Server Tier

The server tier includes SAS Metadata Server, SAS Application Servers, and DataFlux Data Management Server.

SAS Metadata Server

The SAS Metadata Server is a critical software component in SAS data management. All of the client applications and the other SAS servers depend on the SAS Metadata Server and cannot operate without it.

The SAS Metadata Server is a multi-user server that serves metadata from one or more SAS Metadata Repositories to all of the client applications in your environment. The SAS Metadata Server enables centralized control so that all users access consistent and accurate data.

The functionality of the SAS Metadata Server is provided through the SAS Open Metadata Architecture, which is a metadata management facility that provides common metadata services to applications. One metadata server supports all of the SAS applications in your environment and can support hundreds of concurrent users.

This architecture enables the following:

exchanging metadata between applications. so that applications can work together more easily.
centrally managing metadata resources. Because there is a common framework for creating, accessing, and updating metadata, it is easier to manage the applications that rely on this metadata.

The SAS Metadata Server stores information about the following:

the enterprise data sources and data structures that are accessed by SAS applications
resources that are created and used by SAS applications, including information maps, OLAP cubes, report definitions, stored process definitions, and scheduled jobs
the servers that run SAS processes
the users and groups of users that use the system, and the levels of access that users and groups have to resources

SAS Application Servers

When SAS data management is installed at your site, a metadata object that represents the SAS server tier in your environment was defined. In the SAS Management Console interface, this type of object is called a SAS Application Server. By default, this application server is named SASApp.

A SAS Application Server is not an actual server that can execute SAS code submitted by clients. Rather, it is a logical container for a set of application server components, which do execute code. This code is typically SAS code, although some components can execute Java code or MDX queries. For example, a SAS Application Server might contain a workspace server, which can execute SAS code that is generated by clients such as SAS Data Integration Studio. A SAS Application Server might also contain a stored process server, which executes SAS Stored Processes. It also might contain a SAS/CONNECT Server, which can upload or download data and execute SAS code that is submitted from a remote machine.

The following table lists the main SAS Application Server components and describes how each one is used:

SAS Application Servers
Server	How the Server Is Used
SAS Workspace Server	Executes SAS code; reads and writes data.
SAS/ CONNECT Server	Submits generated SAS code to machines that are remote from the default SAS Application Server; can also be used for interactive access to remote libraries.
Stored Process Server	Submits stored processes for execution by a SAS session. Stored processes are SAS programs that are stored and can be executed by client applications.
SAS Grid Server	Supports a compute grid that can execute grid-enabled jobs that are created in SAS Data Integration Studio.

All of the SAS Application Servers are specified as a component in a SAS Application Server object.

DataFlux Data Management Server

The DataFlux Data Management Server provides consistent, accurate, and reliable access to data across a network by integrating real-time data quality, data integration, and data governance routines. With DataFlux Data Management Server, you can replicate your business rules for acceptable data across applications and systems, enabling you to build a single, unified view of your enterprise. The server implements business rules that you create in DataFlux Data Management Studio, in both batch and real-time environments. DataFlux Data Management Server enables pervasive data quality, data integration, process orchestration, and master data management (MDM) throughout your enterprise.

The DataFlux Data Management Server provides a service-oriented architecture (SOA) application server that enables you to execute batch or profile jobs on a server-based platform in Windows, Linux, or UNIX. By processing batch and profile jobs where the data resides, you avoid network bottlenecks and take advantage of performance features that are available with higher-performance computers.

In addition, the DataFlux Data Management Server executes real-time data services and real-time process services. These services can be invoked by any web service application, such as SAP, Siebel, Tibco, or Oracle. You can convert your existing batch jobs to real-time services to reuse the business logic that you developed for data migration or to load a data warehouse. You can apply your real-time services at the point of data entry to ensure consistent, accurate, and reliable data across your enterprise.