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1. SAS® Intelligence Platform Overview

The document provides an overview of the SAS 9.3 Intelligence Platform, detailing its components, architecture, data management, and security features. It includes chapters on the value of the platform, server and client components, and recommended reading for further information. The document is published by SAS Institute Inc. and is intended to assist users in maximizing their use of SAS software.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
42 views

1. SAS® Intelligence Platform Overview

The document provides an overview of the SAS 9.3 Intelligence Platform, detailing its components, architecture, data management, and security features. It includes chapters on the value of the platform, server and client components, and recommended reading for further information. The document is published by SAS Institute Inc. and is intended to assist users in maximizing their use of SAS software.

Uploaded by

Kandy B
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SAS 9.

3 Intelligence
®

Platform
Overview

SAS® Documentation
The correct bibliographic citation for this manual is as follows: SAS Institute Inc. 2011. SAS® 9.3 Intelligence Platform: Overview. Cary, NC: SAS
Institute Inc.
SAS ® 9.3 Intelligence Platform: Overview
Copyright © 2011, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA
All rights reserved. Produced in the United States of America.
For a hardcopy book: No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, SAS Institute Inc.
For a Web download or e-book:Your use of this publication shall be governed by the terms established by the vendor at the time you acquire this
publication.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and
punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted
materials. Your support of others' rights is appreciated.
U.S. Government Restricted Rights Notice: Use, duplication, or disclosure of this software and related documentation by the U.S. government is
subject to the Agreement with SAS Institute and the restrictions set forth in FAR 52.227–19 Commercial Computer Software-Restricted Rights
(June 1987).
SAS Institute Inc., SAS Campus Drive, Cary, North Carolina 27513.
1st electronic book, July 2011

SAS ® Publishing provides a complete selection of books and electronic products to help customers use SAS software to its fullest potential. For
more information about our e-books, e-learning products, CDs, and hard-copy books, visit the SAS Publishing Web site at
support.sas.com/publishing or call 1-800-727-3228.

SAS ® and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other
countries. ® indicates USA registration.
Other brand and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.
Contents

Recommended Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Chapter 1 • Value of the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1


About the SAS Business Analytics Framework and the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . 1
Accessibility Features in the SAS Intelligence Platform Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Components of the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Strategic Benefits of the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 2 • Architecture of the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9


Architecture of the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
SAS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Middle Tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Chapter 3 • Data in the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15


Overview of Data Storage Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Default SAS Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Third-Party Data Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Parallel Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Multidimensional Databases (Cubes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
How Data Sources Are Managed in the Metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Chapter 4 • Servers in the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21


Overview of SAS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
SAS Metadata Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Server Objects, Application Servers, and Logical Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Load Balancing for SAS Workspace Servers, SAS Stored Process
Servers, and SAS OLAP Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Workspace Pooling for SAS Workspace Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Logging and Monitoring for SAS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
SAS Grid Computing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Chapter 5 • Middle-Tier Components of the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31


Overview of Middle-Tier Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Third-Party Software Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
SAS Web Infrastructure Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
SAS Content Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
SAS Foundation Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Chapter 6 • Clients in the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37


Overview of Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
SAS BI Dashboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
SAS BI Portlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
SAS Data Integration Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
SAS Enterprise Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
SAS Enterprise Miner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
SAS Forecast Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
SAS Information Delivery Portal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
iv Contents

SAS Information Map Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42


JMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
SAS Management Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
SAS Model Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
SAS OLAP Cube Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
SAS Web Parts for Microsoft SharePoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
SAS Web Report Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
SAS Workflow Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
SAS Help Viewer for the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Chapter 7 • Security Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47


Overview of SAS Intelligence Platform Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Authorization and Permissions Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Roles and Capabilities Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Authentication and Identity Management Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Single Sign-On in the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Overview of Initial Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Encryption Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Security Reporting and Logging Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
v

Recommended Reading

Here is the recommended reading list for this title:


• SAS Intelligence Platform: Installation and Configuration Guide
• SAS Intelligence Platform: Migration Guide
• SAS Intelligence Platform: System Administration Guide
• SAS Intelligence Platform: Security Administration Guide
• SAS Intelligence Platform: Application Server Administration Guide
• SAS Intelligence Platform: Desktop Application Administration Guide
• SAS Intelligence Platform: Data Administration Guide
• SAS Intelligence Platform: Middle-Tier Administration Guide
• SAS Intelligence Platform: Web Application Administration Guide
• Grid Computing in SAS
• SAS BI Dashboard: User's Guide
• SAS Data Integration Studio: User's Guide
• SAS Foundation Services: Administrator's Guide
• SAS High-Performance Forecasting: User's Guide
• SAS Information Map Studio: Getting Started with SAS Information Maps
• SAS Logging: Configuration and Programming Reference
• SAS OLAP Server: MDX Guide
• SAS OLAP Server: User's Guide
• SAS Providers for OLE DB: Cookbook
• SAS Scalable Performance Data Engine: Reference
• SAS Web Report Studio: User's Guide
• SAS/ACCESS for Relational Databases: Reference
• Scheduling in SAS

For a complete list of SAS publications, go to support.sas.com/bookstore. If you have


questions about which titles you need, please contact a SAS Publishing Sales
Representative:
SAS Publishing Sales
vi Recommended Reading

SAS Campus Drive


Cary, NC 27513-2414
Phone: 1-800-727-3228
Fax: 1-919-677-8166
E-mail: [email protected]
Web address: support.sas.com/bookstore
1

Chapter 1
Value of the SAS Intelligence
Platform

About the SAS Business Analytics Framework and the SAS


Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Accessibility Features in the SAS Intelligence Platform Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Components of the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Components Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Data Management Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Business Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Supporting Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Strategic Benefits of the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Multiple Capabilities Integrated into One Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Consistency of Data and Business Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Fast and Easy Reporting and Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Analytics Available to All Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

About the SAS Business Analytics Framework


and the SAS Intelligence Platform
The SAS Business Analytics Framework encompasses the full range of business
solutions, technologies, and services from SAS. Through this framework, organizations
can address their most critical business issues and then add new functionality over time
to enable continuous performance improvement. All of the functionality is available
from one vendor and through one framework, thus reducing the total cost of ownership.
The technologies that provide the foundation for the SAS Business Analytics
Framework, as well as for industry and line-of-business solutions offered by SAS, are
delivered through the SAS Intelligence Platform. The SAS Intelligence Platform is a
comprehensive, end-to-end infrastructure for creating, managing, and distributing
enterprise intelligence. It includes tools and interfaces that enable you to do the
following:
• extract data from a variety of operational data sources on multiple platforms, and
build a data warehouse and data marts that integrate the extracted data
• store large volumes of data efficiently and in a variety of formats
• give business users at all levels the ability to explore data from the warehouse in a
Web browser, perform simple query and reporting functions, and view up-to-date
results of complex analyses
2 Chapter 1 • Value of the SAS Intelligence Platform

• use high-end analytic techniques to provide capabilities such as predictive and


descriptive modeling, forecasting, optimization, simulation, and experimental design
• centrally control the accuracy and consistency of enterprise data
With the SAS Intelligence Platform, you can implement an end-to-end intelligence
infrastructure using software that is delivered, tested, and integrated by SAS. Using the
tools provided in the SAS Intelligence Platform, you can create applications that reflect
your unique business requirements and domain knowledge.
Building on the technologies in the SAS Intelligence Platform, SAS offers solutions for
industries such as financial services, life sciences, health care, retail, and manufacturing,
as well as line-of-business solutions in areas such as customer management, enterprise
risk management, and financial management. The solutions incorporate predictive
analytics, industry and domain expertise, and specialized data structures.
A complete set of documentation for deploying and administering the SAS Intelligence
Platform is available at http://support.sas.com/93administration. The site
provides the primary administrative documentation for the following software offerings:
• SAS BI Server
• SAS Enterprise BI Server
• SAS Data Integration Server
• SAS Enterprise Data Integration Server
Administrators who manage SAS products that use the metadata server should use the
documentation at this site. Supplemental guides provide additional details for other
products and domains.

Accessibility Features in the SAS Intelligence


Platform Products
For information about accessibility for any of the products mentioned in this book, see
the documentation for that product. If you have questions or concerns about the
accessibility of SAS products, send e-mail to [email protected].

Components of the SAS Intelligence Platform

Components Overview
The SAS Intelligence Platform includes components in the following categories:
Data Management
The data management components enable you to consolidate and manage enterprise
data from a variety of source systems, applications, and technologies. Components
are provided to help you cleanse, migrate, synchronize, replicate, and promote your
data. In addition, SAS offers data storage options that are optimized for analytical
processing, enabling you to quickly analyze and report on large volumes of data.
Metadata for all of your intelligence resources is stored centrally and controlled
through a single management interface.
Components of the SAS Intelligence Platform 3

Business Intelligence
The business intelligence components enable users with various needs and skill
levels to create, produce, and share their own reports and analyses. Through easy-to-
use interfaces, users can obtain their own answers to business questions. Meanwhile,
the information technology staff retains control over the quality and consistency of
the data.
Analytics
SAS offers the richest and widest portfolio of analytic products in the software
industry. The portfolio includes products for predictive and descriptive modeling,
data mining, text analytics, forecasting, optimization, simulation, data visualization,
model management, and experimental design. You can use any combination of these
tools with the SAS Intelligence Platform to add extraordinary precision and insight
to your reports and analyses.
The following sections describe in more detail the data management, business
intelligence, and analytics components, as well as key supporting components.

Data Management Overview

Data Management
The software tools in the data management category enable you to consolidate and
manage enterprise data from a variety of source systems, applications, and technologies.
SAS provides access engines and interfaces to a wide variety of data sources, including
the following:
• delimited files, SAS data sets, and relational database management system (RDMS)
tables
• application data from enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship
management (CRM) systems
• message queuing platforms
• Web services
• unstructured and semi-structured data
Data storage options include simple relational databases, a threaded multidimensional
database that supports online analytical processing (OLAP), and relational storage with a
threaded multiple input/output (I/O) subsystem for intensive use by focused applications.
Each of the data management solutions is described briefly in the following sections.

SAS Data Integration Server and SAS Data Integration Studio


SAS Data Integration Studio, which is part of the SAS Data Integration Server offering,
is a visual design tool that enables you to consolidate and manage enterprise data from a
variety of source systems, applications, and technologies. The software enables you to
create jobs and process flows that extract, transform, and load data for use in data
warehouses and data marts. You can also create processes that cleanse, migrate,
synchronize, replicate, and promote data for applications and business services.
For more information, see “Clients in the SAS Intelligence Platform” on page 37 .

DataFlux Data Management Platform


The DataFlux Data Management Platform works with SAS Data Integration Studio and
enables you to discover, design, deploy, and maintain data across your enterprise in a
4 Chapter 1 • Value of the SAS Intelligence Platform

centralized way. The DataFlux Data Management Platform combines data quality, data
integration, and master data management under a unified user interface.

