z/OS-Specific Updates for SAS 9.1
In addition to the new features listed in "What's New in the SAS 9 and 9.1 Companion for z/OS" in SAS Companion for z/OS, and the new features listed in "What's New for SAS 9 and 9.1" in SAS OnlineDoc 9.1, SAS 9.1 also supports the following features under z/OS.
SECPROFILE Option
SECPROFILE is a SAS/SHARE option that uses the RACF Secured Signon Function to permit a SAS/SHARE client to access a secured SAS/SHARE server without specifying a password. In order to use SECPROFILE, both the client and the server must be running under z/OS with RACF and using the TCP access method. The RACF Secured Signon Function eliminates the security exposures that can occur when you transmit a password across the network or when you include a password in JCL. For more information about the SAS/SHARE SECPROFILE option, see Communications Access Methods for SAS/CONNECT and SAS/SHARE .
Unix System Services External File I/O
The FILEDATA= and TERMSTR= options have been added to the FILE, FILENAME, and INFILE statements for SAS 9.1. These options enable you to have more control over the format of UNIX System Services (USS) files.
FILEDATA = provides the same functionality as the FILEDATA= JCL DD statement parameter.
TERMSTR = provides additional flexibility in specifying the line termination characters used in the file.
For more information about FILEDATA, and TERMSTR, see SAS Companion for z/OS.
BatchPipes Support (Experimental)
The IBM product, BatchPipes, provides a way to reduce the elapsed time for processes in which one job creates a data set that will be read by a second job in the process. SAS 9.1 supports the use of BatchPipes with SAS data sets that are created by the TAPE and V6TAPE engines. BatchPipes enables each page of a SAS data set that is written to a pipe to be read immediately by a second SAS session. Because the second session does not have to wait for the entire data set to be written, the two SAS sessions can run parallel to each other. However, the degree of parallel processing might be subject to the availability of system resources. For more information about BatchPipes, see SAS Companion for z/OS.
SPD Engine
The SAS Scalable Performance Data Engine (SPD Engine) provides scalable, threaded support for delivering large volumes of data to SAS applications that need rapid data access. The SPD Engine structures data sets to optimize threaded reads, for example, by separating the data from the metadata, and by supporting partitioning of the data across volumes. For users who have an SMP (symmetric multiprocessor) machine or operating environment that supports threading, multiple data partitions can be read simultaneously.
The SAS Scalable Performance Data Engine: Reference documentation contains all of the information that z/OS users need to use the SPD Engine, including host-specific information. For z/OS users, the SPD Engine data sets must reside in HFS or zFS. In addition, the SPD Engine documentation contains a complete Disk I/O Setup Guide which provides suggested disk array setup and other information for optimum performance and tuning.
VSAM External File I/O
SAS 9.1 supports VSAM files that are under the control of the Record Level Sharing (RLS) feature. SAS 9.1 automatically determines if a VSAM file is controlled by RLS. If the file is controlled by RLS, SAS will access it through RLS. The new NRLS option can be specified on the INFILE statement to read an RLS controlled VSAM file directly, which enables users to bypass RLS. Support for extended format VSAM files is included in SAS 9.1.
Extended Command Line Processing for Options
The length of the options string that is available when you use a clist to invoke SAS on z/OS has been increased to remove the limitation of 512 bytes. The length allowed for the options string is now dynamically allocated, and it is large enough to accommodate all invocations.
New SAS Installation Kit
SAS 9.1 is packaged in a new format called the SAS Installation Kit. The new installation kit contains the documentation and media for installation and configuration of SAS software. It also contains the SAS servers.
The SAS Installation Wizard for z/OS is a new product that is included in the SAS Installation Kit. The Installation Wizard enables the installer to build on a PC the JCL that will run the install, instead of building it on the z/OS system. The installer can then remotely submit the JCL to run on the z/OS machine. For more information about the SAS Installation Kit, see Getting Started Guide for SAS 9.1
New SAS Options for z/OS
- AUTHPROVIDERDOMAIN
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associates a domain suffix with an authentication provider. For information about AUTHPROVIDERDOMAIN, see SAS Language Reference: Dictionary.
- FILEAUTHDEFER
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controls whether SAS performs file authorization checking for z/OS data sets or defers authorization checking to z/OS system services such as OPEN. For information about FILEAUTHDEFER, see SAS Companion for z/OS.
- HELPADDR
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specifies the location of the remote help Webdoc application. For information about HELPADDR , see SAS Companion for z/OS.
- PRODTOC
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specifies the location of the table of contents for the product specific help. For information about PRODTOC, see SAS Companion for z/OS.