Glossary: Glossary

Glossary

alert: an automatic notification of an electronic event that is of interest to the recipient.
archive: in the Publishing Framework, a package that is compressed and saved to a directory. The archive contains the contents of a package, plus metadata that is necessary for extracting the contents.
attribute: a characteristic that is part of the standard metadata for an object. Examples of attributes include the object's name, creation date, and modification date.
authentication: the process of verifying the identity of a person or process within the guidelines of a specific authorization policy.
authentication domain: a SAS internal category that pairs logins with the servers for which they are valid. For example, an Oracle server and the SAS copies of Oracle credentials might all be classified as belonging to an OracleAuth authentication domain.
authentication provider: a software component that is used for identifying and authenticating users. For example, an LDAP server or the host operating system can provide authentication.
authorization: the process of determining which users have which permissions for which resources. The outcome of the authorization process is an authorization decision that either permits or denies a specific action on a specific resource, based on the requesting user's identity and group memberships.
available page: a shared page that users of the SAS Information Delivery Portal can find using the search tool and can choose to add to their personal portals.
background: a mode of computer processing that does not require user interaction and which allows users to perform multiple tasks on the computer concurrently. In the SAS Information Delivery Portal, some stored processes run in the background so that you can perform other portal tasks during processing.
banner: a colored, rectangular area that appears at the top of some Web pages. Banners typically contain titles and navigation links.
base path: the location, relative to a WebDAV server's URL, in which packages are published and files are stored.
batch mode: a method of running SAS programs in which you prepare a file that contains SAS statements plus any necessary operating system control statements and submit the file to the operating system. Execution is completely separate from other operations at your terminal. Batch mode is sometimes referred to as running in the background.
bind: to create an association among two or more entities for a particular scope of time and place. For example, an association could be created between two or more programming objects, between a variable name and an object, between a symbolic address and a real machine address, or between a client and a server.
bookmark: a stored view for an information map. Bookmarks enable you to save and restore changes to the default view for an information map.
cache: a small, fast memory area that holds recently accessed data. The cache is designed to speed up subsequent access to the same data.
channel: a virtual communication path for distributing information. In SAS, a channel is identified with a particular topic (just as a television channel is identified with a particular radio frequency). Using the features of the Publishing Framework, authorized users or applications can publish digital content to the channel, and authorized users and applications can subscribe to the channel in order to receive the content. See also publish and subscribe.
client-side pooling: a configuration in which the client application maintains a collection of reusable workspace server processes. See also puddle.
cluster: a group of machines that participate in load balancing. Each machine in the cluster runs an object spawner that handles client requests for connections.
content administrator: See group content administrator.
content mapping: the correspondence of the SAS metadata folder structure to a content repository system. Frequently this term is used for report repository content mapping, which maps SAS metadata folders to a WebDAV (such as the SAS Content Server) repository or to a local file system. Report repository content mapping is configured when you install and configure your system.
context: the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event. In Java applications, context generally refers to a collection of settings and attributes that describe a container or service that is currently executing.
credentials: the user ID and password for an account that exists in some authentication provider.
custom portlet: a portlet in the SAS Information Delivery Portal that does not fit in any of the portal's standard portlet categories (collection, navigation, bookmarks, and alert). Some custom portlets simply display data, text, or graphics, and other custom portlets have interactive features.
default page: a shared page that is automatically added to the portals of all users who belong to the group with which the page was shared. You can remove a default page from your personal portal.
delivery transport: in the Publishing Framework, the method of delivering a package to the consumer. Supported transports include e-mail and WebDAV. Although not a true transport, a channel also functions as a delivery mechanism.
deploy: to implement software in a distributed environment. Deployment typically involves installing, configuring, and testing software over a computing network.
development environment: a computing environment in which application developers use software tools to write, compile, and debug programs. See also testing environment and production environment.
encryption: the act or process of converting data to a form that only the intended recipient can read or use.