SAS Data Surveyor


The SAS Data Surveyor applications enable you to build SAS Data Integration Studio
jobs to read data directly from these ERP vendors: SAP, Oracle, Salesforce.com, and
Siebel.

SAS Data Quality Server


The SAS Data Quality Server works with software from SAS and DataFlux (a SAS
company) to analyze, cleanse, transform, and standardize your data. The language
elements that make up the SAS Data Quality Server software form the basis of the data
quality transformations in SAS Data Integration Studio.

Data Storage Options


The data storage options that can be used with the SAS Intelligence Platform include
SAS data tables, parallel storage, multidimensional databases, and third-party databases.
These storage options can be used alone or in any combination. Metadata for your
intelligence resources is stored centrally in the SAS Metadata Repository for use by all
components of the intelligence platform.
Relational Storage: SAS Data Sets
You can use SAS data sets, the default SAS storage format, to store data of any
granularity. The data values in a SAS data set are organized as a table of
observations (rows) and variables (columns). A SAS data set also contains descriptor
information such as the data types and lengths of the columns, as well as which SAS
engine was used to create the data.
Access to Third-Party Databases: SAS/ACCESS
SAS/ACCESS provides interfaces to a wide range of relational, hierarchical, and
network model databases. Examples include DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, Teradata,
IBM Information Management System (IMS), and Computer Associates Integrated
Database Management System (CA-IDMS). With SAS/ACCESS, SAS Data
Integration Studio and other SAS applications can read, write, and update data
regardless of which database and platform the data is stored on. SAS/ACCESS
interfaces provide fast, efficient data loading and enable SAS applications to work
directly from your data sources without making a copy.
Several SAS/ACCESS engines support bulk load of data files and threaded reads.
Threaded reads let you read blocks of data on multiple threads instead of a record at
a time. Several engines can use multiple threads to the parallel database management
system (DBMS) server to access DBMS data. Both features significantly improve
performance so that you can read and load data more rapidly without changing your
original data.
High-Performance Computing: SAS In-Database
To support high-performance computing for complex, high-volume analytics, SAS
In-Database enables certain data management, analytic, and reporting tasks to be
performed inside the database. In-database technology minimizes the movement of
data across the network, while enabling more sophisticated queries and producing
results more quickly. This technology is available for several types of databases.
Multidimensional Storage: SAS OLAP Server
The SAS OLAP Server provides dedicated storage for data that has been
summarized along multiple business dimensions. The server uses a threaded,
scalable, and open technology and is especially designed for fast-turnaround
processing and reporting.
Components of the SAS Intelligence Platform 5

A simplified ETL process enables you to build consistent OLAP cubes from
disparate systems. A threaded query engine and parallel storage enable data to be
spread across multiple-disk systems. Support is provided for multidimensional
(MOLAP) and hybrid (HOLAP) data stores, as well as for open industry standards.
Parallel Storage: SAS Scalable Performance Data Engine and SAS Scalable
Performance Data Server
The SAS SPD Engine and SAS SPD Server provide a high-speed data storage
alternative for processing very large SAS data sets. They read and write tables that
contain millions of observations, including tables that exceed the 2-GB size limit
imposed by some operating systems. In addition, they provide the rapid data access
that is needed to support intensive processing by SAS analytic software and
procedures.
These facilities work by organizing data into a streamlined file format and then using
threads to read blocks of data very rapidly and in parallel. The software tasks are
performed in conjunction with an operating system that enables threads to execute on
any of the CPUs that are available on a machine.
The SAS SPD Engine, which is included with Base SAS software, is a single-user
data storage solution. The SAS SPD Server, which is available as a separate product,
is a multi-user solution that includes a comprehensive security infrastructure, backup
and restore utilities, and sophisticated administrative and tuning options.

Business Intelligence
The software tools in the business intelligence category address two main functional
areas: information design, and self-service reporting and analysis.
The information design tools enable business analysts and information architects to
organize data in ways that are meaningful to business users, while shielding the end
users from the complexities of underlying data structures. These tools include the
following products:
• SAS Information Map Studio enables analysts and information architects to create
and manage information maps that contain business metadata about your data.
• SAS OLAP Cube Studio enables information architects to create cube definitions
that organize summary data along multiple business dimensions.
The self-service reporting and analysis tools enable business users to query, view, and
explore centrally stored information. Users can create their own reports, graphs, and
analyses in the desired format and level of detail. In addition, they can find, view, and
share previously created reports and analyses. The tools feature intuitive interfaces that
enable business users to perform these tasks with minimal training and without the
involvement of information technology staff.
The self-service reporting and analysis tools include the following products:
• SAS Web Report Studio is a Web-based query and reporting tool that enables users
at any skill level to create, view, and organize reports.
• SAS Information Delivery Portal provides a Web-based, personalized workplace to
help decision makers easily find the information that they need.
• SAS BI Portlets includes portlets, such as the SAS Stored Process Portlet and the
SAS Report Portlet, that add value to the SAS Information Delivery Portal.
• SAS BI Dashboard enables SAS Information Delivery Portal users to create,
maintain, and view dashboards to monitor key performance indicators that convey
how well an organization is performing.
6 Chapter 1 • Value of the SAS Intelligence Platform

• SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office enables users to access SAS functionality from
within Microsoft Office products.
• SAS Enterprise Guide is a project-oriented Windows application that enables users
to create processes that include complex computations, business logic, and
algorithms.
As users create information maps, cubes, report definitions, portal content definitions,
and stored processes, information about them is stored in the SAS Metadata Repository.
Client applications and users can access these information assets on a need-to-know
basis. Access is controlled through multilayered security that is enforced through the
metadata.
For a description of each of the business intelligence tools, see “Clients in the SAS
Intelligence Platform” on page 37 .

Analytics
SAS offers the richest and widest portfolio of analytic products in the software industry.
The portfolio includes products for predictive and descriptive modeling, data mining,
text analytics, forecasting, optimization, simulation, and experimental design. You can
use any combination of these tools with the SAS Intelligence Platform to add precision
and insight to your reports and analyses.
SAS software provides the following types of analytical capabilities:
• predictive analytics and data mining, to build descriptive and predictive models and
deploy the results throughout the enterprise
• text analytics, to maximize the value of unstructured data assets
• dynamic data visualization, to enhance the effectiveness of analytics
• forecasting, to analyze and predict outcomes based on historical patterns
• model management, to streamline the process of creating, managing, and deploying
analytic models
• operations research, to apply techniques such as optimization, scheduling, and
simulation to achieve the best result
• quality improvement, to identify, monitor, and measure quality processes over time
• statistical data analysis, to drive fact-based decisions
The following are examples of analytic products:
• SAS Enterprise Miner enables analysts to create and manage data mining process
flows. These flows include steps to examine, transform, and process data to create
models that predict complex behaviors of economic interest. The SAS Intelligence
Platform enables SAS Enterprise Miner users to centrally store and share the
metadata for models and projects. In addition, SAS Data Integration Studio provides
the ability to schedule data mining jobs.
• SAS Forecast Server enables organizations to plan more effectively for the future by
generating large quantities of high-quality forecasts quickly and automatically. This
solution includes the SAS High-Performance Forecasting engine, which selects the
time series models, business drivers, and events that best explain your historical data,
optimizes all model parameters, and generates high-quality forecasts. SAS Forecast
Studio provides a graphical interface to these high-performance forecasting
procedures.
Strategic Benefits of the SAS Intelligence Platform 7

• SAS Model Manager supports the deployment of analytical models into your
operational environments. It enables registration, modification, tracking, scoring, and
reporting on analytical models that have been developed for BI and operational
applications.
• JMP is interactive, exploratory data analysis and modeling software for the desktop.
JMP makes data analysis—and the resulting discoveries—visual and helps to
communicate those discoveries to others. JMP presents results both graphically and
numerically. By linking graphs to each other and to the data, JMP makes it easier to
see the trends, outliers, and other patterns that are hidden in your data.

Supporting Components

SAS Metadata Repository


Your information assets are managed in a common metadata layer called the SAS
Metadata Repository.
This repository stores logical data representations of items such as libraries, tables,
information maps, and cubes, thus ensuring central control over the quality and
consistency of data definitions and business rules. The repository also stores information
about system resources such as servers, the users who access data and metadata, and the
rules that govern who can access what.
All of the data management and business intelligence tools read and use metadata from
the repository and create new metadata as needed.

SAS Management Console


SAS Management Console provides a single interface through which system
administrators can manage and monitor SAS servers, explore and manage metadata
repositories, manage user and group accounts, and administer security.

Scheduling in SAS
Platform Suite for SAS is an optional product that provides enterprise-level scheduling
capabilities in a single-server environment. Platform Suite for SAS is also included as
part of the SAS Grid Manager product to enable distributed enterprise scheduling,
workload balancing, and parallelized workload balancing. The components of Platform
Suite for SAS include Process Manager, Load Sharing Facility (LSF), and Grid
Management Services.
As an alternative, operating system services can be used to provide a basic level of
scheduling for SAS jobs, and SAS in-process scheduling enables you to schedule jobs
from certain Web-based SAS applications.

Strategic Benefits of the SAS Intelligence


Platform

Multiple Capabilities Integrated into One Platform


The SAS Intelligence Platform combines advanced SAS analytics, high-speed
processing of large amounts of data, and easy-to-use query and reporting tools. The
result is accurate, reliable, and fast information with which to make decisions.
8 Chapter 1 • Value of the SAS Intelligence Platform

You can build data warehouses, perform data mining, enable users to query data and
produce reports from a Web browser, and give users easy access to SAS processes that
perform robust analytics.
The SAS Intelligence Platform provides all of this functionality in one centrally
managed suite of products that are designed to work together seamlessly. This
integration reduces the administration, management, and deployment costs that would be
associated with providing multiple technologies to meet the needs of different users.

Consistency of Data and Business Rules


The SAS Intelligence Platform makes use of your organization's existing data assets,
enabling you to integrate data from multiple database platforms and ERPs. Tools are
provided to help ensure the reliability, consistency, and standardization of this data.
Users can choose from multiple tools with which to perform queries and produce
reports. Since all of the tools access data through the same metadata representations,
users throughout your enterprise receive consistent data. As a result, they can make
decisions based on a common version of the truth.
Similarly, business logic, complex computations, and analytic algorithms can be
developed once and stored centrally in SAS processes for all users to access. These
processes, as well as the information in the SAS Metadata Repository, are controlled
through multi-level security.

