What's New in the SAS 9.3 Language Interfaces to Metadata

Overview

Changes and enhancements include the following:
  • a new METHOD argument for PROC METADATA
  • new options for PROC METAOPERATE ACTION=REFRESH in support of the new metadata server backup facility
  • a new option for PROC METAOPERATE PAUSE and RESUME actions in support of the new metadata server backup facility
  • a new option for PROC METAOPERATE ACTION=REFRESH to enable metadata server alert e-mail testing
  • PROC METAOPERATE no longer requires the <SERVER/> option to be specified with ACTION=REFRESH
  • the METAAUTORESOURCES system option now assigns the LIBNAME engine based on a pre-assignment type in the library definition
  • a new SPN format for the METASPN system option
  • documentation changes

Procedures

The METADATA procedure is enhanced as follows:
  • Depending on the value of a new METHOD= argument, DOREQUEST or STATUS, the METADATA procedure submits either a SAS Open Metadata Interface IOMI DoRequest or IServer Status method call to the SAS Metadata Server. Support for METHOD=STATUS is important because the DoRequest method (the legacy behavior) does not work when the SAS Metadata Server is paused. Using METHOD=STATUS, PROC METADATA can be used to get metadata server configuration, backup information, and various server statistics while the server is paused.
The METAOPERATE procedure is enhanced as follows:
  • The REFRESH action has several new options in support of the new metadata server backup facility
    <BACKUP attribute(s)/>
    invokes an ad hoc backup of the SAS Metadata Server to the location indicated in the server’s backup configuration.
    <BACKUPCONFIGURATION attribute(s)/>
    modifies the value of the specified backup configuration attribute. Backup configuration attributes are BackupLocation="directory", RunScheduledBackups="Y | N", and DaysToRetainBackups="number".
    <RECOVER options/>
    recovers the SAS Metadata Server from the specified backup, and can perform roll-forward recovery from the metadata server journal. The roll-forward feature recovers all journal transactions, or transactions up to a specified point in time.
    <SCHEDULE EVENT="Backup" WEEKDAYn="timeR"/>
    sets or modifies the server backup schedule. SCHEDULE EVENT="Backup" specifies the event that will be scheduled. WEEKDAYn="time" specifies the backup schedule. The SAS Metadata Server supports daily backups, specified in a weekly schedule where the attribute WeekDay1= is Sunday, the attribute WeekDay7= is Saturday, and appropriately numbered WeekDayn= attributes represent the other days of the week. Backup times are specified in four-digit values based on a 24-hour clock. For example, 0100 is 1 a.m.; 1300 is 1 p.m. To modify the schedule, specify the appropriate WeekDayn= attribute with the backup time. R can be used to specify that a REORG be performed with a backup.
    <SCHEDULER/>
    rebuilds or restarts the backup scheduler thread, depending on the XML subelement that is specified.
    <OMA ALERTEMAILTEST="text"/>
    sends a test alert e-mail message to the address configured in the <OMA ALERTEMAIL="email-address"/> option in the metadata server’s omaconfig.xml configuration file. The option is provided for testing the metadata server’s alert e-mail notification subsystem. The subsystem sends an alert e-mail message to configured recipients whenever a server backup or recover fails, or when the server itself fails.
  • The PAUSE and RESUME actions support a new <FORCE/> option. <FORCE/> regains control of the SAS Metadata Server during the recovery process in the event that the recovery process stops responding. When used with RESUME, <FORCE/> returns the server to an online state. When used with PAUSE, you can include the <SERVER STATE="ADMIN"/> option to enable administrators to examine the recovered system before making the server available to clients.

System Options

  • The METAAUTORESOURCES system option now assigns the LIBNAME engine based on a pre-assignment type setting in the library definition. Libraries that are marked as being assigned by external configuration (AUTOEXEC file) are ignored by METAAUTORESOURCES. Libraries that are marked as being assigned by the native library engine are assigned by the library engine defined for that library in metadata. Libraries that are marked as being assigned by the metadata LIBNAME engine are assigned with the metadata LIBNAME engine (MLE).
  • The SPN format for the METASPN system option has changed. The following formats are supported: SAS/machine-name, or SAS/machine-name.company.com.

Documentation Enhancements

  • A new chapter describes how SAS language elements that read and write metadata are affected by the SAS type dictionary.
  • Additional examples have been added that show how to use SAS metadata DATA step functions to create reports that track the data libraries, servers, users, user group memberships, and logins defined in metadata.
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