Extensible Markup Language: a markup language that structures information by tagging it for content, meaning, or use. Structured information contains both content (for example, words or numbers) and an indication of what role the content plays. For example, content in a section heading has a different meaning from content in a database table. Short form: XML.
foundation repository: in the SAS Open Metadata Architecture, a metadata repository that is used to specify metadata for global resources that can be shared by other repositories. For example, a foundation repository is used to store metadata that defines users and groups on the metadata server. Only one foundation repository should be defined on a metadata server.
foundation services: See SAS Foundation Services.
group: a collection of users who are registered in a SAS metadata environment. A group can contain other groups as well as individual users.
group content: content that a group of portal users can access. SAS Information Delivery Portal users who are designated as group content administrators can convert their personal content to group content. Group content can be edited and deleted only by the group content administrator who created it.
group content administrator: a portal user who is authorized to share pages, portlets, and other portal content items with all portal users or with other users in a group. After an item is shared, only the group content administrator can edit or delete the item.
group page: a page that has been shared with a particular group of portal users. The label Shared, followed by the name of the group, appears in the upper-right corner of group pages.
hot deployment: the process of upgrading an application or component in a client-server environment while the server is running. Hot-deployed components are made available immediately, and do not require the server to be restarted.
HTML fragment: an HTML file that does not include opening and closing HTML tags, HEAD tags, or BODY tags and which can be displayed successfully in the cell of an HTML table.
HTTP server: a server that handles an HTTP request from a client such as a Web browser. Usually the client's HTTP request indicates that the client wants to retrieve information that is pointed to by a URL. An example of a popular HTTP server is the Apache HTTP Server from the Apache Software Foundation. See also Web server.
IFRAME: See inline frame.
information map: a collection of data items and filters that provides a user-friendly view of a data source. When you use an information map to query data for business needs, you do not have to understand the structure of the underlying data source or know how to program in a query language.
inline frame: a browser feature that enables an HTML page to be displayed within its own rectangle anywhere on another HTML page. Inline frames are created by using the HTML IFRAME tag. When necessary, inline frames contain horizontal and vertical scrollbars to enable users to view all of the page's contents within the frame.
Integrated Object Model: the set of distributed object interfaces that make SAS software features available to client applications when SAS is executed as an object server. Short form: IOM.
Integrated Object Model server: a SAS object server that is launched in order to fulfill client requests for IOM services. Short form: IOM server.
IOM: See Integrated Object Model.
IOM server: See Integrated Object Model server.
Java Development Kit: a software development environment that is available from Sun Microsystems, Inc. The JDK includes a Java Runtime Environment (JRE), a compiler, a debugger, and other tools for developing Java applets and applications. Short form: JDK.
Java RMI: See remote method invocation.
Java Virtual Machine: a program that interprets Java programming code so that the code can be executed by the operating system on a computer. The JVM can run on either the client or the server. The JVM is the main software component that makes Java programs portable across platforms. A JVM is included with JDKs and JREs from Sun Microsystems, as well as with most Web browsers. Short form: JVM.
JavaServer page: a type of servlet that enables users to create Java classes through HTML. Short form: JSP.
JDK: See Java Development Kit.
JSP: See JavaServer page.
JVM: See Java Virtual Machine.
LDAP: See Lightweight Directory Access Protocol.
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol: a protocol that is used for accessing directories or folders. LDAP is based on the X.500 standard, but it is simpler and, unlike X.500, it supports TCP/IP. Short form: LDAP.
link: (1) a portal content item that can be accessed using a URL; (2) a character string in a portal that you can click to initiate an action.
load balancing: for IOM bridge connections, a program that runs in the object spawner and that uses an algorithm to distribute work across object server processes on the same or separate machines in a cluster.
local portlet: a portlet that (1) is deployed within the same Web application that displays the portlet, (2) executes inside the portlet container, and (3) consumes the computing resources (for example, CPU, memory, and disk storage) of the server machine on which the portal Web application runs. See also remote portlet.
localhost: a keyword to specify the address of local computer that is currently in use. If a client uses localhost as the server address, then the client connects to a server that runs on the local computer.
logging context: a collection of attributes and settings that define a particular way in which the Logging Service is to be used. The logging context specifies where and in what format logging calls will be written. See also Logging Service.
