Introduction

About This Book

This book provides reference and usage information about the SAS 9.2 Open Metadata Interface. It also provides usage information about the SAS 9.2 Java Metadata Interface.

The SAS Open Metadata Interface is the application programming interface (API) underlying the SAS Open Metadata Architecture. The SAS Open Metadata Architecture is a client/server architecture that uses XML as its transport language. The SAS Open Metadata Interface provides the basic server interfaces for connecting to the SAS Metadata Server, creating and accessing metadata on the server, securing metadata on the server, and managing the server.

The SAS Java Metadata Interface is a Java API that provides a Java object interface to the metadata access functionality that is available through the SAS Open Metadata Interface. It enables developers to create and access metadata on the SAS Metadata Server without having to know XML.

Using these APIs with the SAS Metadata Model, which is described in SAS 9.2 Metadata Model: Reference, developers can produce SAS Open Metadata Architecture clients that create and manage metadata in metadata repositories, secure the metadata, and manage the SAS Metadata Server.

In SAS 9.2, we encourage the use of the APIs in a Java or a SAS environment. Instead of using SAS Open Metadata Interface metadata access methods directly, we encourage Java developers to use the SAS Java Metadata Interface to produce clients that create, read, and update metadata on the SAS Metadata Server. Direct use of the server interfaces should be reserved for tasks that cannot be performed with the SAS Java Metadata Interface.

SAS provides SAS language interfaces to metadata, such as PROC METADATA and SAS metadata DATA step functions, to enable SAS programmers to submit SAS Open Metadata Interface method requests either directly or indirectly within SAS.

This book is organized in four parts:

Part 1, Concepts, provides an overview of the SAS Open Metadata Architecture and the SAS Open Metadata Interface server interfaces. It provides information that is needed by all clients to connect to and communicate with the SAS Metadata Server.

Part 2, SAS Java Metadata Interface, describes how to use the SAS Java Metadata Interface to produce clients that create, read, and update metadata. Reference information about SAS Java Metadata Interface methods is provided as class documentation. You can view a Web-enabled version of SAS Java Metadata Interface documentation at support.sas.com/92api.

Part 3, Server Interfaces, contains reference information about SAS Open Metadata Interface server interfaces. There are four server interfaces:

IOMI -- metadata access interface
ISecurity -- metadata authorization interface
ISecurityAdmin -- security administration interface
IServer -- server control interface

IOMI information is provided for PROC METADATA users. PROC METADATA enables users to submit IOMI method calls that are formatted for the DoRequest method through its interface.

Part 4, IOMI Server Interface Usage, contains IOMI usage information that is helpful to all clients issuing metadata access method calls, whether clients are using the SAS Java Metadata Interface, IOMI methods directly, or one of the SAS language interfaces to metadata.

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