When using SAS/ACCESS Interface to PC Files in SAS 9.1.3 on UNIX with a
BI client to access file formats (like Excel) which reside on the PC, it
will fail with one of the following 2 error messages:


  ERROR: Unable to create log file.

when using a LIBNAME statement or

  ERROR: Failed to connect to the Server: xxx.xxx.xxx

when using PROC IMPORT or PROC EXPORT.

This is because the SAS/ACCESS product tries to create a log file in the
directory from which you invoke SAS.  When a BI client starts a Metadata
Server, SAS is always invoked from the SASMain directory beneath the
!SASROOT directory.  End users will always encounter this error when
they try and use the product via a BI client because they do not have
write access to SASMain.

For example, a user creates a SAS/ACCESS Interface to PC Files libref
when in SAS Management Console on the PC and uses a Metadata Profile for
a UNIX server.  When anyone tries to use this libref to import tables
from SAS Management Console or access data from any other BI client like
Enterprise Guide, it will fail with one fo the errors documented above.

This problem also occurs when submitting SAS/ACCESS Interface to PC
Files code via the Stored Process Server.

The workaround is to change the directory from which SAS will ultimately
be invoked.  This can be accomplished via the following steps:

  1)  In the autoexec.sas file which the SAS session is using, add the
      following:

        x 'cd';
        run;

      This will make the user's home directory the current working
      directory.

      It's important that this change be made to the autoexec.sas file
      that's actually being used by the SAS session.  The autoexec.sas
      file in the SASMain directory is the default and it's probably the
      one that's being used.  To make sure, you can check the -AUTOEXEC
      setting in the sasv9.cfg file or run a PROC OPTIONS in your SAS
      session.

  2)  Edit the Object Spawner shell script, where the XCMD option is
      set by default to not allow the use of the "X" command.  To modify
      the Object Spawner to allow "X" commands, add the allowxcmd option
      as follows:

      else
         $CMD -sasSpawnerCn "$SPWNNAME" -omrconfigfile $XMLCFG
         -allowxcmd -sasverbose -saslogfile $DIR/logs/objspawn.log >
         $DIR/logs/objspawn_console.log 2>&1 &

      Once this is done, restart the Object Spawner.

In UNIX SAS 9.1.3 Service Pack 4, SAS/ACCESS Interface to PC Files will
create it's log in the user's home directory and will only create it if
there are substantive messages involved.

Operating System and Release Information