METADATA Procedure

Example 9: Use METHOD=STATUS to Get Backup Information

Features:

METHOD= argument

IN= argument

The SAS 9.3 Metadata Server performs unassisted, scheduled server backups, and supports roll-forward recovery to a specified point in time. For detailed information about this server backup utility and its recovery features, see the SAS Intelligence Platform: System Administration Guide.

The recommended interface for managing server backups and performing recoveries is the Server Backup node of SAS Management Console. However, PROC METAOPERATE can be used to configure and execute backups and recoveries, and PROC METADATA can be used to get information about the backup configuration, backup history, and specific backups.

For information about tasks that can be performed with PROC METAOPERATE, see Using Backup and Recover XML Elements. The following examples show how to get information about server backups using METHOD=STATUS.

The SAS 9.3 Metadata Server backup facility uses four system files in the SASMeta/MetadataServer directory to manage backup and recovery processes.

MetadataServerBackupConfiguration.xml contains the backup configuration and backup schedule.
MetadataServerBackupHistory.xml contains a history of backup and recovery activity.
MetadataServerBackupManifest.xml contains a record of the repositories and files copied in a backup.
MetadataServerRecoveryManifest.xml contains a record of the repositories and files applied in the latest recovery.

These system files should never be opened directly. To read the files with PROC METADATA, submit backup-related XML elements that are supported in the IServer Status method in the IN= argument.

To get your server's backup configuration and backup schedule, submit the following:

proc metadata
	method=STATUS
	in='<MetadataServerBackupConfiguration/>';
run;

Here is output from the request:

NOTE: Response XML:
<MetadataServerBackupConfiguration xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="MetadataServerBackupConfiguration.xsd">
1<MetadataServer GUID="5FC4B20A-EEFE-449D-AA16-8D7745B0F0C6"/>
2<Schedules><Schedule Event="Backup"
Weekday1="0200" Weekday2="0200R" Weekday3="0200" Weekday4="0200" Weekday5="0200"
Weekday6="0200" Weekday7="0200"/></Schedules>
3<BackupConfiguration BackupLocation="Backups" DaysToRetainBackups="7"
RunScheduledBackups="Y"/></MetadataServerBackupConfiguration>

1	The <MetadataServer> XML element contains the unique metadata server identifier in a GUID= attribute.
2	The <Schedules> XML element contains the backup schedule. For a description of the schedule attributes and values, see <SCHEDULE EVENT="Backup" WEEKDAYn="timeR"/>.
3	The <BackupConfiguration> XML element contains values for the BackupLocation=, DaysToRetainBackups=, and RunScheduledBackups= configuration attributes.

To get the backup schedule for Tuesday only, submit the following:

proc metadata
	method=STATUS
	in='<Schedule Event="Backup" WeekDay3=""/>';
run;

To get the backup retention policy only, submit the following:

proc metadata
	method=STATUS
	in='<BackupConfiguration DaysToRetainBackups=""/>';
run;

To list the backup history:

proc metadata
	method=STATUS
	in='<MetadataServerBackupHistory/>';
run;

To get status information about the last backup from the history:

proc metadata
	method=STATUS
	in='<MetadataServerBackupHistory XPath="MetadataServerBackupManifest/Backups/
Backup[POSITION()=LAST()]"/>';
run;

To list the backup manifest of the last successful backup, submit the following:

proc metadata
	method=STATUS
	in='<MetadataServerBackupManifest/>';
run;

To list the backup manifest of an earlier backup:The server assumes the backup in the BackupName= attribute is in the configured backup location.

proc metadata
	method=STATUS
	in='<MetadataServerBackupManifest BackupName="2010-12-13T00_59_59-05_00"/>';
run;

To list the backup manifest of a backup that is not in the configured backup location:Specify the absolute pathname of the backup in the BackupPath= attribute.

proc metadata
	method=STATUS
	in='<MetadataServerBackupManifest BackupPath="C:/2010-12-08T12_44_21-05_00"/>';
run;

To list the contents of the MetadataServerRecoveryManifest.xml file:The server maintains a record of the last recovery only. This manifest is located in the SASMeta/MetadataServer directory.

proc metadata
	method=STATUS
	in='<MetadataServerRecoveryManifest/>';
run;

To check the health of the backup scheduler thread:Possible return values are Alive, TimeOut, Down, or Unconfigured.

proc metadata
	method=STATUS
	in='<Scheduler Ping=""/>';
run;