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Hot Topics

• Updates for SAS 9.2 (March 2008)
  See the compatibility calculator to determine whether you need to migrate your libraries to SAS 9.2. Use the PROC MIGRATE calculator to find the right example code for your migration.
  
  
• Get a Smarter COMPARE
  Validation tools for the MIGRATE procedure now work with CEDA and provide additional details about catalogs, indexes, and integrity constraints.
  
  
• Start Planning
  See Getting Started for the most efficient pathway through all of the SAS®9 migration documentation.
  
  
• Coexistence
  Many SAS®9 products can install side-by-side with SAS 8.2 with very good compatibility. See Peaceful Coexistence: SAS®9 and SAS 8.2 for details.
  
  
• Sample Validation SOP
  See an example SOP: SAS Installation Qualification / Operational Qualification (PDF) (updated 19 May 2008) for the pharmaceutical industry.

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Validation

Migration

Validating SAS with SAS OQ

The SAS Operational Qualification Tool (SAS OQ) validates the behavior of SAS procedures, features, and functions for base SAS and many other SAS products. The SAS OQ is actually a "harness" that calls test tables, runs SAS programs, and then checks the return codes. In other words, while the SAS IQ validates the installation process, the SAS OQ validates the software itself. The SAS OQ is self-validating but can accept some existing customer-defined benchmarks; see the second section below.

For SAS 9.2 and SAS 9.1.3, SAS OQ is supported on all Windows and UNIX platforms. See the following documents:

• SAS 9.2 Qualification Tools User’s Guide.
• SAS 9.1.3 Qualification Tools User’s Guide.

For SAS 8.2, SAS OQ is supported for Windows. See the readme file available at the download.

Running the Self-Validating Tests

In the Execution stage, you are directed to run SAS OQ after installation and customization is complete.

Incorporating User-Defined Benchmarked Tests

In addition to these self-validating tests, the SAS OQ can integrate some user-defined benchmarked tests. The user tests must conform to the same table-based format and directory structure as the SAS OQ. A filtering tool removes extraneous "nonevent differences," due to date and so forth, before the differencing tool looks for real errors.

Running the SAS OQ at a Later Date

Like the SAS IQ, you can run the SAS OQ at any time, even years after the installation, to validate the behavior of SAS software.