Using Advanced Features of the Import and Export Wizards

Move Objects to Different Folders When Using the Import Wizard

In SAS 9.3, the import wizard and the batch import tool enable you to reorganize content as part of the promotion process. You can do so by specifying new folder locations for individual objects that you are importing. The connections among objects are maintained.
To use this feature, select an object (for example, an information map) on the Select Objects to Import wizard page. Then select the Properties tab, as shown here:
Import SAS Package Wizard: Properties tab on the Select Objects to Import page
In the Value column of the Path field, click the Browse button (Browse button (ellipses)). When the Select a Location dialog box appears, select a target location in the SAS Folders tree. You can use the New Folder button (New Folder button) in this dialog box to create a new folder.
Note:
  • You must repeat these steps for each object that you want to move.
  • You can use this feature to move folders, except that you cannot move the highest-level folder that you are importing.
  • You cannot move objects from the Servers and Security virtual folders.
  • In the batch import tool, you can change the location of an object by specifying a new property for the object in the substitution properties file. For details, see Use the Substitution Properties File to Specify New Folder Locations for Objects.

Use the Import Wizard’s Change Analysis Feature to Resolve Column Differences in Tables and External Files

When you import metadata for a table or external file, and a table or external file of the same name already exists in the target folder, you can use the Change Analysis feature of the import wizard to identify and resolve differences in column metadata. This feature is new with SAS 9.3. Use the feature to control column handling on either a global or a fine-grained basis, as follows:
Note: This feature applies only if you are overwriting existing objects as a result of selecting the All Objects option on the first wizard page. In addition, the feature is available only if you are importing content from SAS 9.2 or 9.3. It is not available when you import content from SAS 9.1.3.
  1. On the Select Objects to Import page, highlight one or more tables or external files that you are importing.
  2. On the Options tab, you can select or deselect the following check boxes to specify how column differences are to be handled by default for this import:
    • Keep target columns not found in the source is selected by default. This option retains columns in the target table if the columns are not present in the imported table. Deselect this check box if you want to delete columns from the target table if the columns are not also in the imported table. (In the next step, you will be able to override this action for individual columns.)
    • Include source columns not found in the target is selected by default. This option adds columns from the imported table if the columns are not present in the target table. Deselect this check box if you do not want to add any new columns to the target table. (In the next step, you will be able to override this action for individual columns.)
  3. Click the Change Analysis button to view column information for each table that you are importing. In the Change Analysis dialog box, you can update the check boxes as needed to specify how each column is to be handled during the import. Select a column to view its change analysis information, as shown in this example:
    Change Analysis dialog box
    The dialog box might also list items such as table indexes and keys, which cannot be deselected.
    The following table explains the meaning of the icons and check boxes in the Change Analysis dialog box:
    Icon Explanation
    What the Import Will Do If the Check Box Is Selected
    What the Import Will Do If the Check Box Is Not Selected
    Delete icon (red “X”) The column metadata exists in the target table but not in the imported table.
    Check box (selected)Delete icon (red “X”) The column metadata will be deleted from the target table.
    If Keep target columns not found in the source is deselected on the Options tab, the check boxes for these columns are selected by default.
    Check box (not selected)Delete icon (red “X”) The column metadata will remain in the target table.
    If Keep target columns not found in the source is selected on the Options tab, the check boxes for these columns are deselected by default.
    New icon The column metadata exists in the imported table but not in the target table.
    Check box (selected)New icon The column metadata will be added to the target table.
    If Include source columns not found in the target is selected on the Options tab, then the check boxes for these columns are selected by default.
    Check box (not selected)New icon The column metadata from the imported table will not be imported.
    If Include source columns not found in the target is deselected on the Options tab, then the check boxes for these columns are deselected by default.
    Overwrite icon (exclamation point) The column metadata exists in both the imported table and the target table.
    Check box (selected)Overwrite icon (exclamation point) The column metadata from the imported table will overwrite the column metadata for the target table.
    Check box (not selected)Overwrite icon (exclamation point) The column metadata will not be imported from the imported table.
    For more information about a column, refer to the Details section of the dialog box, which displays source and target metadata values for the currently selected column.

See Also

For information about controlling the handling of column differences in the batch import tool, see Set Global Options for the Batch Export and Import Tools.
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