Optimizing Data Storage

Validating SPD Engine Hardware Configuration

The SPD Engine automatically determines the optimal process to use to evaluate observations for qualifying criteria specified in a WHERE statement. WHERE statement efficiency depends on such factors as whether the columns in the expression are indexed. A SAS configuration validation program that measures I/O scalability with respect to WHERE processing can help you determine whether your system is properly configured for performing WHERE processing with the SPD Engine. The program performs these tasks:

It creates a table with two numeric columns.
It repeatedly reads the entire table, each time doubling the number of threads used until the maximum number is reached. The maximum number of threads is determined by the CPUCOUNT= SAS system option and is specified when SAS is started.

The resulting log file shows timing statistics for each cycle. You can examine this information to determine whether your system is configured correctly. The program is available at http://support.sas.com/rnd/scalability/spde/valid.html.

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