An alternative method to access RDBMS sources from Information Maps can provide a performance improvement in some instances. A SAS-Talks webinar was presented in December 2010 to a live audience but is also available on-demand. Included below is a full list of resources that relate to this topic as well as follow-up answers to the question and answer session.
These answers were last updated in December 2010.
Will this presentation be available for playback at a later date?
Yes, it's available for playback from here.
What if any differences exist between 9.1.2 and 9.2 when implementing this?
The main difference is that the Information Map Studio client has changed to allow easier implementation of Stored Process inclusion. There is a knowledge base article to explain how to link a Stored Process to an Information Map with these versions:
How do I determine if the SAS Function will translate into the Access Engine?
The SAS/Access documentation provides specific sections for each of the RDBMS Access Engines. Refer to the subsection that begins as ‘Passing SAS Functions to’. Note that using the sastrace option, as discussed in the webinar, is the best mechanism to determine if the query is translating and executing completely in the RDBMS or if it is running in SASWORK.
Can we utilize the Stored Process server instead of the Workspace Server when implementing?
SAS Information Maps can only access Stored Processes registered to execute on the Workspace Server.
Do you see a difference in performance when using views vs tables?
In this scenario discussed in the webinar the view definition or table itself would solely reside on the RDBMS. In some situations views can increase the amount of time results are returned to the end user simply because the view is running each time the user requests data.
How is data sorting addressed in SAS Web Report Studio?
Currently, SAS Web Report Studio automatically sorts data using the rules documented in Usage Note 20093.
Will SAS Web Report Studio allow each object in the report to access different Information Maps as opposed to one Information Map per section?
SAS R&D has identified this as a requirement and target it for a future version of Web Report Studio that will utilize FLEX.
Which databases support SAS In-database Processing
Documentation on In-Database Processing (http://support.sas.com/documentation/onlinedoc/indbtech/index.html) lists the current databases that have SAS processing steps translate directly into the RDBMS engine. In the scenario presented during the webinar, the PROC statements are not in use. However use of the SAS Format capabilities could provide additional improvements in reporting performance.
Is there a way to bypass the log in screen for SAS Web Report Studio?
There are several possible implementation methods that would provide a way to skip the log on screen.
You can grant everyone with the ability to access SAS Web Report Studio as the anonymous user. Included are areas within the documentation to complete this task. Please review the risks associated with this option before completing an implementation. You can implement this method within the SAS BI Web Services application. More information is available within the Web Application Administration Guide.
Webinar attendee Mark Bodt provided another
method: "Some SAS Administrators might also consider Integrated Windows
Authentication (IWA). When you go to a portal page, Web Report Studio or another
SAS web application, the user is not prompted for credentials on the login
page. This also provides for other methods of logging in such as the use of
biometrics (e.g. fingerprint scanner) instead of a userID/
password needing to be typed in. This is different to anonymous log-in as the
user is known to the SAS Infrastructure and all the usual metadata security
will be applied to any SAS objects based on their identity.
There is more information about this at:
Single sign on via web authentication is available through products such as SiteMinder or Tivoli. More information on how this technology works is available at: http://support.sas.com/documentation/cdl/en/bisecag/61133/HTML/default/a003140625.htm