Using SAS Studio :: SAS(R) Studio 3.4: User's Guide

About Using SAS Studio

When you sign on to SAS Studio, the main SAS Studio window appears with a blank program window so that you can start programming immediately. You also have access to all five sections of the navigation pane.

Note: To sign out of SAS Studio, click Sign Out on the toolbar. Do not use the Back button on your web browser.

The main window of SAS Studio consists of a navigation pane on the left and a work area on the right. The navigation pane provides access to your server files and folder shortcuts, your tasks and snippets, the libraries that you have access to, and your file shortcuts. The Server Files and Folders section is displayed by default.

The work area is used to display your data, code, tasks, logs, and results. As you open these items, they are added to the work area as windows in a tabbed interface.

Using the Navigation Pane

About Using the Navigation Pane

You can expand the sections of the navigation pane by clicking the section that you want to view.

Working with Server Files and Folders

The Server Files and Folders section of the navigation pane enables you to access files and folders from the following locations:

your SAS server
any remote FTP server on which you have an account

Note: SAS Studio supports only FTP servers that use a directory listing similar to UNIX.

The contents of the Server Files and Folders section depend on the type of SAS Studio deployment. The default folder shortcuts and root directories can be configured by your SAS administrator. For more information, see SAS Studio: Administrator's Guide.

You can open files that are saved on the SAS server or the FTP server, such as SAS program files or program package files. You can also open SAS tables that are saved on the SAS server.

Note: You cannot open SAS tables from a remote FTP server.

You can use the Server Files and Folders section to create folders and folder shortcuts, download and upload files, and create a new SAS program. From the folders tree, you can expand and collapse folders, copy and move items, and open items in folders by double-clicking them or dragging them to the work area. You can also view items in a folder as text.

Note: Files and folders that are located on an FTP server and are accessible by using an FTP shortcut cannot contain any of the following characters in their names:

{ } [ ] , : ; “ ‘ / \ | + < > ? @ # $ % ^ & ( ) + !

SAS Studio cannot access, move, rename, or delete files and folders on an FTP server whose names contain invalid characters.

To create a new folder shortcut:

Click Server Files and Folders in the navigation pane. Then click and select Folder Shortcut. The New Folder Shortcut window appears.
In the Name box, enter the name of the folder.
From the Folder Type drop-down list, specify whether the shortcut refers to a SAS server folder or an FTP folder.
If you are creating a shortcut to a SAS server folder, enter the physical path for the directory in the Directory box.

If you are creating a shortcut to an FTP folder, enter the network address of the FTP host in the Host Name box as well as your user name and password. By default, the directory is the home directory of the FTP user. You can use the Directory box to specify another directory that is relative to the home directory. For example, if the home directory of the FTP user is c:\homedir, and you specify data in the Directory box, then the root directory of the shortcut is c:\homedir\data on the FTP server. You can validate your connection to the FTP server by clicking Test.

Note: If your mid-tier and FTP servers are running different operating systems, you must fully qualify the name of the FTP host in the Host Name box. If this name is not fully qualified, then the connection might fail.
Click Save to create the folder shortcut. The new shortcut is added to the list of folder shortcuts.

To create a new folder, select the folder in the Server Files and Folders section in which you want to create the new folder. Click New Button

and select Folder. The New Folder window appears. Enter the name of the new folder. The new folder is added to the list of folders.

To download a file, select the file that you want to download and click Download Button

. You are prompted to open the file in the default application or save it to your local computer.

To upload one or more files from your local computer, select the folder to which you want to upload the files and click Upload Button

. The Upload Files window appears. Click Choose Files to browse for the files that you want to upload.

Working with Tasks

The Tasks section of the navigation pane enables you to access tasks in SAS Studio. Tasks are based on SAS procedures and generate SAS code and formatted results for you. SAS Studio is shipped with several predefined tasks that you can run. You can also edit a copy of these predefined tasks, and you can create your own new tasks.

To create a new task, click New task button

and select New Task. SAS Studio creates a template in the work area that you can use to create custom tasks for your site. Custom tasks can be accessed from the My Tasks folder or from the Server Files and Folders section of the navigation pane.. For more information, see Understanding Tasks in SAS Studio.

To edit a task that you have created, select the task from the My Tasks folder and click Edit button

. The XML code that is used to create the task is opened in the work area. If you want to edit a predefined task, you must first right-click the task and select Add to My Tasks or Add to Folders. For more information, see Edit a Predefined Task.

Working with Snippets

The Snippets section of the navigation pane enables you to access your code snippets. Code snippets are samples of commonly used SAS code that you can insert into your SAS program. SAS Studio is shipped with several predefined code snippets that you can use. You can also edit a copy of these snippets and create your own custom snippets. Your custom snippets can be accessed from the My Snippets folder. For more information, see Working with Programs.