Fast and Easy Reporting and Analysis


The SAS Intelligence Platform's self-service reporting and analysis tools enable users
across the enterprise to access and query data from virtually any data source. Any
number of users can use wizards to create reports in the needed time frames, without
waiting for support from information technology professionals. Through Web-based
interfaces, users can explore large volumes of multidimensional data quickly and
interactively, from multiple perspectives and at multiple levels of detail.
The reporting and analysis tools hide complex data structures, so that average business
users can perform queries without having to learn new skills. The intelligence storage
options are optimized for analytical processing, enabling the reporting tools to quickly
retrieve large volumes of data.
As a result of these reporting and analysis capabilities, everyone spends less time
looking for answers and more time driving strategic decisions.

Analytics Available to All Users


SAS is the market leader in analytics. With the SAS Intelligence Platform, you can make
the full breadth of SAS analytics available to users throughout the enterprise.
SAS analytics include algorithms for functions such as predictive and descriptive
modeling, forecasting, optimization, simulation, and experimental design. You can now
incorporate these capabilities into self-service reports and analyses, so that decision
makers throughout your enterprise can benefit from the accuracy and precision of high-
end analytics.
9

Chapter 2
Architecture of the SAS
Intelligence Platform

Architecture of the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9


Architecture Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Data Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
SAS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
SAS Servers Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
SAS Metadata Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
SAS OLAP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
SAS Workspace Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
SAS Pooled Workspace Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
SAS Stored Process Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
SAS Object Spawner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Middle Tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Architecture of the SAS Intelligence Platform

Architecture Overview
The SAS Intelligence Platform architecture is designed to efficiently access large
amounts of data, while simultaneously providing timely intelligence to a large number of
users. The platform uses an n-tier architecture that enables you to distribute functionality
across computer resources, so that each type of work is performed by the resources that
are best suited to the job.
You can easily scale the architecture to meet the demands of your workload. For a large
company, the tiers can be installed across a multitude of machines with different
operating systems. For prototyping, demonstrations, or very small enterprises, all of the
tiers can be installed on a single machine.
The architecture consists of the following four tiers:
Data sources
Data sources store your enterprise data. All of your existing data assets can be used,
whether your data is stored in third-party database management systems, SAS tables,
or enterprise resource planning (ERP) system tables.
SAS servers
SAS servers perform SAS processing on your enterprise data. Several types of SAS
servers are available to handle different workload types and processing intensities.
10 Chapter 2 • Architecture of the SAS Intelligence Platform

The software distributes processing loads among server resources so that multiple
client requests for information can be met without delay.
Middle tier
The middle tier enables users to access intelligence data and functionality via a Web
browser. This tier provides Web-based interfaces for report creation and information
distribution, while passing analysis and processing requests to the SAS servers.
Clients
The client tier provides users with desktop access to intelligence data and
functionality through easy-to-use interfaces. For most information consumers,
reporting and analysis tasks can be performed with just a Web browser. For more
advanced design and analysis tasks, SAS client software is installed on users'
desktops.
Note: The four tiers listed above represent categories of software that perform similar
types of computing tasks and require similar types of resources. The tiers do not
necessarily represent separate computers or groups of computers.
The following diagram shows how the tiers interact, and the sections that follow
describe each tier in more detail.

Figure 2.1 Architecture of the SAS Intelligence Platform

Data Sources SAS Servers Middle Tier Clients

SAS Data Sets SAS Metadata Server


Web Application
Server
Desktop clients:
SAS Workspace
SAS OLAP Cubes Server • SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office
SAS Web Inf rastructure • SAS Data Integration Studio
Platf orm • SAS Enterprise Guide
SAS Scalable SAS Pooled Other • SAS Enterprise Miner
Workspace Server SAS HTTP
Perf ormance Data Content
infrastructure • SAS Forecast Studio
(SPD) Engine Tables Server applications
& services • SAS Information Map Studio
• SAS Management Console
SAS Scalable SAS OLAP Server • SAS Model Manager
Performance • SAS Web Report Studio
Data (SPD) Server • SAS OLAP Cube Studio
• SAS Information • SAS Workflow Studio
SAS Stored Delivery Portal • JMP
SAS Framework Process Server • SAS BI Portlets • Other SAS analytics and
Data Server • SAS BI Dashboard solutions
Running SAS processes f or • SAS Help Viewer for the
distributed clients Web
Third-party • Other SAS Web
Data Stores applications and solutions HTTP

Enterprise Resource Web browser (to surf ace


SAS Remote Services
Planning (ERP) Systems Web applications)
RMI Server

Data Sources
The SAS Intelligence Platform includes the following options for data storage:
• SAS data sets, which are analogous to relational database tables.
• SAS SPD Engine tables, which can be read or written by multiple threads.
• SAS SPD Server, which is available as a separate product.
• SAS OLAP cubes.
SAS Servers 11

• The SAS Framework Data Server, which is the default location for middle-tier data
such as alerts, comments, and workflows, as well as data for the SAS Content Server
and SAS Service Parts Optimization. The server is provided as an alternative to
using a third-party DBMS. (The server cannot be used as a general-purpose data
store.)
In addition, SAS provides products that enable you to access data in your existing third-
party data stores and ERP systems. The SAS/ACCESS interfaces provide direct access
to data stores such as the following:
• Oracle
• DB2
• Teradata
• ODBC
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Microsoft Excel spreadsheets
• Sybase
For a complete list of supported data stores, go to http://support.sas.com/
software/products/access/.
The following SAS Data Surveyor products provide direct access to ERP systems:
• SAS Data Surveyor for SAP Plug-in for SAS Data Integration Studio enables you to
consolidate and manage enterprise data from various SAP R/3 data sources.
• SAS Data Surveyor for Clickstream Data is a plug-in to SAS Data Integration
Studio. This plug-in enables you to create jobs that extract and transform clickstream
data from Web logs, and then load the resulting data into a SAS table. Other
applications, such as SAS Web Analytics, can then take the refined clickstream data
and analyze it.
• SAS has partnered with Composite Software to provide customers with access to
ERP and customer relationship management (CRM) data. SAS data surveyors for
Oracle Applications, Salesforce.com, and Siebel are available through this
partnership.
For more information about data sources, see “Data in the SAS Intelligence Platform” on
page 15 .

SAS Servers

SAS Servers Overview


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 process or processes
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.
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
12 Chapter 2 • Architecture of the SAS Intelligence Platform

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 Framework Data Server. The SAS object
spawner process runs on server machines and handles requests for SAS Workspace
Servers, SAS Pooled Workspace Servers, and SAS Stored Process Servers.

SAS Metadata Server


The SAS Metadata Server controls access to a central repository of metadata that is
shared by all of the SAS applications in the deployment. 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 content that is created and used by SAS applications. This content includes
information maps, OLAP cubes, report definitions, stored process definitions, and
portal content definitions.
• the SAS and third-party servers that participate in the system.
• users and groups of users who are allowed to use the system. Users can be
authenticated by the metadata server or by external systems such as the host
environment, the Web realm, and third-party databases.
• the levels of access that users and groups have to resources. This metadata-based
authorization layer supplements protections from the host environment and other
systems.
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.
Middle Tier 13

SAS Pooled Workspace Server


The SAS Pooled Workspace Server is a workspace server that uses server-side pooling.
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 Object Spawner


The SAS object spawner is a process that runs on workspace server, pooled workspace
server, and stored process server host machines. It listens for requests for these servers,
authenticates the requesting clients, and launches server processes as needed. In a pooled
workspace server configuration, the object spawner maintains a collection of re-usable
workspace server processes that are available for clients. If server load balancing is
configured, the object spawner balances workloads between server processes. The object
spawner connects to the metadata server to obtain information about the servers that it
manages.

Middle Tier
The middle tier of the SAS Intelligence Platform provides an environment in which the
business intelligence Web applications, such as SAS Web Report Studio and the SAS
Information Delivery Portal, can execute. These products run in a Web application
server and communicate with the user by sending data to and receiving data from the
user's Web browser. The middle tier applications rely on servers on the SAS server tier
to perform SAS processing, including data query and analysis.
The middle tier includes the following third-party software and SAS software elements:
• a Web application server
• the Java Development Kit (JDK)
• SAS Web applications, which can include SAS Web Report Studio, the SAS
Information Delivery Portal, SAS BI Portlets, the SAS BI Dashboard, SAS Help
Viewer for the Web, and other SAS products and solutions
• the SAS Web Infrastructure Platform, which includes the SAS Content Server and
other infrastructure applications and services
• a Java remote method invocation (RMI) server, which enables access to SAS
Foundation Services and associated extension services
14 Chapter 2 • Architecture of the SAS Intelligence Platform

For more information about the middle tier, see “Middle-Tier Components of the SAS
Intelligence Platform” on page 31.

Clients
The clients in the SAS Intelligence Platform provide Web-based and desktop user
interfaces to content and applications. SAS clients provide access to content, appropriate
query and reporting interfaces, and business intelligence functionality for all of the
information consumers in your enterprise, from the CEO to business analysts to
customer service agents.
The following clients run on Windows desktops. Some of these clients are native
Windows applications and others are Java applications.
• SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office
• SAS Data Integration Studio
• SAS Enterprise Guide
• SAS Enterprise Miner
• SAS Forecast Studio
• SAS Information Map Studio
• JMP (also available on Macintosh and Linux)
• SAS Management Console
• SAS Model Manager
• SAS OLAP Cube Studio
• SAS Workflow Studio
SAS Management Console is supported on all platforms except z/OS.
The following products require only a Web browser to be installed on each client
machine, with the addition of Adobe Flash Player for SAS BI Dashboard:
• SAS Information Delivery Portal
• SAS BI Dashboard
• SAS Web Report Studio
• SAS Help Viewer for the Web
For more information about the clients, see “Clients in the SAS Intelligence Platform”
on page 37.
15

Chapter 3
Data in the SAS Intelligence
Platform

Overview of Data Storage Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15


Default SAS Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Third-Party Data Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Parallel Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Parallel Storage Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Options for Implementing Parallel Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
How Parallel Storage Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Multidimensional Databases (Cubes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
How Data Sources Are Managed in the Metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Overview of Data Storage Options


In a SAS Intelligence Platform deployment, you can use one or more of these data
storage options:
• default SAS storage in the form of SAS tables
• third-party relational, hierarchical, and network model database tables
• parallel storage from the SAS Scalable Performance Data Engine (SPD Engine) and
the SAS Scalable Performance Data Server (SPD Server)
• multidimensional databases (cubes)
All four data sources provide input to reporting applications. The first three sources are
also used as input for these data structures:
• cubes, which are created with either SAS Data Integration Studio or SAS OLAP
Cube Studio
• data marts and data warehouses, which are created with SAS Data Integration Studio
You can use these storage options in any combination to meet your unique business
requirements. The following sections describe each storage option in more detail.
Central management of data sources through the SAS metadata repository is also
discussed.
16 Chapter 3 • Data in the SAS Intelligence Platform

Default SAS Storage


You can use SAS data sets (tables), the default SAS storage format, to store data of any
granularity.
A SAS table is a file that SAS software creates and processes. Each SAS table is a
member of a SAS library. A SAS library is a collection of one or more SAS files that are
recognized by SAS software and that are referenced and stored as a unit.
Each SAS table contains the following:
• data values that are organized as a table of observations (rows) and variables
(columns) that can be processed by SAS software
• descriptor information such as data types, column lengths, and the SAS engine that
was used to create the data
For shared access to SAS tables, you can use SAS/SHARE software, which provides
concurrent Update access to SAS files for multiple users.

