There are a few general heuristics that can be applied to determine whether a particular rectangular data set can be accessed by a particular SAS Data Provider.
Note: For information about how to access multidimensional data, see Reading Multidimensional Data with ADO MD.
The following rules are true in the majority of cases.
The following table lists which SAS file types are supported by each SAS Data Provider.
| File Type and Description | Local Data Provider | SAS/IOM Data Provider | SAS OLAP Data Provider | SAS/SHARE Data Provider |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAS data files Contain both the data and the descriptor information. SAS data files have a member type of DATA. |
Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| SAS data views A virtual data set that points to data from other sources. SAS data views have a member type of VIEW. |
No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Temporary SAS data sets A data set that exists only for the duration of the current program or interactive SAS session. Temporary SAS data sets are not available for future SAS sessions |
No | Yes | No | Yes |
| SAS index An auxiliary file that is a summary of a SAS data set. Indexes are never accessed directly, but they can can provide faster access to specific observations during SQL evaluation, particularly when your data set is large. |
No | Yes | No | Yes |
| SAS audit and backup files Auxiliary files that are used to audit the changes made to a data file. |
No | No (Changes to the base data set are logged.) | No | No (Changes to the base data set are logged.) |
| Interface files Files created by other programs, such as ORACLE, DB2, or SYBASE. SAS uses special engines to read and write the data. |
No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Generation data sets Historical copies of a SAS data set. |
Yes, when using libbname.memname in a direct open. |
Yes, when using libname.memname in a direct open. (Not valid in SQL statements.) |
No | Yes, when using libname.memname in a direct open. (Not valid in SQL statements.) |
| SAS OLAP cubes A logical set of data that is organized and structured in a hierarchical, multidimensional arrangement. |
No | No | Yes | No |
Note: See SAS Language Reference: Concepts and the SAS Procedures Guide for more information about SAS file types.
The local provider enables you to manipulate data sets that have been created on platforms other than the one supported by your local PC. The platforms must be compatible with your PC's platform in the following ways:
Note: When working with data sets created on a foreign platform, the local provider translates numeric values but not character values.
The following operating environments meet the local provider's foreign-platform requirements and are supported:
The following operating environments do not meet the local provider's foreign-platform requirements and are not supported: