Content of Permanent Control Data Sets

The content of the permanent control data sets is based on intervals and ranges in your data. The INT= parameter flags datetime gaps. When you specify the INT= parameter on %RMDUPCHK, you define the maximum gap allowable between records in the same range. If the gap between datetimes for two consecutive records exceeds this value, then a new range is created.
A range is deleted when the end-of-range datetime value is older than the number of weeks that are specified on the KEEP= parameter on %RMDUPCHK. However, if your data is continuous, then you have only one range. Your control information is never aged out because the end-of-range datetime value is constantly extended by new datetime information.
Here are the ways that ranges are used with data that is continuous and data that is not continuous:
  • If your data is continuous and does not have any datetime gaps that exceed the value of the INT= parameter, then your data always updates the same range. In this case, the permanent control data set contains one range for each unique value of the variable that is specified by the IDVAR= parameter. The values of that variable are typically the machine or system names from which the raw data originated.
  • If your data is not continuous, then the permanent control data set contains multiple ranges for each unique value of the variable that is specified by the IDVAR= parameter. Each range is prefixed with a value of the variable that is specified by the IDVAR= parameter.
Note: For the HP Reporter and VMware adapters, one set of control data sets is created for each table by default. You can create just one set of control data sets for these adapters. To do so, specify a three-character identifier in the SOURCE= parameter of the %RMDUPCHK macro. SAS IT Resource Management then prefixes that identifier to the control data set.