Using the Promotion Tools

Special Considerations for Promoting Metadata

Before choosing to use the Export SAS Package and Import SAS Package wizards (or the batch import and export tools) to promote metadata, you should be aware of the following important considerations:

The wizards and batch tools can promote only objects that appear in the SAS Folders tree. The wizards cannot promote metadata for users, roles, groups, servers, spawners, or Foundation Services configurations.

In addition, the wizards and batch tools cannot promote portal pages, page templates, portlet instances, or the portal's application and user permissions trees. To promote these items, you can use the content promotion tool for the SAS Information Delivery Portal 4.3. See Promoting Portal Content in the SAS Intelligence Platform: Web Application Administration Guide.
In order for objects to function properly in the target environment, you must import the resources that objects depend on, unless those resources already exist in the target environment. For example, if you want reports to function properly, you must import the information maps that the reports depend on. If a report has stored processes or images associated with it, then you must import those objects in order for the report to function properly.
The wizards and batch tools do not export or import the servers or the physical directories (including source code repositories and deployment directories) that are associated with objects. Instead, the tools allow you to map objects to existing servers and directories in the target environment, as needed.
The following special considerations apply to promoting libraries and tables:
- Library names must be unique within a SAS Application Server. When you import a library, the promotion tools check to determine whether the target environment contains a library that has the same name and is located on the same application server. If such a library exists, then the promotion tool renames the imported library to Copy of library-name.
- Table names must be unique within a library. When you import a table, the promotion tools check to determine whether the target environment contains a table that has the same name and is part of the same library. If such a table exists, then the promotion tool renames the imported table to Copy of table-name.
- The promotion tools do not create the physical directory paths that are needed for libraries. Instead, the tools determine whether the physical directory exists, and if it does exist, they create the metadata for the directory.
- If you choose to export physical tables along with metadata, you should be aware that large data sets could require lengthy processing times (since data sets are packaged in the SPK file along with the metadata).
  
  Note: When you use the SAS Package Export wizard to export table objects, you can choose whether to also export the physical tables. When you use the export batch tool to export table objects, the physical tables are not exported.
- If you import metadata for a table or an external file that is already registered in the target environment, then any matching column metadata is overwritten. Any non-matching metadata in the target table or file is preserved. The matching of column names is case-insensitive. For example, metadata for a column called SALES will overwrite metadata for a column called Sales.
An environment can contain only one OLAP schema for each SAS Application Server. If an application server has an OLAP schema and you try to import another one for the same server, the Import SAS Package wizard prompts you to either deselect the schema or select a different application server.
The following special considerations apply to promoting OLAP cubes:
- OLAP cubes must be promoted along with their associated jobs. The Export SAS Package wizard will not allow you to continue if you do not select both objects.
- After you promote the metadata and jobs for an OLAP cube, you must rebuild the cube.
For more information about promoting cubes, see the SAS OLAP Server: User's Guide.
If you export a queue manager for WebSphere object or a queue manager for MSMQ object, then all of the message queues that are defined for that object are also exported, regardless of whether they were selected. When you import the package, the message queues might be added to your metadata. If you do not want to use the message queues, you should delete them when the import is complete.
If you promote an object (for example, a stored process or a shared prompt) that includes a File or directory prompt, then you must do the following:
- After the promotion is complete, you must edit the prompt to ensure that a valid workspace server is specified.
- If the File or directory prompt has a default file or directory value specified, then you must move the associated physical file or directory to the target environment, if it is not already present. After the promotion, you must edit the prompt to associate it with the correct file or directory.
After you promote a SAS Enterprise Guide project or a SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office document, you might need to update the application server names for tables that are associated with the project or document. This step is necessary if the target environment uses different application server names than the source environment. After you perform the promotion, use one of the following methods in the target environment to adjust the metadata:
- Run the migration wizard that is provided with SAS Enterprise Guide and SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office. For details, see "Using the Migration Wizard" in Administering SAS Enterprise Guide; or see "Migrating SAS Content" in the SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office Help.
- For SAS Enterprise Guide projects, use the Project Maintenance dialog box to edit the table metadata. For details, see the SAS Enterprise Guide Help.
Dashboard objects (including dashboards, indicators, indicator data, ranges, indicator configurations, and dashboard components) can be promoted effective with the November 2010 release. However, these objects cannot be promoted within the same metadata server. For additional special considerations, see Promoting SAS BI Dashboard 4.3 Content in the SAS Intelligence Platform: Web Application Administration Guide.

Additional considerations apply if you are promoting metadata from a SAS 9.1.3 system to a SAS 9.2 system. For details, see Special Considerations for Promoting Metadata From SAS 9.1.3 to SAS 9.2.

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