The SPDSCONV
utility converts SPD Server 3.x metadata files for use with SPD Server
4.4. The conversion updates the physical structure of the metadata
file and renames the files. The SPDSCONV utility will also update
the data partition files if the SPD Server 3.x tables being converted
contain compressed data.
You can
identify SPD Server 3.x table files by the filename extension. SPD
Server 3.x table files end with the filename extension
.spds8. SPD Server 4.4 table files end with the filename
extension
.spds9. All tables that are upgraded
to be compatible with SPD Server 4.4 will have the filename extension
.spds9.
SPD Server
4.4 index files differ from SPD Server 3.x index files. SPD Server
4.4 index files allow greater numbers of observations than the SPD
Server 3.x index files. SPD Server 3.x index files are not compatible
with the SPD Server 4.0 and 4.4 environment.
The SPDSCONV
table conversion utility does not recreate index files. When you use
the SPDSCONV utility to convert tables from SPD Server 3.x to SPD
Server 4.4 format, the utility automatically deletes physical files
that were associated with the old 3.x indexes and are now obsolete.
The SPDSCONV utility does offer an option to create a SAS job file
that you can run in the SPD Server 4.4 environment to recreate the
SPD Server 3.x index files for use with SPD Server 4.4.
If you
choose to create the SAS job file to recreate SPD Server 3.x indexes
for use in SPD Server 4.4, the code will resemble the following:
%let SPDSIASY=YES;
PROC DATASETS lib=<spdsv4 LIBNAME>;
modify MYTABLE;
index create X1 [/Options];
index create X2 [/Options];
...
quit;
When you
use the SPDSCONV utility, you can specify the destination directory
for the SAS job file that you create, but the SPDSCONV utility names
the job file that your create. The utility generates SAS job file
names by adding the text string _v4ix.sasto the table name, resulting
in names such as mytable_v4ix.sas. It's a good idea to defer index
recreation because of the intensive computing it can require. Performing
index re-creation as an off-peak batch job can be advantageous in
busy computing environments.
After
converting the indexes, some users might notice that SPD Server 4.4
metadata files are slightly larger than the SPD Server 3.x metadata
files. The file size increase is related to the new structures that
facilitate SPD Server 4.4's capability to use large tables that more
than 2G rows of data.
How does
SPDSCONV work? When converting a table, the SPDSCONV utility first
reads the original SPD Server 3.x metadata file and creates a new
SPD Server 4.4 metadata file. Both these files are locked during the
conversion process. The lock prevents any outside access to the files
by other users while changes are being made. If the conversion process
encounters problems, the SPD Server 4.4 metadata file is deleted and
the original SPD Server 3.x table remains intact.
SPDSCONV
reads the SPD Server 3.x metadata file a section at a time, recreating
each structure in the SPD Server 4.4 metadata file as it is read.
After the SPD Server 4.4 metadata file is fully populated, the data
partition file component is checked to determine whether updates are
required.
If SPDSCONV
detects the presence of compression block headers, then the data partition
file contains SAS 8 compression information that is not compatible
in SPD Server 4.4, and the data partition files must be updated. SPDSCONV
updates the data partition file by overwriting the compression block
headers. SPDSCONV does not change the size of the data partition file,
of any file components, or any of the data contained in the files.
The increase in metadata file size is very modest and represents only
a small percentage of storage space when compared to its corresponding
data partition file component.
Once SPDSCONV
updates the data partition file, there is no provision to restore
or recreate the original SPD Server 3.x data partition file. You should
ensure that you have complete backup images of the SPD Server 3.x
data sets that you intend to convert before running the conversion.
After
the SAS job file recreates the SPD Server 3.x indexes for use with
SPD Server 4.4, all remnants of the SPD Server 3.x table are deleted.
The SPDSCONV utility does not perform ACL checks during the conversion.
The individual running the SPDSCONV utility (usually an SPD Server
Administrator) cannot browse the contents of table rows from within
the utility. During the metadata file conversion, no table rows are
accessed, and there are no options to expose table row contents as
part of logging or index job creation. The SPD Server 4.4 table retains
the same SPD Server owner as the SPD Server 3.x table.