Third-Party Data Storage


Data can be stored in a wide range of third-party databases, including the following:
• relational databases such as Oracle, Sybase, DB2, SQL Server, and Teradata
• hierarchical databases such as IBM Information Management System (IMS)
• Computer Associates Integrated Database Management System (CA-IDMS), which
is a network model database system
SAS/ACCESS interfaces provide fast, efficient loading of data to and from these
facilities. With these interfaces, SAS software can work directly from the data sources
without making a copy. Several of the SAS/ACCESS engines use an input/output (I/O)
subsystem that enables applications to read entire blocks of data instead of reading just
one record at a time. This feature reduces I/O bottlenecks and enables procedures to read
data as fast as they can process it. The SAS/ACCESS engines for Oracle, Sybase, DB2
(on UNIX and PC), ODBC, SQL Server, and Teradata support this functionality. These
engines, as well as the DB2 engine on z/OS, can also access database management
system (DBMS) data in parallel by using multiple threads to the parallel DBMS server.
Coupling the threaded SAS procedures with these SAS/ACCESS engines provides even
greater gains in performance.
SAS In-Database enables high-performance computing for complex, high-volume
analytics. This technology enables certain Base SAS and SAS/STAT procedures to run
aggregations and analytics inside the database. In-database technology minimizes the
movement of data across the network, while enabling more sophisticated queries and
producing results more quickly. This technology is available through the use of the
SAS/ACCESS, SAS Scoring Accelerator, and SAS Analytics Accelerator products. The
supported databases include the following:
• Aster nCluster
• DB2 (UNIX only)
• Greenplum
Parallel Storage 17

• Netezza
• Oracle
• Teradata

Parallel Storage

Parallel Storage Overview


The SAS Scalable Performance Data Engine (SPD Engine) and the SAS Scalable
Performance Data Server (SPD Server) are designed for high-performance data delivery.
They enable rapid access to SAS data for intensive processing by the application.
Although the Base SAS engine is sufficient for most tables that do not span volumes, the
SAS SPD Engine and SAS SPD Server are high-speed alternatives for processing very
large tables. They read and write tables that contain millions of observations, including
tables that expand beyond the 2-GB size limit imposed by some operating systems. In
addition, they support SAS analytic software and procedures that require fast processing
of tables.

Options for Implementing Parallel Storage


Two options are available for implementing parallel storage:
• The SAS SPD Engine is included with Base SAS software. It is a single-user data
storage solution that shares the high-performance parallel processing and parallel I/O
capabilities of SAS SPD Server, but lacks the additional complexity of a multi-user
server.
The SPD Engine runs in UNIX and Windows operating environments as well as
some z/OS operating environments.
• The SAS SPD Server is available as a separate product. It is a multi-user parallel-
processing data server with a comprehensive security infrastructure, backup and
restore utilities, and sophisticated administrative and tuning options.
The SAS SPD Server runs in Windows and UNIX operating environments.

How Parallel Storage Works


The SAS SPD Engine and SAS SPD Server deliver data to applications rapidly by
organizing large SAS data sets into a streamlined file format. The file format enables
multiple CPUs and I/O channels to perform parallel input/output (I/O) functions on the
data. Parallel I/O takes advantage of multiple CPUs and multiple controllers, with
multiple disks per controller, to read or write data in independent threads.
One way to take advantage of the features of the SAS SPD Engine is through a hardware
and software architecture known as symmetric multiprocessing (SMP). An SMP
machine has multiple CPUs and an operating system that supports threads. These
machines are usually configured with multiple controllers and multiple disk drives per
controller.
When the SAS SPD Engine reads a data file, it launches one or more threads for each of
the CPUs in the SMP machine. These threads then read data in parallel from multiple
18 Chapter 3 • Data in the SAS Intelligence Platform

disk drives, driven by one or more controllers per CPU. The SAS SPD Engine running
on an SMP machine provides the capability to read and deliver much more data to an
application in a given elapsed time.
For more information, see the SAS SPD Server documentation, which is available at
http://support.sas.com/documentation/onlinedoc/spds/.

Multidimensional Databases (Cubes)


Multidimensional databases (cubes) are another storage option provided by the SAS
Intelligence Platform. Cubes provide business users with multiple views of their data
through drill-down capabilities.
Cubes are derived from source data such as SAS tables, SAS SPD Engine tables, and
SAS/ACCESS database tables. To create cube definitions, and to build cubes based on
these definitions, you can use the Cube Designer wizard, which is available from SAS
Data Integration Studio and SAS OLAP Cube Studio.
Cubes are managed by the SAS OLAP Server, which is a multi-user, scalable server
designed to store and access large volumes of data while maintaining system
performance.
The SAS OLAP Server uses a SAS engine that organizes data into a streamlined file
format. This file format enables the engine to rapidly deliver data to client applications.
The engine also reads and writes partitioned tables, which enables it to use multiple
CPUs to perform parallel I/O functions. The threaded model enables the SAS OLAP
Server to create and query aggregations in parallel for fastest performance.
SAS business intelligence applications perform queries against the cubes by using the
multidimensional expression (MDX) query language. Cubes can be accessed by client
applications that are connected to the SAS OLAP Server with the following tools:
• the SQL pass-through facility for OLAP, which is designed to process MDX queries
within the PROC SQL environment
• open access technologies such as OLE DB for OLAP and ADO MD

How Data Sources Are Managed in the Metadata


All of the data sources that are used in your deployment of the SAS Intelligence
Platform are centrally controlled through metadata that is stored in the SAS Metadata
Repository. In the metadata repository, you can create the following types of metadata
objects to control and manage your data:
• database servers, which provide relational database services to clients
• SAS Application Servers, which perform SAS processes on data
• cubes
• OLAP schemas, which specify which groups of cubes a given SAS OLAP Server
can access
• dimensions and measures in a cube
• libraries, which are collections of one or more files that are recognized by SAS
software and that are referenced and stored as a unit
How Data Sources Are Managed in the Metadata 19

• the data sources (for example, SAS tables) that are contained in a library
• the columns that are contained in a data source
A variety of methods are available to populate the metadata repository with these
objects, including the following:
• The data source design applications, SAS Data Integration Studio and SAS OLAP
Cube Studio, automate the creation of all of the necessary metadata about your data
sources. As you use these products to define warehouses, data marts, and cubes, the
appropriate metadata objects are automatically created and stored in the metadata
repository.
• You can use the following features of SAS Management Console to define data
source objects:
• The New Server Wizard enables you to easily define the metadata for your
database servers and SAS Application Servers.
• The Data Library Manager enables you to define database schemas for a wide
variety of schema types. You can also use this feature to define libraries if you
are not using SAS Data Integration Studio to define them.
• The Register Tables feature enables you to import table definitions from external
sources if you are not using SAS Data Integration Studio to create them.
• On the SAS Folders tab, you can set permissions that secure access to metadata
folders and objects. Because all SAS Intelligence Platform applications use the
metadata server when accessing resources, permissions that are enforced by the
metadata server provide an effective level of protection. These permissions
supplement protections from the host environment and other systems. Therefore,
a user's ability to perform a particular action is determined not only by metadata-
based access controls but also by external authorization mechanisms such as
operating system permissions and database controls.
• You can use the metadata LIBNAME engine to enforce data-related Read, Write,
Create, and Delete access controls that have been defined in metadata.
After your data sources have been defined in metadata, you can use SAS Information
Map Studio to create SAS Information Maps, which are business metadata about your
data. Information maps enable you to surface your data in business terms that typical
business users understand, while storing key information that is needed to build
appropriate queries.
For detailed information about administering data sources, see the SAS Intelligence
Platform: Data Administration Guide.
20 Chapter 3 • Data in the SAS Intelligence Platform
21

Chapter 4
Servers in the SAS Intelligence
Platform

Overview of SAS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21


SAS Metadata Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
About the SAS Metadata Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
About the Metadata in the SAS Metadata Repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
How the Metadata Server Controls System Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
How Metadata Is Created and Administered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
How Business Metadata Is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Server Objects, Application Servers, and Logical Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
About Server Objects and Server Groupings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Purpose of the Application Server Grouping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Purpose of the Logical Server Grouping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Load Balancing for SAS Workspace Servers, SAS Stored
Process Servers, and SAS OLAP Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Workspace Pooling for SAS Workspace Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Logging and Monitoring for SAS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
SAS Grid Computing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Overview of SAS Servers


The SAS Intelligence Platform provides access to SAS functionality through the
following specialized servers:
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.
• the SAS Metadata Server, which writes metadata objects to, and reads metadata
objects from, SAS Metadata Repositories. These metadata objects contain
information about all of the components of your system, such as users, groups, data
libraries, servers, and user-created products such as reports, cubes, and information
maps.
• SAS Workspace Servers, which provide access to SAS software features such as the
SAS language, SAS libraries, the server file system, results content, and formatting
services.
22 Chapter 4 • Servers in the SAS Intelligence Platform

A program called the SAS object spawner runs on a workspace server's host
machine. The spawner listens for incoming client requests and launches server
instances as needed.
• SAS Pooled Workspace Servers, which are configured to use server-side pooling. In
this configuration, the SAS object spawner maintains a collection of workspace
server processes that are available for clients. This server configuration is intended
for use by query and reporting tools such as SAS Information Map Studio, SAS Web
Report Studio, and the SAS Information Delivery Portal.
• SAS Stored Process Servers, which fulfill client requests to execute SAS Stored
Processes. Stored processes are SAS programs that are stored on a server and can be
executed as required by requesting applications. By default, three load balanced SAS
Stored Process Servers are configured.
The SAS object spawner runs on a stored process server's host machine, listens for
incoming client requests, and launches server instances as needed.
• SAS OLAP Servers, which provide access to cubes. Cubes are logical sets of data
that are organized and structured in a hierarchical multidimensional arrangement.
Cubes are queried by using the multidimensional expression (MDX) language.
• the SAS Framework Data Server, which is the default location for middle-tier data
such as alerts, comments, and workflows, as well as data for the SAS Content Server
and SAS Service Parts Optimization. The server is provided as an alternative to
using a third-party DBMS. (The server cannot be used as a general-purpose data
store.)
• SAS/CONNECT servers, which provide computing resources on remote machines
where SAS Integration Technologies is not installed.
• batch servers, which enable you to execute code in batch mode. There are three types
of batch servers: DATA step batch servers, Java batch servers, and generic batch
servers. The DATA step server enables you to run SAS DATA steps and procedures
in batch mode. The Java server enables you to schedule the execution of Java code,
such as the code that creates a SAS Marketing Automation marketing campaign. The
generic server supports the execution of any other type of code.
• the SAS Content Server, which is part of the middle tier architecture. This server
stores digital content (such as documents, reports, and images) that is created and
used by SAS Web applications. For more information, see “SAS Content Server ” on
page 34 .
Note: For accessing specialized data sources, the SAS Intelligence Platform can also
include one or more data servers. These might include the SAS Scalable
Performance Data (SPD) Server and third-party database management system
(DBMS) products. The SAS OLAP Server also provides some data server
functionality. For information about data servers, see “Data in the SAS Intelligence
Platform” on page 15 .
The following sections describe these concepts:
• the central role of the SAS Metadata Server in the management of the SAS
Intelligence Platform
• the organizational principles that are used to manage SAS server resources, including
server objects, logical servers, and application servers
• the use of load balancing (for stored process servers and workspace servers) and
workspace pooling (for workspace servers)
• the facilities and capabilities that are provided for server logging and monitoring
SAS Metadata Server 23

SAS Metadata Server

About the SAS Metadata Server


The SAS Metadata Server is a multi-user server that enables users to read metadata from
and write metadata to one or more SAS Metadata Repositories. This server is a
centralized resource for storing, managing, and delivering metadata for all SAS
applications across the enterprise.

