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Implementation & Administration Guide 1.1 |
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SAS stored processes give users of the SAS Information Delivery Portal the ability to run SAS reports dynamically using current data residing on enterprise databases.
A stored process is a SAS program that resides on a server and is available to be executed on a request basis. The benefits of stored processes include centralized code management, increased security, and ad hoc reporting capabilities. For more information, see the Stored Processes topic on the SAS Integration Technologies Web site.
When a user runs a stored process from the portal, the Portal Report Runner displays the associated input form, allowing the user to filter the report contents. The user can have the report runner display the report results immediately, or the results can be stored for later viewing by the requesting user.
To set up a stored process in the portal, you must:
Place the code and data on a SAS server that is accessible to the portal users who will access it.
Use the Personalize tool to make the report appear as a selection on the portal.
First, determine what type of report you would like to make available through the stored process. Then, either locate an existing SAS program that produces the report or develop the program from scratch. Test the program on a standalone basis to be sure that it operates without errors and that it produces the desired output.
You must then add the following elements to the SAS program so that it will function as a stored process. Refer to the example stored process for an annotated illustration of these requirements. The links below point to specific portions of the example.
Add a prologue to the beginning of the program to declare the variables that are to be used as execution parameters. The program can then use these variables as filters.
Add a *ProcessBody line to delineate the prologue from the body of the program.
Create the program's output so that it can be presented within the portal.
Use the Publish Framework to place the report results in a package and publish the package to the portal.
Use the SAS Integration Technologies (IT) Administrator interface to update your enterprise directory with metadata about the stored process and its execution parameters. For detailed instructions on the use of this interface, refer to the IT Administrator section of the SAS Integration Technologies Web site.
Perform the following tasks using IT Administrator. Refer to the example stored process definition for an annotated illustration of these tasks. The links below point to specific portions of the example.
Define a path for the stored process, if one is not already defined. The path information will enable the portal application to locate the stored process when it is invoked by the user. The logical name that you assign to the path identifies the SAS server on which the stored process is located.
Define the stored process. The stored process definition includes:
A descriptive label, which will appear on lists in the portal application.
The name of the SAS program that contains the stored process.
Note: If you use an LDIF file or other LDAP tool to enter your metadata, you must append the program name to the value of the descriptive label attribute, described above, followed by an underscore character, before assigning it to the sasstoredprocessvalue attribute. For example, if the program file name is prdsale1.sas and the descriptive label is Product Sales Demo, you would place the value Product Sales Demo_prdsale1.sas in the metadata.
If you use IT Administrator, the required concatenation occurs automatically.
The path to the JSP file that contains the input form to be displayed in the portal for execution parameter selection. The JSP must be located within the ServletContext of the portal application.
For convenience, the portal application includes a default input form (DefaultInputForm.jsp) which automatically renders your stored process parameters as list boxes in the portal. You can choose to use this JSP, or you can create a JSP that renders your own customized input form.
The parameters that are passed to the SAS program upon execution. These are the same parameters that you defined in the prologue section of the SAS program.
For each parameter, you must define a name, a label (to appear on the user input form), and the valid values. You can define the valid values in either of two ways:
by providing a comma-separated list of values; or
by providing the path to a data source that contains the valid values. If you use this method, you must also define a report query to extract the valid values from the data source.
When portal displays the default input form in the Portal Report Runner window, it will render the possible values in list boxes. You can also provide a description, a default value, and a flag indicating whether the parameter is required.
Define access rules for the stored process and/or its path. For more information, refer to Controlling Access to Portal Content.
If the stored process (report) is accessible to all portal users, the public content administrator can use the Personalize feature to add the report to a public list. When the administrator performs this function, the portal application displays a list box containing all reports in the enterprise directory that are accessible to all portal users. From the list box, the public content administrator selects the reports that are to appear on the public list.
Group owners can use the Personalize feature to add the report to a role-based list. When the group owner performs this function, the portal application displays a list box containing all reports in the enterprise directory that the group is authorized to access. From the list box, the group owner selects the reports that are to appear on the role-based list.
Individual users can use the Personalize feature to add the reports to a personal list. When the user performs this function, the portal application displays a list box containing all reports in the enterprise directory that the user is authorized to access. From the list box, the user selects the reports that are to appear on his or her personal list.
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Implementation & Administration Guide 1.1 |
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