To edit a snippet that you have created, select the snippet from the My Snippets folder and click Edit button

. If you want to edit a predefined snippet, you must first right-click the snippet and select Add to My Snippets.

Note: You can edit only the snippets that are in the My Snippets folder.

Working with Libraries

The Libraries section of the navigation pane enables you to access your SAS libraries. SAS tables are stored in SAS libraries. From the Libraries section, you can open SAS tables and add them to your programs. You can use the Libraries section to expand a table and view the columns in that table. The icon in front of the column name indicates the type.

Here are examples of common icons for the column types.

Icon	Type of Column
	Character
	Numeric
	Date
	Datetime

You can drag tables and columns from the Libraries section to a program, and SAS Studio adds code for the dragged items to your program. For more information, see Opening and Creating Programs.

You can also create new libraries and assign existing libraries.

To create a new library:

Click Libraries in the navigation pane and then click . The New Library window appears.
In the Name box, enter the libref for the library. The libref must be eight characters or fewer.
In the Path box, enter the physical path where the library resides.
In the Options box, specify any configuration options that you need. For the appropriate options, see the documentation for your operating environment.
If you want to access this library each time you use SAS Studio, select Re-create this library at start-up.
Click OK to create the library. The new library is added to the list of libraries in the navigation pane.

In the SAS Studio Mid-Tier (the enterprise edition) deployment, you can assign unassigned metadata libraries by clicking Assign metadata libraries button

. The libraries that you can assign must already be defined in your metadata. If you want to access the selected libraries each time you use SAS Studio, select Assign selected libraries at start-up. If a library is unassigned, then you cannot access the tables in that library.

Using File Shortcuts

File shortcuts enable you to quickly access files that you specify. You can create a file shortcut to a file on your SAS server, via a URL, or on your FTP server.

Note: You can create a file shortcut to a file on an FTP server only if you have created a folder shortcut to an FTP folder.

To create a new file shortcut, click New file shortcut button

. You can define the shortcut by specifying a complete path and filename or by specifying a URL. If you want this shortcut to be available the next time you use SAS Studio, select Re-create this file shortcut at start-up.

You can open a file from a file shortcut by double-clicking it or dragging it to the work area.

Customizing the Navigation Pane

By default, all five sections of the navigation pane are displayed when you open SAS Studio in the SAS Programmer perspective. To customize which sections are displayed, click More application options button

and select View. Select or clear any sections that you want to add or remove. The navigation pane is updated immediately.

Note: The File Shortcuts section is not displayed by default in the Visual Programmer perspective.

Using the Work Area

About Using the Work Area

The work area is the main portion of the SAS Studio application for accessing programs and tasks and for viewing data. The work area is always displayed and cannot be minimized. When you open a program, task, or table, the windows open as new tabs in the work area. The code, log, and results that are associated with programs and tasks are grouped together under the main tab for the program or task.

Work Area with One Program, One Table, and Two Tasks

Customizing the Work Area

By default, the work area is displayed beside the navigation pane, but you can maximize the work area and hide the navigation pane. You can also close all of the tabs in the work area at once.

To maximize the work area, click Maximize View button

on the toolbar.

Note: To reopen the navigation pane, click Exit maximized view button

again.

To close all tabs that are open in the work area, click New options button

and select Close All Tabs. You are prompted to save any unsaved programs or tasks.

Rearranging the Tabs in the Work Area

In the work area, you can rearrange the tabs by using a drag-and-drop operation to move them to the left or right. You can also dock a tab on the right side or bottom of the work area to view more than one tab at a time.

To rearrange a tab:

Select the tab that you want to move.
Move the tab icon to the location where you want to view this content. The icon indicates a valid location.

Note: The Results tab in Program 2 has also been moved to the right side of the program tab.

Searching in SAS Studio

You can use the Search feature to search all of the sections of the navigation pane. The types of items that you can search for depend on what is selected in the navigation pane. For example, if a folder or folder shortcut in the Server Files and Folders section is selected, you can search for folders and files, and you can choose whether to include subfolders in the search. If a task category in the Tasks section is selected, you can search for task names, associated SAS procedures, and task descriptions.

To access the Search feature, click

. The search box appears so that you can enter the text that you want to search for.

You can limit the scope of your search by selecting or clearing any of the Narrow by options. These options vary depending on what is selected in the navigation pane. By default, the search is case sensitive. To search for both uppercase and lowercase text, clear the Match case check box.

The following example shows a search for “class” in the Sashelp library. The search includes all tables and columns in the Sashelp library, and it is not case sensitive.

Search Results from a Search for “class”

You can open an item from your results by double-clicking it. To return to your search results list, click

again.

To clear the search results, click Clear search button

.

Setting General Preferences

The Preferences window enables you to change several options that affect SAS Studio.

