Introduction to the SPD Engine

The SPD Engine is designed for high-performance data delivery. It enables an application rapid access to SAS data for processing. The SPD Engine delivers data to applications rapidly because it organizes the data into a streamlined file format that takes advantage of multiple CPUs to perform parallel input functions.

The SPD Engine uses threads to read blocks of data very rapidly and in parallel. Tasks are performed in conjunction with an operating system that enables threads to execute on any of the computer’s available CPUs. Although threaded Read tasks are an important part of the SPD Engine functionality, the real power of the SPD Engine comes from how it structures SAS data. The SPD Engine organizes data into a file format that includes partitioning the data. This data structure permits threads, running in parallel, to perform Read tasks efficiently.

The SPD Engine is a high-speed alternative to the default Base SAS engine for processing very large data sets. It reads data sets that contain billions of observations. For example, this includes data sets that expand beyond the size limit imposed by some operating systems and data sets that SAS analytic software and procedures must process faster.

The SPD Engine boosts performance in the following ways:

The SPD Engine runs on UNIX, Windows, and z/OS (zFS file system only).