SAS Studio is shipped
with several predefined tasks, which are point-and-click user interfaces
that guide the user through an analytical process. For example, tasks
enable users to create a bar chart, run a correlation analysis, or
rank data. When a user selects a task option, SAS code is generated
and run on the SAS server. Any output (such as graphical results or
data) is displayed in SAS Studio.
Because of the flexibility
of the task framework, you can create tasks for your site. In SAS
Studio, all tasks use the same common task model and the Velocity
Template Language. No Java programming or ActionScript programming
is required to build a task.
The common task model
(CTM) defines the template for the task. In the CTM file, you define
how the task appears to the SAS Studio user and specify the code that
is needed to run the task. A task is defined by its input data and
the options that are available to the user. (Some tasks might not
require an input data source.) In addition, the task has metadata
so that it is recognized by SAS Studio.
In SAS Studio, a task
is defined by the
Task element, which has
these children:
Registration
The Registration element
identifies the type of task. In this element, you define the task
name, icon, and unique identifier.
Metadata
The Metadata element
can specify whether an input data source is required to run the task,
any role assignments, and the options in the task.
-
The
Roles element
specifies the types of variables that are required by the task. Here
is the information that you would specify in this element:
-
type of variable that the user
can assign to this role (for example, numeric or character)
-
the minimum or maximum number of
variables that you can assign to a role
-
the label or description of the
role that appears in the user interface
-
The
Options element
specifies how to display the options in the user interface.
UI
The UI element
describes how to present the user interface to the user. A top-down
layout is supported.
Dependencies
The Dependencies element
describes any dependencies that options might have on one another.
For example, selecting a check box could enable a text box.
Requirements
The Requirements element
specifies what conditions must be met in order for code to be generated.
Code Template
The Code
Template element determines the output of the task. For
most tasks, the output is SAS code.