When you drop a table
onto the workspace, the data builder connects to the SAS Metadata
Server to determine the column names and data types for the table.
When you drop a subquery onto the workspace, the data builder makes
the same request, but determines the column names and data types for
the output table of the subquery.
Because the data builder
uses metadata for source tables, you (or an administrator) must register
the table in metadata before you can access the data. Source tables
can be registered with SAS Visual Analytics Administrator or SAS Management
Console.
When you import data
from a file, database table, or Twitter, the data builder registers
the data in metadata as a table. This enables you to work with it
as a source table for data preparation.