Logging Service: one of the SAS Foundation Services. This service enables applications to (1) send run-time messages to one or more output destinations, including consoles, files, and socket connections; (2) configure and control the format of information that is sent to a particular destination, either by using static configuration files or by invoking run-time methods that control logging output; and (3) perform remote logging, which involves sending log messages that are generated in one Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to another JVM. See also SAS Foundation Services.
logical server: in the SAS Metadata Server, the second-level object in the metadata for SAS servers. A logical server specifies one or more of a particular type of server component, such as one or more SAS Workspace Servers.
login: a SAS copy of information about an external account. Each login includes a user ID and belongs to one SAS user or group. Most logins do not include a password.
metadata: data about data. For example, metadata typically describes resources that are shared by multiple applications within an organization. These resources can include software, servers, data sources, network connections, and so on. Metadata can also be used to define application users and to manage users' access to resources. Maintaining metadata in a central location is more efficient than specifying and maintaining the same information separately for each application.
metadata identity: a metadata object that represents an individual user or a group of users in a SAS metadata environment. Each individual and group that accesses secured resources on a SAS Metadata Server should have a unique metadata identity within that server.
metadata object: a set of attributes that describe a table, a server, a user, or another resource on a network. The specific attributes that a metadata object includes vary depending on which metadata model is being used.
metadata repository: a collection of related metadata objects, such as the metadata for a set of tables and columns that are maintained by an application. A SAS Metadata Repository is an example.
metadata server: a server that stores information about servers, users, and stored processes and that provides this information to one or more client applications.
middle tier: in a SAS business intelligence system, the architectural layer in which Web applications and related services execute. The middle tier receives user requests, applies business logic and business rules, interacts with processing servers and data servers, and returns information to users.
navigation portlet: a portlet that displays content items in a hierarchical (tree) arrangement of folders and subfolders. Examples of this content might include stored processes, information maps, files that are stored in WebDAV repositories, and SAS reports.
OLAP: See online analytical processing.
online analytical processing: a software technology that enables users to dynamically analyze data that is stored in cubes. Short form: OLAP.
package: a container for data that has been generated or collected for delivery to consumers by the SAS Publishing Framework. Packages can contain SAS files (SAS catalogs; SAS data sets; various types of SAS databases, including cubes; and SAS SQL views), binary files (such as Excel, GIF, JPG, PDF, PowerPoint and Word files), HTML files (including ODS output), reference strings (such as URLs), text files (such as SAS programs), and viewer files (HTML templates that format SAS file items for viewing). Packages also contain metadata such as a description, an abstract, and user-specified name/value pairs.
PAR file: See portlet archive file.
parameter: a data item that is passed to a routine.
permanent package: a container for content that was produced by a SAS program or by a third-party application, and that is written to a specific location. Permanent packages remain in existence even after the stored process completes execution and the client disconnects from the server. See also transient package.
permission: the type of access that a user or group has to a resource. The permission defines what the user or group can do with the resource. Examples of permissions are ReadMetadata and WriteMetadata.
personal content: content that a portal user creates for his or her own use. As a portal user, you can create your own pages, your own portlets, and your own links. After you create these items, you can access them from the portal, edit them, remove them from your personal portal, use the Search tool to find them, or delete them permanently. Other portal users (other than a portal administrator) cannot access your personal content.
personal portal: a portal that has been personalized for or by a specific user.
personalization: the process of customizing a Web application or page to meet the needs and preferences of an individual user.
plug-in: a file that modifies, enhances, or extends the capabilities of an application program. The application program must be designed to accept plug-ins, and the plug-ins must meet design criteria specified by the developers of the application program. In SAS Management Console, a plug-in is a JAR file that is installed in the SAS Management Console directory to provide a specific administrative function. The plug-ins enable users to customize SAS Management Console to include only the functions that are needed.
