To ensure that
associations among objects are maintained, follow these best practices
when interacting with folders and with objects that are stored in
SAS folders.
Use available tools to identify associations among objects.
To identify objects
that are associated with information maps and reports, you can use
the BI Lineage plug-in for SAS Management Console. For details, see
Using the BI Lineage Plug-in.
To determine associations
and dependencies for other objects, you can right-click the object
and select
Export SAS Package. On the second
wizard page, highlight the object, and then use the
Dependencies and
Used
by tabs to see the object's associations. Click
Cancel to
exit the wizard.
Use the appropriate SAS applications to interact with metadata
objects.
To interact with objects
that are stored in SAS folders, users should use the specific SAS
application that creates and manages those objects. For example:
-
Use SAS Data Integration Studio
to interact with jobs.
-
Use SAS Information Map Studio
to interact with information maps.
-
Use SAS Web Report Studio to interact
with reports.
Certain administrative
tasks are exceptions. For example, administrators can use the
Folders tab
of SAS Management Console to perform the following tasks:
-
manage permissions on folders (and,
if necessary, on individual objects)
-
use the Export SAS Package and
Import SAS Package wizards to promote objects or groups of objects
(and their associated physical data) from one metadata server to another
-
use the Copy and Paste Special
functions to copy objects or groups of objects (and their associated
physical data) from one folder to another
Use caution when renaming folders and when moving objects from
one folder to another.
Renaming folders, or
moving objects from one folder to another, can affect associations
and references to objects that are contained in a folder or its subfolders,
as follows:
-
Some types of objects are referenced
using folder pathnames. Associations to these types of objects can
break if you rename a folder that is part of the object's path or
if you move the object to a different folder. For example:
-
Reports use folder paths to locate
information maps. If the location of an information map changes, then
you might need to edit associated reports to point to the new information
map location.
-
Information maps and reports use
folder paths to locate objects such as cubes, prompts, and stored
processes. If the location of one of these objects changes, then you
might need to edit associated reports and information maps to point
to the new location. In SAS Information Map Studio, you can use the
Resource Replacement feature to change the location for some types
of objects.
-
Some prompts (including library
prompts, data source prompts, and prompts that use dynamically generated
data values) use folder paths to locate libraries, tables, and information
maps. If the location of a library, table, or information map changes,
you might need to edit the affected prompts to point to the new location.
-
If you move a table or a library,
or if you rename a folder that is in the path for a library or table,
most associations to the library or folder will continue to work.
Client applications will still be able to locate the library or table.
Jobs, information maps, and reports that use the library or table
will continue to function. The only exceptions are some types of prompts,
as described in the preceding paragraph.
-
Renaming folders and moving objects
can affect the following SAS Information Delivery Portal content:
-
information maps that are displayed
in information map viewer portlets
-
links to detailed data (for example,
reports or stored processes) that are coded in portlets
-
report references that have been
published to WebDAV
Use caution when renaming objects in SAS Management Console.
If you rename an object
that is associated with other objects, then associated objects can
malfunction. For example, if you rename a library or table that is
used by an information map, then you will need to use the Resource
Replacement feature of SAS Information Map Studio to specify the new
library or table name.
Note: For information about renaming
objects and folders in client applications other than SAS Management
Console, see the documentation for that application.
If you need to move content from one folder location to another
(for example, from a user's personal folder to a shared folder), then
use either Export SAS Package and Import SAS Package or Copy and Paste
Special. Content movement should be carefully planned and executed
so that metadata associations are maintained.
Correct use of Export
SAS Package and Import SAS Package or Copy and Paste
Special will maintain associations among objects as well
as relationships between metadata and physical data.
For example, if you
use one of these methods to move an information map that is associated
with a report, then the association will be maintained. If you move
the information map using a different procedure, then the report will
no longer work.