To access the general options, click More application options button

and select Preferences. Click General.

Option	Description
Show generated code in the SAS log	displays the ODS statements, %LET statements, and any other code that is automatically generated by SAS in the log file. This option applies to both SAS tasks and SAS program files.
Include a Show Details button in error messages	adds a Show Details button to any error messages that SAS Studio generates.
Start new programs in interactive mode	opens new programs with the interactive mode on. This option is available only if you are running the first maintenance release for SAS 9.4 or later. For more information, see Working in Interactive Mode.
Time-out interval: (hours)	specifies the amount of time that SAS Studio allows you to be logged on without any activity. The default value is one hour.
SAS variable name policy	enables you to specify one of the following sets of rules to apply to SAS variable names. ANY — specifies that the variable names can begin with or contain any characters, including blanks, must contain at least one character, and cannot contain any null bytes. Variable names can contain mixed-case letters as well as special and multi-byte characters. Names can be up to 32 bytes in length. This option is selected by default. Leading blanks are preserved, but trailing blanks are ignored. V7 — specifies that the variable names must begin with a letter of the Latin alphabet (A-Z, a-z) or the underscore character. They cannot contain blanks or special characters except for the underscore and cannot be assigned the names of special SAS automatic variables or variable list names. Variable names can contain mixed-case letters and can be up to 32 bytes in length.
Default text encoding	specifies the character-set encoding that is used when text files are read or written. The default value is UTF-8. This option is not available for SAS servers running on z/OS. For a list of some of the encoding options and the languages that they are associated with, see Text Encoding Options and Language Mappings. Note: You can also specify the text encoding when you open a single file by holding down the Alt key and double-clicking the file. The Choose Text Encoding window appears and you can select the encoding. This option applies to SAS program files (.SAS), text files (.txt), comma-separated values files, (.csv), and log (.log) file types.

Understanding Perspectives

Because SAS Studio can be used by a variety of people and groups within an organization, you can choose to view a specific subset of features, or perspective, that meets your needs best. Perspectives are sets of functionality that are customized to meet the needs of different types of users. SAS Studio includes two perspectives: the SAS Programmer perspective and the Visual Programmer perspective.

The SAS Programmer perspective is for users who intend to use SAS Studio mainly for writing and editing SAS programs. By default, the SAS Programmer perspective opens with a new program window and includes all five sections of the navigation pane so that you can easily manage all of your program files and code snippets.

The Visual Programmer perspective is designed for users who want to work with process flows in a project-based environment. You can use process flows in the Visual Programmer perspective to combine individual processes into one repeatable process flow that you can save, reuse, and share with other users. By default, the Visual Programmer perspective opens with a new process flow window and includes four sections in the navigation pane: Folders, Tasks, Snippets, and Libraries.

Note: If you open a process flow while you are using the SAS Programmer perspective, you are prompted to switch to the Visual Programmer perspective.

In both perspectives, you can run the predefined tasks that are shipped with SAS Studio, and you can create and edit tasks. You can also use both perspectives to create and run SAS programs and queries.

The differences between the perspectives can be viewed in the following table:

Element in SAS Studio	Available in SAS Programmer?	Available in Visual Programmer?
Navigation Pane sections
Server Files and Folders	Yes	Yes
Tasks	Yes	Yes
Snippets	Yes	Yes
Libraries	Yes	Yes
File Shortcuts	Yes	Yes, but not displayed by default
SAS Programs	Yes	Yes
Queries	Yes	Yes
Process Flows	No	Yes

After you have started SAS Studio and selected a perspective, you can change the perspective that you are using by clicking the perspectives menu on the toolbar and selecting the perspective that you want to use.

You can specify which sections of the navigation pane are displayed in SAS Studio by clicking More application options button

and selecting View.

Editing the Autoexec File

The autoexec.sas file includes SAS statements that run each time you start SAS Studio and connect to your SAS server. For example, you can use the autoexec.sas file to assign libraries that you want to be available every time you use SAS Studio in both interactive and noninteractive modes.

Note: If you create a new library by using the New Library window, you can select the Re-create this library at start-up option to automatically add the LIBNAME statement to the autoexec.sas file. For more information, see Working with Libraries.

To edit the autoexec.sas file:

Click and select Edit Autoexec File.
Enter the code that you want to include in the autoexec.sas file.
To validate your syntax, click Run. The Log tab opens so that you can view the log.
Click Save to save and close the autoexec file.

Changing Your SAS Workspace Server

If you have access to more than one SAS workspace server, you can change the server that SAS Studio connects to. To change the server, click More application options button

and select Change SAS Workspace Server. Select the server that you want to use. When you change servers, any libraries and file shortcuts that you created are deleted. For more information, see SAS Studio: Administrator's Guide.