The four data providers all support high-performance access to SAS data. For a list of the different file types supported by each of the providers, see Supported SAS Data File Types. The providers enable users to physically open SAS data files. Other common features include:
To help you choose the provider that best suits your needs, the following table lists provider-specific functionality:
| Provider-Specific Features | SAS Local Data Provider | SAS/SHARE Data Provider | SAS IOM Data Provider | SAS OLAP Data Provider |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| supports random access using the ADO adOpenDynamic cursor type and recordset bookmarks | yes | yes | yes | no |
| supports simultaneous user updates | no | yes | yes | yes |
| supports SQL processing | no | yes | yes | no |
| provides read and update access to all data sets available in a SAS session | no | yes | yes | no |
| provides a choice of either exclusive access (member-level lock) or multiple user access (record-level lock) to SAS data files, selectable on a per-rowset open basis | no | yes | yes | yes |
| provides access to SAS data files via Version 7 and later SAS/SHARE servers | no | yes | no | no |
| provides access to SAS data files on Version 8 and later SAS IOM servers | no | no | yes | no |
| provides access to SAS data files on SAS 9.1 and later SAS OLAP servers | no | no | no | yes |
| provides read-only access to Version 6 and later SAS data sets created on a Windows system without a SAS session | yes | no | no | no |
| provides read-only access to transport files and data sets created by SAS Version 7 or later on any of the following platforms: Solaris, HP/UX, RS 6000 AIX, MIPS Intel ABI, Windows, OS/2, OpenVMS Alpha. Does not require a SAS session. | yes | no | no | no |
| supports MDX processing | no | no | no | yes |