pool: a group of server connections that can be shared and reused by multiple client applications. A client-side pool consists of one or more puddles. See also puddle, client-side pooling, and server-side pooling.
pooling: the act or process of creating a pool. See also pool, client-side pooling, and server-side pooling.
portal: a Web application that enables users to access Web sites, data, documents, applications, and other digital content from a single, easily accessible user interface. A portal's personalization features enable each user to configure and organize the interface to meet individual or role-based needs. See also portlet.
portlet: a Web component that is managed by a Web application and that is aggregated with other portlets to form a page within the application. Portlets can process requests from the user and generate dynamic content.
portlet archive file: an archive (zipped) file with the suffix '.par' which includes all of the elements needed to deploy a new portlet (or group of portlets) into the SAS Information Delivery Portal, or into other applications that have been developed with the Web Infrastructure Kit. The elements in a PAR file can include a portlet deployment descriptor, JavaServer Pages (JSPs), custom Java classes, and associated resources such as images, resource bundles, HTML files, and style sheets. Short form: PAR file. See also portlet.
portlet deployment descriptor: an XML file that specifies the actions of a portlet, as well as the portlet's initialization, path, access control, and search information. See also portlet archive file.
pre-installation checklist: a checklist that enumerates the tasks a customer must perform before installing the business intelligence platform. The primary task is to create a set of operating system user accounts on the metadata server host. See also metadata server.
production environment: a computing environment in which previously tested and validated software is used (typically on a daily basis) by its intended consumers. See also development environment and testing environment.
publication channel: an information repository that has been established using the SAS Publishing Framework and that can be used to publish information to users and applications. See also publish.
publish: to deliver electronic information, such as SAS files (including SAS data sets, SAS catalogs, and SAS data views), other digital content, and system-generated events to one or more destinations. These destinations can include e-mail addresses, message queues, publication channels and subscribers, WebDAV-compliant servers, and archive locations.
Publishing Framework: a component of SAS Integration Technologies that enables both users and applications to publish SAS files (including data sets, catalogs, and database views), other digital content, and system- generated events to a variety of destinations. The Publishing Framework also provides tools that enable both users and applications to receive and process published information.
puddle: a group of servers that are started and run using the same login credentials. Each puddle can also allow a group of clients to access the servers. See also client-side pooling.
remote method invocation: a Java programming feature that provides for remote communication between programs by enabling an object that is running in one Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to invoke methods on an object that is running in another JVM, possibly on a different host. Short form: RMI. See also Java Virtual Machine.
remote portlet: a portlet that executes outside of the portal container. Remote portlets enable data from external applications to be incorporated into a Web application. When a user interacts with a remote portlet, the remote portlet appears to be the same as a local portlet. See also local portlet and portlet.
remote service deployment: a service deployment that supports shared access to a set of SAS Foundation Services that are deployed within a single Java Virtual Machine (JVM), but which are available to other JVM processes. Applications use the remote service deployment to deploy and access remote foundation services. See also service deployment.
report: See SAS report.
repository: a location in which data, metadata, or programs are stored, organized, and maintained, and which is accessible to users either directly or through a network. See also metadata repository, SAS Metadata Repository, and WebDAV repository.
resource: any object that is registered in a metadata repository. For example, a resource can be a server, a stored process, or a login.
result type: the kind of output that is produced by a stored process. Result types include none, streaming, permanent package, and transient package.
RMI: See remote method invocation.
SAS application server: a server that provides SAS services to a client. In the SAS Open Metadata Architecture, the metadata for a SAS application server specifies one or more server components that provide SAS services to a client.
SAS batch server: in general, a SAS application server that is running in batch mode. In the SAS Open Metadata Architecture, the metadata for a SAS batch server specifies the network address of a SAS Workspace Server, as well as a SAS start command that will run jobs in batch mode on the SAS Workspace Server.
SAS BI Web service: a Web service that adheres to the XML for Analysis (XMLA) specification for executing SAS Stored Processes.