About the Metadata in the SAS Metadata Repository


Here are examples of the types of metadata objects that can be stored in the SAS
Metadata Repository:
• users
• groups of users
• data libraries
• tables
• jobs
• cubes
• documents
• information maps
• reports
• stored processes
• dashboards
• analytical models
• SAS Workspace Servers
• SAS Pooled Workspace Servers
• SAS Stored Process Servers
• SAS OLAP Servers
A metadata object is a set of attributes that describe a resource. Here are some examples:
• When a user creates a report in SAS Web Report Studio, a metadata object is created
to describe the new report.
• When a user creates a data warehouse in SAS Data Integration Studio, a metadata
object is created to describe each table included in the warehouse.
• When a system administrator defines a new instance of a SAS server, a metadata
object is created to describe the server.
The specific attributes that a metadata object includes vary depending on the resource
that is being described. For example, a table object can include attributes for the table's
name and description, path specification, host type, and associated SAS Application
Server.
24 Chapter 4 • Servers in the SAS Intelligence Platform

The SAS Metadata Server uses the SAS Open Metadata Architecture, which provide
common metadata services to SAS and other applications. Third parties can access
metadata in the SAS Metadata Server by using an application programming interface
(API) that is supplied by SAS. SAS Metadata Bridges are available to support metadata
exchange with a variety of sources, including the Common Warehouse Metadata Model
(CWM).

How the Metadata Server Controls System Access


The SAS Metadata Server plays an important role in the security of the SAS Intelligence
Platform. It controls system access in the following ways:
SAS identities
For accountability, we recommend that you create an individual SAS identity for
each person who uses the SAS environment. These identities enable you to make
access distinctions and audit individual actions in the metadata layer. The identities
also provide personal folders for each user. The metadata server maintains its own
copy of each user ID for the purpose of establishing a SAS identity.
access controls
You can define metadata-based access controls that supplement protections provided
by the host environment and other systems. The metadata-based controls enable you
to manage access to OLAP data, to relational data (depending on the method by
which the data is accessed), and to almost any metadata object (for example, reports,
data definitions, information maps, jobs, stored processes, and server definitions).
roles
You can assign users and groups to roles that determine whether they can use
application features such as menu items, plug-ins, and buttons. Roles are designed to
make application functionality available to the appropriate types of users. For
example, role memberships determine whether a user can see the Server Manager
plug-in (in SAS Management Console), compare data (in SAS Enterprise Guide), or
directly open an information map (in SAS Web Report Studio). Applications that
support roles include the SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office, SAS Enterprise Guide,
SAS Forecast Studio, SAS Management Console, and SAS Web Report Studio.
For more information about security in the SAS Intelligence Platform, see “Security
Overview” on page 47 .

How Metadata Is Created and Administered


Metadata can be loaded to the SAS Metadata Server in several ways:
• The configuration process for the SAS Intelligence Platform automatically creates
and stores metadata objects for the resources, such as servers, that are part of your
initial installation.
• SAS Metadata Bridges enable you to import metadata from a variety of sources,
including market-leading design tool and repository vendors and the Common
Warehouse Metamodel (CWM).
• When users create content such as reports, information maps, and data warehouses
with the SAS Intelligence Platform applications, these applications create and store
metadata objects describing the content.
• System administrators use the SAS Management Console client application to
directly create metadata for system resources such as servers, users, and user groups.
Server Objects, Application Servers, and Logical Servers 25

System administrators also use SAS Management Console for general metadata
administration tasks, including backing up the metadata server, creating new
repositories, promoting metadata objects, and maintaining authorization information and
access rules for all types of resources.

How Business Metadata Is Organized


A hierarchical folder structure is used to organize metadata for business intelligence
content such as libraries, tables, jobs, cubes, information maps, and reports. The folder
structure includes personal folders for individual users and a folder for shared data.
Within this overall structure, you can create a customized folder structure that meets the
information management, data sharing, and security requirements of your organization.
The Folders tab of SAS Management Console displays all SAS folders that the user has
permission to view. Most other client applications display SAS folders only if they
contain content that is relevant to the application, subject to the user's permissions.
Import and export wizards in SAS Management Console, SAS Data Integration Studio,
and SAS OLAP Cube Studio enable you to easily move or promote content from one
part of the SAS Folders tree to another, or from a test environment to a production
environment.
For more information about the SAS Metadata Server, see the SAS Intelligence
Platform: System Administration Guide.

Server Objects, Application Servers, and Logical


Servers

About Server Objects and Server Groupings


In the SAS Metadata Repository, each server process that executes SAS code is
represented by a server object. In the metadata, the attributes for each server object
contain information such as the following:
• the name of the machine that is hosting the server
• the TCP/IP port or ports on which the server listens for requests
• the SAS command that is used to start the server
The intermediate level of organization is called a logical server object. SAS servers of a
particular type, running either on the same machine or on different machines, can be
grouped into a logical server of the corresponding type. For example:
• A logical workspace server is a group of one or more workspace servers.
• A logical pooled workspace server is a group of one or more workspace servers that
are configured to use server-side pooling.
• A logical stored process server is a group of one or more stored process servers.
26 Chapter 4 • Servers in the SAS Intelligence Platform

The logical servers are then grouped into a SAS Application Server. The following
figure shows a sample configuration:

Figure 4.1 SAS Application Server Components: Sample Configuration

OLAP server 1
Logical OLAP
server
OLAP server 2

Logical pooled Pooled workspace server 1


workspace
server Pooled workspace server 2

Stored process server 1


Application
Logical stored
server process server
Stored process server 2

Stored process server 3

Logical Workspace server 1


workspace
server Workspace server 2

Logical
SAS/CONNECT SAS/CONNECT server
server

Application servers and logical servers are logical constructs that exist only in metadata.
In contrast, the server objects within a logical server correspond to actual server
processes that execute SAS code.

Purpose of the Application Server Grouping


Application servers, which are groupings of logical servers, provide the following
functionality in the SAS Intelligence Platform:
• SAS applications can request the services of a group of logical servers by specifying
a single application server name.
For example, a user can set up SAS Data Integration Studio to send all jobs to a
specific SAS Application Server. Each time the user runs a SAS Data Integration
Studio job, the SAS code that is generated is executed by a workspace server that is
contained in the specified application server.
• System resources, such as SAS libraries or data schemas, can be assigned to a
specific application server. This assignment ensures that all of the logical servers
contained in the application server will be able to access these resources as needed,
subject to security restrictions.
For example, if a SAS library is assigned to a specific application server, then any
application that runs jobs on that server will automatically have access to the library,
subject to security restrictions.
Workspace Pooling for SAS Workspace Servers 27

Purpose of the Logical Server Grouping


Logical servers, which are groupings of individual servers of a specific type, provide the
following functionality in the SAS Intelligence Platform:
• Users or groups of users can be granted rights to a logical server, thereby providing
access to each physical server that the logical server contains. You can also use
permissions to direct specific users or groups of users to specific physical servers
within a logical server grouping.
• If one physical server in a logical server grouping fails, the other servers are still
available to provide continuous processing.
• Load balancing can be implemented among the servers in a logical workspace server,
logical stored process server, or logical OLAP server. Load balancing is configured
by default for the SAS Pooled Workspace Server and SAS Stored Process Servers.
• Workspace pooling can be implemented among the servers in a logical workspace
server.
For more information about SAS Application Servers, see the SAS Intelligence Platform:
Application Server Administration Guide.

Load Balancing for SAS Workspace Servers, SAS


Stored Process Servers, and SAS OLAP Servers
Load balancing is a feature that distributes work among the server processes in a logical
workspace server, logical stored process server, or logical OLAP server. The load
balancer runs in the object spawner, which is a program that runs on server machines,
listens for incoming client requests, and launches server instances as needed. When a
logical server is set up for load balancing, and the object spawner receives a client
request for a server in the logical server group, the spawner directs the request to the
server in the group that has the least load.
SAS Pooled Workspace Servers and SAS Stored Process Servers are load-balanced by
default. For more information about load balancing, see the SAS Intelligence Platform:
Application Server Administration Guide.

Workspace Pooling for SAS Workspace Servers


Workspace pooling creates a set of server connections that are reused. This reuse avoids
the wait times that an application incurs when it creates a new server connection for each
user. You can also use pooling to distribute server connections across machines.
Pooling is most useful for applications that require frequent, but brief, connections to a
SAS Workspace Server. Two types of pooling are supported:
server-side pooling
a configuration in which the SAS object spawner maintains a collection of re-usable
workspace server processes that are available for clients. The usage of servers in the
pool is governed by authorization rules that are set on the servers in the SAS
metadata. Load balancing is automatically configured for these servers.
28 Chapter 4 • Servers in the SAS Intelligence Platform

By default, applications such as SAS Information Map Studio, the SAS Information
Delivery Portal, and SAS Web Report Studio use SAS Pooled Workspace Servers to
query relational data. SAS Pooled Workspace Servers are configured to use server-
side pooling and load balancing.
client-side pooling
a configuration in which the client application maintains a collection of reusable
workspace server processes. In releases prior to 9.2, client-side pooling was the only
method of configuring pooling for workspace servers.
For more information about pooling, see the SAS Intelligence Platform: Application
Server Administration Guide.

