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Step 1

Migration

Best Practices Migration with PROC MIGRATE: Migrate Files

Step 2: Migrate Data to SAS®9 Format

After you update SAS programs and custom SAS applications, the next step is to migrate data.

Deciding Whether to Move or Migrate: Using the Compatibility Calculator

Use the Compatibility Calculator from the Planning stage to determine whether to migrate a SAS data library to SAS®9 format or to simply move the library unchanged.

Your decision might depend on a cost analysis: the cost of migration versus the compatibility constraints of cross-release processing. To make an informed decision, read about the new MIGRATE procedure. Because it was developed specifically for migrating data libraries to SAS®9 format, this procedure is easy to use and provides features not available under the traditional SAS copy tools. For supported processing of files that you do not migrate to SAS®9 format, read about SAS®9 cross-release compatibility. If you're executing a staged migration, keeping some users at the previous release, see information about using SAS®9 data files in SAS 6, 7, or 8.

Using the PROC MIGRATE Calculator

As noted above, PROC MIGRATE is the premiere tool for migrating SAS data libraries to the target installation. PROC MIGRATE not only moves a file but also changes the file's format to that of SAS®9, so that you can take full advantage of SAS®9 capabilities.

Use the PROC MIGRATE Calculator from the Planning stage to locate instructions that are tailored to your operating environment and your library members. The calculator will guide you to special topics:

Best practices

Migrate the source data to the target environment all at one time. Only migrate incrementally if hardware requirements mandate such a course. Validate the integrity of the data after each increment.

Run a test migration of a SAS data library for an extra level of security before you migrate:

  1. Review the contents of the source library to determine what member types it contains.
  2. Create a new sample library (using your source SAS installation) which contains an example of each of the member types that exist in the actual source library. For instance, if your actual source library contains Version 8 data sets, catalogs, and SQL views, then use Version 8 SAS to create a new, empty library, and create one data set, one catalog, and one SQL view. Alternatively, you can PROC COPY an example of each member type into a sample source library.
  3. Migrate the new sample source library, using the PROC MIGRATE validation tools. An advantage to using this method is that any syntax errors will be quickly identified (for example, if you attempt to migrate from a V8 base engine library to a SAS 9.1 tape engine library, PROC MIGRATE fails with an ERROR).
  4. Review the results. Check the NOTEs, and any WARNINGs and ERRORs generated in the SAS log from PROC MIGRATE. Review the output generated by the PROC MIGRATE validation tools to determine which differences are expected between the sample source library and target library versions of the members, and which (if any) are unexpected.
  5. If desired, revise your local copy of the PROC MIGRATE validation tools to "filter out" the expected differences identified in step 4. This requires a good working knowledge of SAS Macro and the DATA step.
  6. Create an empty target library. It is recommended that you migrate to an empty target library. If you wish to migrate the source library to the same target library used in step 3, delete the members migrated from the sample source library.
  7. Migrate the actual source library. Migration and validation of the actual source library can be simplified once expected differences are documented (or filtered out) using the sample source library.

Proceed to the next phase, Tune for Performance.