SAS Content Server: a server that stores digital content (such as documents, reports, and images) that is created and used by SAS client applications. To interact with the server, clients use WebDAV-based protocols for access, versioning, collaboration, security, and searching.
SAS data set: a file whose contents are in one of the native SAS file formats. There are two types of SAS data sets: SAS data files and SAS data views. SAS data files contain data values in addition to descriptor information that is associated with the data. SAS data views contain only the descriptor information plus other information that is required for retrieving data values from other SAS data sets or from files that are stored in other software vendors' file formats.
SAS Foundation Services: a set of core infrastructure services that programmers can use in developing distributed applications that are integrated with the SAS platform. These services provide basic underlying functions that are common to many applications. These functions include making client connections to SAS application servers, dynamic service discovery, user authentication, profile management, session context management, metadata and content repository access, activity logging, event management, information publishing, and stored process execution. See also service.
SAS log: a file that contains a record of the SAS statements that you enter as well as messages about the execution of your program.
SAS Management Console: a Java application that provides a single user interface for performing SAS administrative tasks.
SAS Metadata Repository: one or more files that store metadata about application elements. Users connect to a SAS Metadata Server and use the SAS Open Metadata Interface to read metadata from or write metadata to one or more SAS Metadata Repositories. The metadata types in a SAS Metadata Repository are defined by the SAS Metadata Model.
SAS OLAP Server: a SAS server that provides access to multidimensional data. The data is queried using the multidimensional expressions (MDX) language.
SAS publication channel: See publication channel.
SAS report: a report that has been stored in the SAS Report Model format. A SAS report might be available for viewing in the portal if your organization has installed SAS Web Report Studio.
SAS Report Model: an XML specification that defines a standard reporting format and provides common reporting functions for SAS applications.
SAS Stored Process: a SAS program that is stored on a server and which can be executed as requested by client applications. SAS Stored Processes can be used with either a SAS Workspace Server or a SAS Stored Process Server.
SAS Stored Process Server: a SAS IOM server that is launched in order to fulfill client requests for SAS Stored Processes. See also IOM server.
SAS Stored Process Web Application: a Web application that enables you to execute stored processes and have the results returned to a Web browser.
SAS table: another term for SAS data set. See also SAS data set.
SAS Web Infrastructure Platform: a collection of middle-tier services and applications that provide infrastructure and integration features that are shared by SAS Web applications and other HTTP clients.
SAS Workspace Server: a SAS IOM server that is launched in order to fulfill client requests for IOM workspaces.
server-side pooling: a configuration in which a SAS object spawner maintains a collection of reusable workspace server processes that are available for clients. The usage of servers in this pool is governed by the authorization rules that are set on the servers in the SAS metadata.
service: one or more application components that an authorized user or application can call at any time to provide results that conform to a published specification. For example, network services transmit data or provide conversion of data in a network, database services provide for the storage and retrieval of data in a database, and Web services interact with each other on the World Wide Web. See also SAS Foundation Services.
service configuration: a set of values that can be customized for a particular service in SAS Foundation Services. By editing a service configuration, you can override the default configuration for the foundation service. See also SAS Foundation Services.
service deployment: a collection of SAS Foundation Services that specifies the data that is necessary in order to instantiate the services, as well as dependencies upon other services. Applications query a metadata source (a SAS Metadata Server or an XML file) to obtain the service deployment configuration in order to deploy and access foundation services. See also SAS Foundation Services.
servlet: a Java program that runs on a Web server. Servlets can be considered a complementary technology to applets, which run in Web browsers. Unlike applet code, servlet code does not have to be downloaded to a Web browser. Instead, servlets send HTML or other appropriate content back to a browser or to another type of Web-based client application.
session: a period of activity that starts when a visitor first accesses a particular Web site and that ends when the visitor has not performed any actions at that Web site within a specified time interval (usually 30 minutes). A session ID is associated with each session, and the activity that occurs during the session is recorded in a Web server log file.
