Architecture of the SAS Intelligence Platform

SAS Servers

The SAS servers execute SAS analytical and reporting processes for distributed clients. These servers are typically accessed either by desktop clients or by Web applications that are running in the middle tier.

Note: In the SAS Intelligence Platform, the term server refers to a program or programs that wait for and fulfill requests from client programs for data or services.

The term server does not necessarily refer to a specific computer, since a single computer can host one or more servers of various types. [cautionend]

The SAS servers use the SAS Integrated Object Model (IOM), which is a set of distributed object interfaces that make SAS software features available to client applications when SAS is executed on a server. Each server uses a different set of IOM interfaces and has a different purpose.

The principal servers in the SAS Intelligence Platform include the SAS Metadata Server, the SAS OLAP Server, the SAS Workspace Server, the SAS Pooled Workspace Server, the SAS Stored Process Server, and the SAS Table Server.

SAS Metadata Server

The SAS Metadata Server controls access to a central repository of metadata that is shared by all of the applications in the system. The SAS Metadata Server enables centralized control so that all users access consistent and accurate data. The metadata repository stores information about the following:

the enterprise data sources and data structures that are accessed by SAS intelligence applications.
the products that are created and used by SAS applications. These products include information maps, OLAP cubes, report definitions, stored process definitions, and portal content definitions.
the SAS and third-party servers that participate in the system.
the users and groups of users that use the system.
the levels of access that users and groups have to resources.

The SAS Intelligence Platform provides a central management tool--SAS Management Console--that you use to manage the metadata server and the metadata repository.

SAS OLAP Server

The SAS OLAP Server is a multidimensional data server that delivers pre-summarized cubes of data to business intelligence applications. The data is queried using the MDX (multidimensional expression) language.

This server is designed to reduce the load on traditional back-end storage systems by quickly delivering summarized views, irrespective of the amount of data that underlies the summaries.

SAS Workspace Server

The SAS Workspace Server enables client applications to submit SAS code to a SAS session using an application programming interface (API). For example, when you use SAS Data Integration Studio to submit an ETL job for processing, the application generates the SAS code necessary to perform the processing and submits it to a workspace server. You can run as many instances of workspace servers as are needed to support your workload.

SAS Pooled Workspace Server

The SAS Pooled Workspace Server is a workspace server that uses server-side pooling, which is new with SAS 9.2. This configuration maintains a collection of reusable workspace server processes for clients, thus avoiding the overhead associated with creating a new process for each connection. Clients such as SAS Information Map Studio, SAS Web Report Studio, and the SAS Information Delivery Portal can use pooled workspace servers to query relational data.

SAS Stored Process Server

The SAS Stored Process Server executes and delivers results from SAS Stored Processes in a multi-client environment. A SAS Stored Process is a SAS program that is stored centrally and that can be executed by users and client programs on demand.

You can run as many instances of stored process servers as are needed to support your workload.

SAS Table Server

The SAS Table Server is included in some SAS Intelligence Platform software offerings. This server stores records to support the enhanced auditing capabilities that are provided by SAS Shared Services. These capabilities are used by the SAS BI Dashboard and can also be used by the SAS Information Delivery Portal, SAS Web Report Studio, and certain SAS solutions. For more information about Shared Services, see Middle-Tier Components of the SAS Intelligence Platform and the SAS Intelligence Platform: Web Application Administration Guide.

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