Best Practices for Clickstream Jobs :: SAS(R) Data Surveyor for Clickstream Data 2.1: User's Guide, Second Edition

Overview

The following best practices apply to clickstream jobs in general.

Backing Up Output Tables

By default, each execution of a SAS Data Integration Studio job overwrites the output tables created in the previous execution. If this is not what you want, then the output tables from each run should be retained.

Note: A clickstream job can produce large output tables. Make sure you monitor the disk space that is occupied by backups of these tables.

The following table lists the main output tables in a clickstream job and how these tables can be preserved after the job is executed.

Main Output Tables in Clickstream Jobs

Output Tables	How to Preserve Output Tables After the Job Is Executed
Data output table from a Sessionize transformation.	Back up the data output table for each Sessionize transformation. To identify the library and table to be backed up, display the properties window for the Sessionize output table. Click the Physical Storage tab. Note the name of the library and table.
Temporary work tables for parameters and rules that are output from the Parse transformation.	Redirect the temporary work tables for parameters and rules to a permanent library. Then back up this permanent library. To redirect the temporary work tables for parameters and rules, display the properties window for Clickstream Parse. Click the Options tab. In the Tables section, specify an Additional output library.
Temporary work tables for spiders and sessions that are output from the Sessionize transformation.	Redirect the temporary work tables for spiders and sessions to a permanent library. Then back up this permanent library. To redirect the temporary work tables for spiders and sessions, display the properties window for Clickstream Sessionize. Click the Options tab. In the Tables section, specify an Additional output library.

Resetting the CLICKRC Macro Variable

If there is a warning or error during the execution of a Clickstream transformation, then the return code variable CLICKRC might be set to a nonzero value for the transformation. This is done to prevent cascading failures in the rest of the job. To reset the CLICKRC value, do one of the following:

Close and reopen the job. This creates a new session.
Open the properties window for the job, click the Precode and Postcode tab, and enter the following code in the Precode window: %LET CLICKRC=0;
Open the properties window for the affected transformation, click the Precode and Postcode tab, and enter the following code in the Precode window: %LET CLICKRC=0;