What Is a Metadata Server?

A metadata server contains definitions for objects such as workspace servers and libraries that are used by SAS Enterprise Guide and other applications. Metadata definitions in a SAS Metadata Server can be used by many other applications besides SAS Enterprise Guide, which enables you to use a single set of object definitions for all SAS applications in your organization.

You can use SAS Enterprise Guide Explorer to define libraries in a SAS Metadata Server. Other metadata definitions (such as servers, users, and SAS content) are defined by SAS Management Console or other applications such as SAS Data Integration Studio.

Setting up metadata servers is an essential part of SAS Enterprise Guide administration because SAS Enterprise Guide needs to access at least one metadata source, whether it is local or on a network server, in order to access and share metadata definitions.

If you are using SAS Enterprise Guide only with a local SAS server, you do not need to install and configure a metadata server. You will be able to access the SAS files and SAS Enterprise Guide projects on your local machine, but you will not be able to define libraries or share SAS resources.

You can use SAS Enterprise Guide Explorer to create profiles for multiple metadata servers, and then select one profile as the active profile. SAS Enterprise Guide then uses the server that is identified by the active profile as the source for object definitions. You can change which profile is designated as the active profile, but you cannot share object definitions between profiles.

Repository Configuration, Active SAS Metadata Repository is an example of a multi-repository configuration that is used with SAS Enterprise Guide, with a SAS Metadata Repository selected as the active repository. This specifies that SAS Enterprise Guide uses the selected SAS Metadata Repository for object definitions.

After you set up the profile configuration, you can use the automatic update feature to make changes to the configuration and apply the changes automatically to all machines where SAS Enterprise Guide is installed. You first use SAS Enterprise Guide Explorer to make changes to the configuration, including defining all profiles and designating the active profile. The new configuration information is then saved to a file in a network location. When a SAS Enterprise Guide user starts the application, the configuration file is automatically read and the profile changes are applied.