Glossary

DTD

Document Type Definition. A file that specifies how the markup tags in a group of SGML or XML documents should be interpreted by an application that displays, prints, or otherwise processes the documents.

encoding

the result of mapping a coded character set to code values.

Extensible Markup Language

See XML.

file reference

See fileref.

File Transfer Protocol

a telecommunications protocol that is used for transferring files from one computer to another over a network. Short form: FTP.

fileref

a name that is temporarily assigned to an external file or to an aggregate storage location such as a directory or a folder. The fileref identifies the file or the storage location to SAS.

format

See SAS format.

FTP

See File Transfer Protocol.

informat

See SAS informat.

key field

See sequence field.

library reference

See libref.

libref

a SAS name that is associated with the location of a SAS library. For example, in the name MYLIB.MYFILE, MYLIB is the libref, and MYFILE is a file in the SAS library.

markup language

a set of codes that are embedded in text in order to define layout and certain content.

metadata

descriptive data about data that is stored and managed in a database, in order to facilitate access to captured and archived data for further use.

observation

a row in a SAS data set. All of the data values in an observation are associated with a single entity such as a customer or a state. Each observation contains either one data value or a missing-value indicator for each variable.

ODS template

a description of how output should appear when it is formatted. ODS templates are stored as compiled entries in a template store (item store). Common template types include STATGRAPH, STYLE, CROSSTABS, TAGSET, and TABLE.

SAS data file

a type of SAS data set that contains data values as well as descriptor information that is associated with the data. The descriptor information includes information such as the data types and lengths of the variables, as well as the name of the engine that was used to create the data.

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 whose contents are in other software vendors' file formats.

SAS data view

a type of SAS data set that retrieves data values from other files. A SAS data view contains only descriptor information such as the data types and lengths of the variables (columns) 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. Short form: data view.

SAS format

a type of SAS language element that applies a pattern to or executes instructions for a data value to be displayed or written as output. Types of formats correspond to the data's type: numeric, character, date, time, or timestamp. The ability to create user-defined formats is also supported. Examples of SAS formats are BINARY and DATE. Short form: format.

SAS informat

a type of SAS language element that applies a pattern to or executes instructions for a data value to be read as input. Types of informats correspond to the data's type: numeric, character, date, time, or timestamp. The ability to create user-defined informats is also supported. Examples of SAS informats are BINARY and DATE. Short form: informat.

SAS library

one or more files that are defined, recognized, and accessible by SAS and that are referenced and stored as a unit. Each file is a member of the library.

SAS variable

a column in a SAS data set or in a SAS data view. The data values for each variable describe a single characteristic for all observations (rows).

SAS XML Mapper

a graphical interface that you can use to create and modify XMLMaps for use by the SAS XML LIBNAME engine. The SAS XML Mapper analyzes the structure of an XML document and generates basic XML markup for the XMLMap.

sequence field

a field that identifies and provides access to segments in a database. It contains the record's key, which is located in the same position in each record of a key-sequenced data set.

tagset

a template that defines how to create a type of markup language output from a SAS format. Tagsets produce markup output such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), and LaTeX.

Uniform Resource Identifier

See URI.

Uniform Resource Locator

See URL.

URI

a string that identifies resources such as files, images, and services on the World Wide Web. A URL is a type of URI. Short form: URI.

URL

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.

variable

See SAS variable.

XML

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.

XML engine

See XML LIBNAME engine.

XML LIBNAME engine

the SAS engine that processes XML documents. The engine exports an XML document from a SAS data set by translating the proprietary SAS file format to XML markup. The engine also imports an external XML document by translating XML markup to a SAS data set.

XMLMap file

a file that contains XML tags that tell the SAS XML LIBNAME engine how to interpret an XML document.