vendor's agent to another, but, at a minimum, a unique ID within a single session is guaranteed. Some agents enable you to pre-assign IDs.
The following table shows the relationships between the ARM API function calls, the ARM macros, and the performance macros:
Relationships between ARM API Function Calls, ARM Macros, and Performance Macros
ARM API Function Calls
ARM Macros
Performance Macros
ARM_INIT
%ARMINIT
%PERFINIT
ARM_GETID
%ARMGTID
ARM_START
%ARMSTRT
%PERFSTRT
ARM_UPDATE
%ARMUPDT
ARM_STOP
%ARMSTOP
%PERFSTOP
ARM_END
%ARMEND
%PERFEND