Logging and Monitoring for SAS Servers


The SAS Intelligence Platform uses a standard logging facility to perform logging for
SAS servers. The logging facility supports problem diagnosis and resolution,
performance and capacity management, and auditing and regulatory compliance. The
logging facility provides the following capabilities for servers:
• Log events can be directed to multiple destinations, including files, operating system
facilities, and client applications.
• For each log destination, you can configure the message layout, including the
contents, the format, the order of information, and literal text.
• For each log destination, you can configure a filter to include or exclude events
based on levels and message contents.
• For the metadata server, security-related events are captured, including
authentication events, client connections, changes to user and group information, and
permission changes.
• You can generate performance-related log events in a format that can be processed
by an Application Response Measurement (ARM) 4.0 server.
To monitor servers and spawners, you can use the server management features of SAS
Management Console. These features enable you to do the following:
• view server and spawner logs
• change logging levels dynamically without stopping the server
• quiesce, stop, pause, and resume servers and spawners
• validate servers and spawners and test server connections
• view information about current connections and processes
• view performance counters that provide statistics about activity that has occurred
since a server or spawner was last started
Server monitoring can also be performed using third-party products for enterprise
systems management.
For more information about server logging and monitoring, see the SAS Intelligence
Platform: System Administration Guide and SAS Logging: Configuration and
Programming Reference.
SAS Grid Computing 29

SAS Grid Computing


You can use SAS grid computing tools to manage a distributed grid environment for
your SAS deployment. SAS Grid Manager, working together with Platform Suite for
SAS, enables you to distribute server workloads across multiple computers on a network
to obtain the following benefits:
• the ability to accelerate SAS analytical results by adding additional computers to the
grid and by dividing jobs into separate processes that run in parallel across multiple
servers
• the flexibility to upgrade and maintain the computing resources on which your SAS
servers are deployed without disrupting operations, and to add computing resources
quickly to handle increased workloads and peak demands
• continuity of service through the high availability of critical components running in
the grid
Implementation of a grid environment involves planning and design efforts to determine
the topology and configuration that best meets the needs of your organization. In some
cases, third-party data sharing facilities or hardware load balancers might be required.
For more information, see Grid Computing in SAS and “Introduction to Grid
Computing” at http://support.sas.com/rnd/scalability/grid/
index.html.
30 Chapter 4 • Servers in the SAS Intelligence Platform
31

Chapter 5
Middle-Tier Components of the
SAS Intelligence Platform

Overview of Middle-Tier Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31


Third-Party Software Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Web Application Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Java Development Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
SAS Web Infrastructure Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
SAS Content Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
SAS Foundation Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Overview of Middle-Tier Components


The middle tier of the SAS Intelligence Platform provides an environment in which the
business intelligence Web applications, such as SAS Web Report Studio and the SAS
Information Delivery Portal, can execute. These products run in a Web application
server and communicate with the user by sending data to and receiving data from the
user's Web browser. The middle tier applications rely on servers on the SAS server tier
to perform SAS processing, including data query and analysis.
The middle-tier environment includes the following third-party software and SAS
software elements:
• a Web application server
• the Java Development Kit (JDK)
• SAS Web applications, which can include SAS Web Report Studio, the SAS
Information Delivery Portal, SAS BI Portlets, the SAS BI Dashboard, the SAS Help
Viewer for the Web, and other SAS products and solutions
• the SAS Web Infrastructure Platform, which includes the SAS Content Server and
other infrastructure applications and services
• a Java remote method invocation (RMI) server, which enables access to SAS
Foundation Services and associated extension services
32 Chapter 5 • Middle-Tier Components of the SAS Intelligence Platform

The following figure illustrates the middle-tier components:

Figure 5.1 Middle Tier Components

Web Application Server

SAS Web SAS SAS Other SAS


SAS SAS BI
Report Information Help Viewer Web applications
BI Portlets Dashboard
Studio Delivery Portal for the Web and solutions

SAS Web Infrastructure Platform

SAS BI Web SAS Shared SAS Web SAS Logon SAS


Services Web Assets Infrastructure Manager Preferences
Services Manager

SAS Stored SAS Web


SAS Comment SAS Content SAS Workflow
Process Web Administration
Manager Server Engine
Application Console

SAS Remote Services RMI Server Relational database


SAS Information (for alerts, comments,
SAS Foundation Services Other JPS
Delivery Portal workflows, and SAS
(SAS Remote Services) Extensions
JPS Extension Content Server)

Third-Party Software Components

Web Application Server


The Web application server provides the execution environment for Web applications
that run on the middle tier. The following third-party servers are supported:
• JBoss Application Server
• IBM WebSphere Application Server
• IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment
• Oracle WebLogic Server
For information about the currently supported versions of these products, see “Third
Party Software for SAS 9.3 Foundation” at support.sas.com/
thirdpartysupport.
The following applications and services run in the Web application server environment:
• applications and services that are part of the SAS Web Infrastructure Platform.
• the SAS Web Report Studio, SAS Information Delivery Portal, SAS BI Portlets,
SAS BI Dashboard, and SAS Help Viewer for the Web applications. For a
description of these applications, see “Clients in the SAS Intelligence Platform” on
page 37 .
Depending on which products and solutions you have purchased, your site might have
additional Web applications.
SAS Web Infrastructure Platform 33

Java Development Kit


The Java Development Kit (JDK) is required to run the Web application server. For
information about the currently supported versions of the JDK, see “Third Party
Software for SAS 9.3 Foundation” at support.sas.com/thirdpartysupport.

SAS Web Infrastructure Platform


The SAS Web Infrastructure Platform is a collection of services and applications that
provide common infrastructure and integration features to be used by SAS Web
applications. These services and applications provide the following benefits:
• consistency in installation, configuration, and administration tasks for Web
applications
• greater consistency in users' interactions with Web applications
• integration among Web applications as a result of the ability to share common
resources
The following services and applications are included in the SAS Web Infrastructure
Platform:
SAS BI Web Services
can be used to enable your custom applications to invoke and obtain metadata about
SAS Stored Processes. Web services enable distributed applications that are written
in different programming languages and that run on different operating systems to
communicate using standard Web-based protocols. The most common protocol is the
Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP).
SAS Shared Web Assets
contains graph applet JARs that are shared across SAS Web applications. They
display graphs in stored processes and in the SAS Stored Process Web application.
SAS Web Infrastructure Services
provide a common infrastructure for SAS Web applications. The infrastructure
supports activities such as auditing, authentication, configuration, status and
monitoring, e-mail, theme management, alert registration and notification,
collaboration, and data sharing across SAS Web applications. The infrastructure also
includes Web service interfaces that enable Java and .NET desktop applications to
access the authentication service. SAS Enterprise Miner and other analytic products
and solutions use these services for user authentication.
SAS Logon Manager
provides a common user authentication mechanism for SAS Web applications. It
displays a dialog box for user ID and password entry, authenticates the user, and
launches the requested application. SAS Logon Manager supports a single sign-on
authentication model. When this model is enabled, it provides access to a variety of
computing resources (including servers and Web pages) during the application
session without repeatedly prompting the user for credentials.
You can configure SAS Logon Manager to display custom messages and to specify
whether a logon dialog box is displayed when users log off.
In addition, you can use third-party products in conjunction with SAS Logon
Manager to enable users to access multiple Web applications within the same
browser session.
34 Chapter 5 • Middle-Tier Components of the SAS Intelligence Platform

SAS Preferences Manager


provides a common mechanism for managing preferences for SAS Web applications.
The feature enables administrators to set default preferences for locale, theme, alert
notification, and time, date, and currency display. Within each Web application,
users can view the default settings and update their individual preferences.
SAS Comment Manager
enables users to create comments related to business intelligence objects. Users can
then reply to, search for, retire, delete, or add attachments to existing comments. This
feature enables the capture of human intelligence and supports collaborative decision
making related to business data.
SAS Stored Process Web Application
executes stored processes on behalf of a Web client and return results to a Web
browser. The SAS Stored Process Web application is similar to the SAS/IntrNet
Application Broker, and has the same general syntax and debug options.
SAS Web Administration Console
provides features for monitoring and administering middle-tier components. This
browser-based interface enables administrators to do the following:
• view a list of users who are logged on to SAS Web applications, send e-mail to
active users, and manage users’ logins during system maintenance by preventing,
terminating, and restarting user access
• view audit reports of logon and logoff activity
• create, delete, and manage permissions for folders on the SAS Content Server
• view configuration information for each middle-tier component
• dynamically adjust logging levels for some Web applications
SAS Content Server
stores digital content (such as documents, reports, and images) that is created and
used by SAS Web applications. For more information, see “SAS Content Server ” on
page 34 .
SAS Workflow Engine
enables the deployment and execution of workflows and processes that are integrated
with certain SAS applications and solutions. The SAS Workflow Studio client
application enables business users to quickly create or modify process maps to be
executed by the engine.
By default, the SAS Web Infrastructure Platform uses the SAS Framework Data Server
to store alerts, comments, workflows, and SAS Content Server data. During installation,
you can choose to store this data in a third-party database instead.
For more information about the SAS Web Infrastructure Platform, see the SAS
Intelligence Platform: Middle-Tier Administration Guide.

SAS Content Server


The SAS Content Server is part of the SAS Web Infrastructure Platform. This server
stores digital content (such as documents, reports, and images) that is created and used
by SAS Web applications. For example, the SAS Content Server stores report definitions
that are created by users of SAS Web Report Studio, as well as images and other
elements that are used in reports. A process called content mapping ensures that report
SAS Foundation Services 35

content is stored using the same folder names, folder hierarchy, and permissions that the
SAS Metadata Server uses to store corresponding report metadata.
In addition, the SAS Content Server stores documents and other files that are to be
displayed in the SAS Information Delivery Portal or in SAS solutions.
To interact with the SAS Content Server, client applications use WebDAV-based
protocols for access, versioning, collaboration, security, and searching. Administrative
users can use the browser-based SAS Web Management Console to create, delete, and
manage permissions for folders on the SAS Content Server.
For more information about the SAS Content Server, see the SAS Intelligence Platform:
Middle-Tier Administration Guide.

