Glossary

aggregate function

a function that summarizes data and produces a statistic such as a sum, an average, a minimum, or a maximum.

aggregation

the act or process of grouping data, using an operation that produces a statistic such as a sum, average, minimum, or maximum. The term aggregation can also refer to the grouped data that results from such an operation. See also aggregate function.

authentication domain

a SAS internal category that pairs logins with the servers for which they are valid. For example, an Oracle server and the SAS copies of Oracle credentials might all be classified as belonging to an OracleAuth authentication domain.

calculated data item

a data item that has a customized expression.

cardinality

in a join, a property that describes whether one row or many rows in one table are associated with one row or many rows in the other table.

cascading prompts

a sequence of dependent prompts. See also dependent prompt.

category

a classification of data items. Category data items are used to group measure data items, using an applied aggregate function. For example, a category data item that contains the names of countries could be used to group a measure data item that contains population values.

classification

an attribute of data items that determines how they will be processed in a query. Data items can be classified as either categories or measures.

connection profile

a client-side definition of where a metadata server is located. The definition includes a computer name and a port number. In addition, the connection profile can also contain user connection information.

data element

a general term that can include data (such as table columns, OLAP hierarchies, and OLAP measures) as well as data items. See also data item.

data item

in an information map, an item that represents either data (a table column, an OLAP hierarchy, or an OLAP measure) or a calculation. Data items are used for building queries. Data items are usually customized in order to present the data in a form that is relevant and meaningful to a business user.

data source

a table or cube that an information map retrieves data from. A table can be added as a data source multiple times as long as each instance is given a unique data source name.

dependent prompt

a prompt whose values depend on the values of another prompt. For example, you have a prompt whose values are the names of the divisions in your organization. You also have a prompt whose values are the names of the departments in those divisions. If you want the end user to see only the departments for the selected division, then you would set the department prompt to be dependent on the division prompt. After you select a value for the division prompt, the department prompt is then populated with only the names of the departments from that division.

engine

a component of SAS software that reads from or writes to a file. Each engine enables SAS to access files that are in a particular file format.

expression

a combination of data elements, literals, functions, and mathematical operators. An expression can be used to derive a value or to specify a condition that determines whether or how data is processed.

filter

in an information map, criteria (rules) that subset data. When a query is generated from an information map, the filter is converted to a query-language statement (for example, an SQL WHERE clause).

format

a pattern that SAS uses to determine how the values of a variable or data item should be written or displayed. SAS provides a set of standard formats and also enables you to define your own formats.

identity

a user, group, or role definition.

information architect

a person in an organization who is responsible for facilitating business reporting in the enterprise.

information map

a collection of data items and filters that provides a user-friendly view of a data source. When you use an information map to query data for business needs, you do not have to understand the structure of the underlying data source or know how to program in a query language.

inner join

a join between two tables that returns all of the rows in one table that have one or more matching rows in the other table.

join

(1) the act of combining data from two or more tables in order to produce a single result set. (2) a specification that describes how you want data from two or more tables to be combined. The specification can be in the form of Structured Query Language (SQL) programming code, or it can be done interactively through a software user interface.

join condition

a combination of join keys and a comparison operator.

join key

one or more columns that are used to associate two tables in a join.

label

an alternate name for an object. The label is often longer and more descriptive than the name of the object.

libref

a short name for the full physical name of a SAS library. In the context of the SAS Metadata Repository, a libref is associated with a SAS library when the library is defined in the metadata repository.

login

a SAS copy of information about an external account. Each login includes a user ID and belongs to one SAS user or group. Most logins do not include a password.

measure

a classification of data items. The values of measure data items are aggregated (unless otherwise specified) and can be used in computations or analytical expressions. For example, a measure data item could contain age values that are grouped by gender and then averaged.

metadata

data about data. For example, metadata typically describes resources that are shared by multiple applications within an organization. These resources can include software, servers, data sources, network connections, and so on. Metadata can also be used to define application users and to manage users' access to resources. Maintaining metadata in a central location is more efficient than specifying and maintaining the same information separately for each application.

metadata repository

a collection of related metadata objects, such as the metadata for a set of tables and columns that are maintained by an application. A SAS Metadata Repository is an example.

metadata server

a server that provides metadata management services to one or more client applications. A SAS Metadata Server is an example.

outer join

a join between two tables that returns all of the rows in one table, as well as part or all of the rows in the other table. A left or right outer join returns all of the rows in one table (the table on the left or right side of the SQL statement, respectively), as well as the matching rows in the other table. A full outer join returns all of the rows in both of the tables.

port

in a network that uses the TCP/IP protocol, an endpoint of a logical connection between a client and a server. Each port is represented by a unique number.

prefilter

in an information map, a mandatory filter that pre-screens and subsets the data in its associated table before any other part of a query is run. The two types of prefilters are authorization-based prefilters and general prefilters. An authorization-based prefilter applies to a specific user or group, and a general prefilter applies to all users.

prompt

a parameter that enables a user to specify one or more values, which can be used by consumers such as applications, stored processes, and reports.

prompted filter

a filter that is associated with a prompt, which enables the user of an information map to specify filtering criteria when a query is executed.

query

a set of instructions that requests particular information from one or more data sources.

register

to save metadata about an object to a metadata repository. For example, if you register a table, you save metadata about that table to a metadata repository.

relationship

the association, between tables in an information map, that generates a database join in a query.

required table

a relational data source that must be used in any query that is generated from an information map.

resource

an object that is external to an information map and that the information map uses or references. Some examples of resources are tables, columns, cubes, servers, stored processes, and user-defined formats.

result set

the set of rows or records that a server or other application returns in response to a query.

rule

in an information map filter, a criterion that is used for subsetting data. A simple filter contains a single rule, and a compound filter contains multiple rules.

SAS Application Server

in the SAS Intelligence Platform, a logical entity that represents the SAS server tier. This logical entity contains specific servers (for example, a SAS Workspace Server and a SAS Stored Process Server) that execute SAS code. A SAS Application Server has relationships with other metadata objects. For example, a SAS library can be assigned to a SAS Application Server. When a client application needs to access that library, the client submits code to the SAS Application Server to which the library is assigned.

SAS Information Map

See information map.

SAS library

a collection of one or more files that are recognized by SAS and that are referenced and stored as a unit. SAS libraries can be defined in a SAS Metadata Repository to provide centralized definitions for SAS applications.

SAS Metadata Repository

a repository that is used by the SAS Metadata Server to store and retrieve metadata. See also SAS Metadata Server.

SAS Metadata Server

a multi-user server that enables users to read metadata from or write metadata to one or more SAS Metadata Repositories.

SAS Workspace Server

a SAS server that provides access to Foundation SAS features such as the SAS programming language and SAS libraries.

SQL

See Structured Query Language.

Structured Query Language

a standardized, high-level query language that is used in relational database management systems to create and manipulate database management system objects. Short form: SQL.

table

a two-dimensional representation of data in which the data values are arranged in rows and columns.