session context: a context that serves as a control structure for maintaining state within a bound session. 'State' includes information about the latest status, condition, or content of a process or transaction. Session Services, User Services, and Logging Services use the session context to facilitate resource management and to pass information among services. See also context and bind.
single sign-on: an authentication model that enables users to access a variety of computing resources without being repeatedly prompted for their user IDs and passwords. For example, single sign-on can enable a user to access SAS servers that run on different platforms without interactively providing the user's ID and password for each platform. Single sign-on can also enable someone who is using one application to launch other applications based on the authentication that was performed when the user initially logged on.
SSO: See single sign-on.
stored process: See SAS Stored Process.
streaming result: a type of output that is generated by a stored process. In a streaming result, the content that the stored process generates is delivered to the client through an output stream. The output stream is generally accessible to the stored process as the _WEBOUT fileref. See also result type.
subscribe: to sign up to receive electronic content that is published to a SAS publication channel.
subscriber profile: a set of personal preferences for subscribing to SAS publication channels. A subscriber profile includes the method by which you want published information to be delivered and filtering criteria (in the form of name/value pairs) to limit the types of information that you receive. You can create multiple subscriber profiles if you want to subscribe to channels in different ways.
subscription: the association of a subscriber with a group or a channel.
syndication channel: a channel that provides syndicated, continuously updated Web content from a content provider.
testing environment: a computing environment in which application developers typically use real-life data and scenarios to test software that has been migrated from a development environment. See also development environment and production environment.
theme: a collection of specifications (for example, colors, fonts, and font styles) and graphics that control the appearance of an application.
transient package: a container for content that was produced by a SAS program or by a third-party application for immediate use, and that is not saved. After the client program disconnects from the server, the transient package disappears. See also permanent package.
trust: to accept the authentication or verification that has been performed by another software component. See also trust relationship and trusted user.
trust relationship: a logical association through which one component of an application accepts verification that has already been performed by another component. See also trusted user.
trusted user: a privileged service account that can act on behalf of other users on a connection to the metadata server.
Unicode Transformation Format 8: a method for converting 16-bit Unicode characters to 8-bit characters. This format supports all of the world's languages, including those that use non-Latin 1 characters. Short form: UTF-8.
Uniform Resource Locator: a character string that is used by a Web browser or other software application to access or identify a resource on the Internet or on an intranet. The resource could be a Web page, an electronic image file, an audio file, a JavaServer page, or any other type of electronic object. The full form of a URL specifies which communications protocol to use for accessing the resource, as well as the directory path and filename of the resource. Short form: URL.
unrestricted user: a special user of a metadata server who can access all metadata on the server (except for passwords, which an unrestricted user can overwrite but cannot read). An unrestricted user can also perform administrative tasks such as starting, stopping, pausing, and refreshing the metadata server. You are an unrestricted user if your user ID is listed in the adminUsers.txt file and is preceded by an asterisk.
URL: See Uniform Resource Locator.
URL display portlet: a portlet that accesses a specific URL and displays the returned information inside the portlet's borders. If the URL points to a complete HTML page, then the portlet can be set up to display the URL contents inside an inline frame (IFRAME). If the URL points to an HTML fragment that is allowed by the portal's security policies, then the portlet can display the URL contents without an IFRAME. See also portlet, inline frame (IFRAME), and HTML fragment.
user context: a context that contains information about the user who is associated with an active session. The user context contains information such as the user's identity, profile, and active repository connections. See also context.
UTF-8: See Unicode Transformation Format 8.
Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning: an emerging industry standard, based on extensions to HTTP 1.1, that enables users to collaborate in the development of files and collections of files on remote Web servers. Short form: WebDAV. See also delivery transport.
Web server: a server machine and software that enable organizations to share information through intranets and through the Internet.
WebDAV: See Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning.
WebDAV repository: a collection of files that are stored on a Web server so that authorized users can read and edit them. See also Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning.
XML: See Extensible Markup Language.

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