SAS Foundation Services


SAS Foundation Services is a set of core middleware infrastructure services that
integrate distributed applications on the middle tier with other components of the SAS
Intelligence Platform. This suite of Java-based APIs provides the following services:
• client connections to SAS application servers
• dynamic service discovery
• user authentication
• profile management
• session management
• activity logging
• metadata and content repository access
• connection management
• WebDAV service
Extension services for information publishing, event management, and SAS Stored
Process execution are also provided. All of the SAS Web applications that are described
in this document use SAS Foundation Services.
For more information about SAS Foundation Services, see the SAS Foundation Services:
Administrator's Guide.
36 Chapter 5 • Middle-Tier Components of the SAS Intelligence Platform
37

Chapter 6
Clients in the SAS Intelligence
Platform

Overview of Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
SAS BI Dashboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
SAS BI Portlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
SAS Data Integration Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
SAS Enterprise Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
SAS Enterprise Miner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
SAS Forecast Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
SAS Information Delivery Portal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
SAS Information Map Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
JMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
SAS Management Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
SAS Model Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
SAS OLAP Cube Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
SAS Web Parts for Microsoft SharePoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
SAS Web Report Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
SAS Workflow Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
SAS Help Viewer for the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Overview of Clients
SAS Intelligence Platform clients include desktop applications and Web-based
applications. The following table lists the clients by type:
38 Chapter 6 • Clients in the SAS Intelligence Platform

Table 6.1 SAS Intelligence Platform Clients

Desktop Applications Web Applications

Java Applications: • SAS BI Portlets


• SAS Data Integration Studio • SAS BI Dashboard
• SAS Enterprise Miner • SAS Help Viewer for the Web
• SAS Forecast Studio • SAS Information Delivery Portal
• SAS Information Map Studio • SAS Web Parts for Microsoft SharePoint
• SAS Management Console • SAS Web Report Studio
• SAS Model Manager
• SAS OLAP Cube Studio
• SAS Workflow Studio
Windows applications:*
• SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office
• SAS Enterprise Guide
• JMP

* JMP is also available on Macintosh and Linux.

The desktop applications are supported only on Microsoft Windows systems. The
exception is SAS Management Console, which runs on all platforms except z/OS. All of
the Java desktop applications require the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), which
includes a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that executes the application and a set of
standard Java class libraries. If you have installed the SAS Foundation on a host, the JRE
will already be present on that machine. Otherwise, you can install the JRE that is
supplied by SAS before you install the first Java client.
The Web-based applications reside and execute on the middle tier (see “Middle-Tier
Components of the SAS Intelligence Platform” on page 31 ). They require only a Web
browser to be installed on each client machine, with the addition of Adobe Flash Player
for SAS BI Dashboard. The applications run on a Web application server and
communicate with the user by sending data to and receiving data from the user's
browser. For example, an application of this type displays its user interface by sending
an HTML document to the user's browser. The user can submit input to the application
by sending it an HTTP response—usually by clicking a link or submitting an HTML
form.

SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office


The SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office enables you to harness the power of SAS analytics
from Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Outlook.
You can use the SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office for the following tasks:
• dynamically run stored processes and SAS tasks.
• analyze SAS or Excel data by using SAS tasks.
• embed the results of your stored processes and SAS tasks in your documents,
spreadsheets, and presentations.
SAS BI Portlets 39

• access and view SAS data sources or any data source that is available from your SAS
server. There is no size limit on the SAS data sources that you can open.
• send results from one Microsoft Office application to another. For example, you can
send an analysis result that was created in Microsoft Excel to Microsoft Word or
PowerPoint; and you can send reports from Microsoft Outlook to Excel, Word, or
PowerPoint. When sending results, you can specify whether the results can be
refreshed or whether they should be static.
• refresh SAS results to reflect changes that were made to a data source that is saved
on a server or changes that were made to the SAS task or stored process.
• share results by sending e-mail, scheduling meetings, or assigning tasks in Microsoft
Outlook.
For more information, see the Help for the SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office. For
information about administrative tasks associated with SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office,
see the SAS Intelligence Platform: Desktop Application Administration Guide.

SAS BI Dashboard
The SAS BI Dashboard enables users to create, maintain, and view dashboards to
monitor key performance indicators that convey how well an organization is performing.
The application is Web-based, leveraging the capabilities of Adobe Flash Player, and
can be accessed from within the SAS Information Delivery Portal.
The SAS BI Dashboard includes an easy-to-use interface for creating dashboards that
include graphics, text, colors, and hyperlinks. Dashboards can link to SAS reports and
analytical results, SAS Strategic Performance Management scorecards and objects,
externally generated data, and virtually anything that is addressable by a Uniform
Resource Identifier (URI).
All content is displayed in a role-based, secure, customizable, and extensible
environment. End users can customize how information appears on their personal
dashboards.
For more information, see the SAS BI Dashboard Help, which is available from within
the product, and the SAS BI Dashboard: User's Guide, available at http://
support.sas.com. For information about administrative tasks associated with the
SAS BI Dashboard, see the SAS Intelligence Platform: Web Application Administration
Guide.

SAS BI Portlets
SAS BI Portlets enable users to access, view, and work with business intelligence
content that is stored on the SAS Metadata Server and the SAS Content Server. The
portlets are seamlessly integrated into the SAS Information Delivery Portal and provide
added value to portal users. The portlets include the SAS Collection Portlet, the SAS
Diagnostics Portlet, the SAS Navigator Portlet, the SAS Report Portlet, and the SAS
Stored Process Portlet. For information about configuring, deploying, and administering
SAS BI Portlets, see the SAS Intelligence Platform: Web Application Administration
Guide.
40 Chapter 6 • Clients in the SAS Intelligence Platform

SAS Data Integration Studio


SAS Data Integration Studio is a visual design tool that enables you to consolidate and
manage enterprise data from a variety of source systems, applications, and technologies.
This software enables you to create process flows that accomplish the following tasks:
• extract, transform, and load data for use in data warehouses and data marts
• cleanse, migrate, synchronize, replicate, and promote data for applications and
business services
SAS Data Integration Studio enables you to create metadata that defines sources, targets,
and the processes that connect them. This metadata is stored in one or more shareable
repositories. SAS Data Integration Studio uses the metadata to generate or retrieve SAS
code that reads sources and creates targets in physical storage. Other applications that
share the same repositories can use the metadata to access the targets and use them as the
basis for reports, queries, or analyses.
Through its metadata, SAS Data Integration Studio provides a single point of control for
managing the following resources:
• data sources (from any platform that is accessible to SAS and from any format that is
accessible to SAS)
• data targets (to any platform that is accessible to SAS, and to any format that is
supported by SAS)
• processes that specify how data is extracted, transformed, and loaded from a source
to a target
• jobs that organize a set of sources, targets, and processes (transformations)
• source code generated by SAS Data Integration Studio
• user-written source code, including legacy SAS programs
Note: SAS Data Integration Studio was formerly named SAS ETL Studio.
For more information, see the SAS Data Integration Studio Help, which is available
from within the product, and the SAS Data Integration Studio: User's Guide, which is
available at http://support.sas.com. For information about administrative tasks
associated with SAS Data Integration Studio, see the SAS Intelligence Platform: Desktop
Application Administration Guide.

SAS Enterprise Guide


SAS Enterprise Guide is a project-oriented application that is designed to enable quick
access to much of the analytic power of SAS software for statisticians, business analysts,
and SAS programmers. SAS Enterprise Guide provides the following functionality:
• a point-and-click user interface to SAS servers
• transparent data access to both SAS data and other types of data
• interactive task windows that lead you through dozens of analytical and reporting
tasks
• a program editor with autocomplete and integrated syntax help
SAS Forecast Studio 41

• the ability to use the highest quality SAS graphics


• the ability to export results to other Windows applications and the Web
• the ability to schedule your project to run at a later time
SAS Enterprise Guide also enables you to create SAS Stored Processes and to store that
code in a repository that is available to a SAS Stored Process Server. (Stored processes
are SAS programs that are stored on a server and are executed by client applications.)
Stored processes are used for Web reporting and analytics, among other things.
For more information, see the SAS Enterprise Guide Help, which is available from
within the product. For information about administrative tasks associated with SAS
Enterprise Guide, see the SAS Intelligence Platform: Desktop Application
Administration Guide.

SAS Enterprise Miner


SAS Enterprise Miner is an example of the SAS analytics products that use the SAS
Intelligence Platform. This application streamlines the data mining process to create
highly accurate predictive and descriptive models based on the analysis of vast amounts
of data from across an enterprise. SAS Enterprise Miner enables you to develop data
mining flows that consist of data exploration, data transformations, and modeling tools
to predict or classify business outcomes.
For more information, see the SAS Enterprise Miner Help, which is available from
within the product. For information about administrative tasks associated with SAS
Enterprise Miner, see the SAS Intelligence Platform: Desktop Application
Administration Guide.

SAS Forecast Studio


SAS Forecast Studio is the client component of the SAS Forecast Server, which is an
example of the SAS analytics products that use the SAS Intelligence Platform. The SAS
Forecast Server is a large-scale, automatic forecasting solution that enables organizations
to produce huge quantities of high-quality forecasts quickly and automatically. SAS
Forecast Studio provides a graphical interface (based on Java) to the forecasting and
time series analysis procedures contained in SAS High-Performance Forecasting and
SAS/ETS software.
SAS High-Performance Forecasting automatically selects the appropriate model for each
item being forecast, based on user-defined criteria. Holdout samples can be specified so
that models are selected not only by how well they fit past data but by how appropriate
they are for predicting the future. If the best forecasting model for each item is unknown
or the models are outdated, a maximum level of automation can be chosen in which all
three forecasting steps (model selection, parameter estimation, and forecast generation)
are performed. If suitable models have been determined, you can keep the current
models and reestimate the model parameters and generate forecasts. For maximum
processing speed, you can keep previously selected models and parameters and choose
to simply generate the forecasts.
For more information, see the SAS High-Performance Forecasting: User's Guide and the
SAS/ETS User's Guide.
42 Chapter 6 • Clients in the SAS Intelligence Platform

SAS Information Delivery Portal


The SAS Information Delivery Portal enables you to aggregate data from a variety of
sources and present the data in a Web browser. The Web browser content might include
the output of SAS Stored Processes, links to Web addresses, documents, syndicated
content from information providers, SAS Information Maps, SAS reports, and Web
applications.
Using the portal, you can distribute different types of content and applications as
appropriate to internal users, external customers, vendors, and partners. You can use the
portal along with the Publishing Framework to publish content to SAS publication
channels or WebDAV repositories, to subscribe to publication channels, and to view
packages published to channels. The portal's personalization features enable users to
organize information on their desktops in a way that makes sense to them.
For more information, see the SAS Information Delivery Portal Help, which is available
from within the product. For information about administrative and development tasks
associated with the SAS Information Delivery Portal, see the SAS Intelligence Platform:
Web Application Administration Guide and Developing Portlets for the SAS Information
Delivery Portal, which are available at http://support.sas.com.

SAS Information Map Studio


SAS Information Map Studio enables data modelers and data architects to create and
manage SAS Information Maps, which are business metadata about your data.
Information maps enable you to surface your data warehouse data in business terms that
typical business users understand, while storing key information that is needed to build
appropriate queries.
Information maps provide the following benefits:
• Users are shielded from the complexities of the data.
• Data storage is transparent to the consumers of information maps, regardless of
whether the underlying data is relational or multidimensional, or whether the data is
in a SAS data set or in a third-party database system.
• Business formulas and calculations are predefined, which makes them usable on a
consistent basis.
• Users can easily query data for answers to business questions without having to
know query languages.
For more information, see the SAS Information Map Studio Help, which is available
from within the product, and SAS Information Map Studio: Getting Started with SAS
Information Maps, which is available at http://support.sas.com.

