Introduction to the Metadata LIBNAME Engine

Advantages of Using the Metadata Engine

Using the metadata engine provides the following advantages:

The metadata engine is a single point of access to many heterogeneous data sources. If an administrator has registered the metadata with the metadata server, a user or application can specify the appropriate metadata engine libref, and omit specifications for the underlying engine. In many cases, the user can change the data source for their SAS program by simply changing the libref. The user can ignore the syntax, options, behavior, and tuning that are required by the underlying engines, because the administrator has registered that information in the metadata.
The metadata engine, in conjunction with the metadata server's authorization facility, enables an administrator to control access to data. The Create, Write, and Delete permissions are enforced only if the metadata engine is used to access the data. See The Metadata Engine and Authorization.
Some data sources do not store column formats, informats, labels, and other SAS information. This information is stored by the metadata server and is included with the data that is accessed by the metadata engine.