JMP
JMP is interactive, exploratory data analysis and modeling software for the desktop.
JMP makes data analysis—and the resulting discoveries—visual and helps to
SAS Management Console 43

communicate those discoveries to others. JMP presents results both graphically and
numerically. By linking graphs to each other and to the data, JMP makes it easier to see
the trends, outliers, and other patterns that are hidden in your data.
Through interactive graphs that link statistics and data, JMP offers analyses from the
basic (univariate descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and regression) to the advanced
(generalized linear, mixed, and nonlinear models, data mining, and time series models).
A unified, visual approach makes these techniques available to all levels of users.
The JMP Scripting Language can be used to create interactive applications and to
communicate with SAS. JMP reads text files, Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, SAS data
sets, and data from any ODBC data source.
JMP is included with SAS Visual BI, which can be ordered with SAS Enterprise BI
Server.

SAS Management Console


SAS Management Console provides a single point of control for administering your SAS
servers and for managing metadata objects that are used throughout the SAS Intelligence
Platform. You can use SAS Management Console to connect to the SAS Metadata
Server and view and manage the metadata objects that are stored in the server's metadata
repositories.
SAS Management Console uses an extensible plug-in architecture, enabling you to
customize the console to support a wide range of administrative capabilities. The plug-
ins that are provided with the application enable you to manage the following resources:
• server definitions
• library definitions
• user, group, and definitions
• resource access controls
• metadata repositories
• job schedules
The plug-ins also enable you to monitor server activity, configure and run metadata
server backups, view metadata interdependencies, and stop, pause, and resume servers.
Only certain users can view and use plug-ins. A user's access to plug-ins depends on the
which roles the user is assigned to and which capabilities are assigned to those roles.
In SAS Management Console, you can also view the folders that store metadata for
business intelligence content such as libraries, tables, jobs, cubes, information maps, and
reports. The folders include a personal folder for each individual user. For shared data,
you can create a customized folder structure and assign appropriate permissions at each
level in the folder hierarchy. Import and export wizards enable you to easily move or
promote content from one part of the folder tree to another, or from one metadata server
to another.
Note: Other client applications also display folders if they contain content that is
relevant to the application and that the user has permission to view.
For more information, see the SAS Management Console Help, which is available from
within the product. For detailed information about specific tasks that you can perform in
SAS Management Console, see the administration guides for the SAS Intelligence
Platform at http://support.sas.com/93administration.
44 Chapter 6 • Clients in the SAS Intelligence Platform

SAS Model Manager


SAS Model Manager is an example of the SAS analytics products that use the SAS
Intelligence Platform. This product provides a central model repository and model
management environment for predictive and analytical models. SAS Model Manager
also provides procedural templates that facilitate model and metadata management
across organizational areas, throughout the life cycle of the model.
In SAS Model Manager, a model is associated with properties that describe it, such as
the type of analysis, algorithm, input and output variables, quality measures, reports,
attribute rankings, and target scores. These properties are stored in the model metadata.
Model metadata can also document conformance to industry requirements, such as best
practice information and credit scoring audit trails.
SAS Model Manager provides the following functionality:
• stores models in a central secure repository
• manages and promotes models through the analytic process using the SAS Workflow
or SAS Model Manager life cycle
• compares and validates models
• performs scoring tests for model assessment
• publishes the model life cycle and performance data over established reporting
channels
• provides model performance monitoring and dashboard reports for models deployed
to production
• provides the ability to retrain models based on recent data

SAS OLAP Cube Studio


SAS OLAP Cube Studio enables you to design and create online analytical processing
(OLAP) cubes, register cube metadata in a SAS Metadata Repository, and save physical
cube data in a specified location. Using the application’s Cube Designer Wizard, you can
specify the following:
• the data source for a cube
• the cube design and architecture
• measures of the cube for future queries
• initial aggregations for the cube
SAS OLAP Cube Studio also includes functions and wizards that enable you to create
additional cube aggregations, to add calculated members to a cube, and to modify
existing calculated members.
For more information, see the SAS OLAP Cube Studio Help, which is available from
within the product. For information about administrative tasks associated with SAS
OLAP Cube Studio, see the SAS Intelligence Platform: Desktop Application
Administration Guide.
SAS Web Report Studio 45

SAS Web Parts for Microsoft SharePoint


SAS Web Parts for Microsoft SharePoint enables you to add SAS content directly to
your Web site through the use of Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services. This
application makes the following SAS Web Parts available from the Web Parts Gallery:
SAS BI Dashboard Web Part
The SAS BI Dashboard Web Part enables you to include interactive dashboards that
have been created in SAS BI Dashboard on a SharePoint page. If an indicator in the
dashboard is linked to other SAS content, users can click the indicator to view the
additional SAS content. For more information, see “SAS BI Dashboard” on page 39.
SAS Stored Process Web Part
The SAS Stored Process Web Part enables you to include a SAS Stored Process on a
SharePoint page. Users can then run the stored process and view the results on the
page.
For more information, see the SAS Web Parts for Microsoft Sharepoint Help. For
information about administrative tasks associated with SAS Web Parts for Microsoft
Sharepoint, see the SAS Intelligence Platform: Web Application Administration Guide.

SAS Web Report Studio


SAS Web Report Studio enables you to create, view, and organize reports. You can use
SAS Web Report Studio for the following tasks:
Creating reports
Beginning with a simple and intuitive view of your data provided by SAS
Information Maps (created in SAS Information Map Studio), you can create reports
based on either relational or multidimensional data sources. Advanced users can
access tables and cubes directly, without the need for information maps.
You can use the Report Wizard to quickly create simple reports, or you can use Edit
mode to create sophisticated reports that have multiple data sources, each of which
can be filtered. These reports can include various combinations of list tables,
crosstabulation tables, graphs, images, and text. Using Edit mode, you can adjust the
style to change colors and fonts. You can also insert stored processes, created by
business analysts who are proficient in SAS, that contain instructions for calculating
analytical results. The stored process results can be rendered as part of a report or as
a complete report.
Additional layout and query capabilities are available for advanced users. These
users can incorporate custom calculations and complex filter combinations, multiple
queries, prompts, and SAS analytical results into a single document. In addition,
advanced users can use headers, footers, images, and text to incorporate corporate
standards, confidentiality messages, and hyperlinks into reports. Advanced users can
also access tables and cubes directly.
Viewing and working with reports
While viewing reports, you can filter, sort, and rank the data that is shown in list
tables, crosstabulation tables, and graphs. With multidimensional data, you can drill
down on data in crosstabulation tables and graphs, and drill through to the
underlying data.
46 Chapter 6 • Clients in the SAS Intelligence Platform

Organizing reports
You can create folders and subfolders for organizing your reports. Information
consumers can use keywords to find the reports that they need. Reports can be shared
with others or kept private. You can schedule reports to run at specified times and
distribute them via e-mail, either as PDF attachments or as embedded HTML files.
You can also publish reports to one or more publication channels.
Printing and exporting reports
You can preview a report in PDF and print the report, or save and e-mail it later. You
have control over many printing options, including page orientation and page range.
You can also export data as a spreadsheet and export graphs as images. You can also
export data for list tables, crosstabulation tables, and graphs. The output can be
viewed in Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word.
For more information, see the SAS Web Report Studio Help and the SAS Web Report
Studio: User's Guide, which are available from within the product. For information
about administrative tasks associated with SAS Web Report Studio, see the SAS
Intelligence Platform: Web Application Administration Guide.

SAS Workflow Studio


SAS Workflow Studio enables you to modify and extend the default workflows and
process definitions that are provided with certain SAS applications and solutions. SAS
Workflow Studio is a business process-modeling tool for the rapid development of
process maps that reflect an application’s business logic. It enables business users to
build, organize, and deploy complex business processes, and to adjust processes
efficiently when business demands change. The process layer can be integrated with any
number of existing applications.
For more information, see the SAS Workflow Studio Help.

SAS Help Viewer for the Web


The SAS Help Viewer for the Web enables users to view and navigate SAS Online Help
in Web applications such as the SAS Information Delivery Portal, the SAS BI
Dashboard, and SAS Web Report Studio. For information about administration tasks
associated with SAS Help Viewer for the Web, see the SAS Intelligence Platform: Web
Application Administration Guide.
47

Chapter 7
Security Overview

Overview of SAS Intelligence Platform Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47


Authorization and Permissions Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Metadata-Based Authorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Multiple Authorization Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Roles and Capabilities Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Authentication and Identity Management Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Single Sign-On in the SAS Intelligence Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Single Sign-On for SAS Desktop Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Single Sign-On for SAS Web Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Single Sign-On for Data Servers and Processing Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Overview of Initial Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Encryption Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Security Reporting and Logging Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Overview of SAS Intelligence Platform Security


The security features of the SAS Intelligence Platform offer the following benefits:
• single sign-on from and across disparate systems
• secure access to data and metadata
• role-based access to application features
• confidential transmission and storage of data
• logging and auditing of security events
• access control reporting
The SAS Intelligence Platform's security model cooperates with external systems such as
the host environment, the Web realm, and third-party databases. To coordinate identity
information, SAS keeps a copy of one or more IDs (such as host, Active Directory,
LDAP, or Web account IDs) for each user. This requirement does not apply to any users
for whom a generic PUBLIC identity is sufficient.
For a comprehensive discussion of security and detailed information about security
administration activities, see the SAS Intelligence Platform: Security Administration
Guide, which is available at http://support.sas.com/93administration.
48 Chapter 7 • Security Overview

Authorization and Permissions Overview

Metadata-Based Authorization
Authorization is the process of determining which users have which permissions for
which resources. The SAS Intelligence Platform includes an authorization mechanism
that consists of access controls that you define and store in a metadata repository. These
metadata-based controls supplement protections from the host environment and other
systems. You can use the metadata authorization layer to manage access to the following
resources:
• almost any metadata object (for example, reports, data definitions, information maps,
jobs, stored processes, and server definitions)
• OLAP data
• relational data (depending on the method by which the data is accessed)
You can set permissions at several levels of granularity:
• Repository-level controls provide default access controls for objects that have no
other access controls defined.
• Resource-level controls manage access to a specific item such as a report, an
information map, a stored process, a table, a column, a cube, or a folder. The controls
can be defined individually (as explicit settings) or in patterns (by using access
control templates).
• Fine-grained controls affect access to subsets of data within a resource. You can use
these controls to specify who can access particular rows within a table or members
within a cube dimension.
You can assign permissions to individual users or to user groups. Each SAS user has an
identity hierarchy that starts with the user's individual SAS identity and can include
multiple levels of nested group memberships.
The effect of a particular permission setting is influenced by any related settings that
have higher precedence. For example, if a report inherits a grant from its parent folder
but also has an explicit denial, the explicit setting determines the outcome.
The available metadata-based permissions are summarized in the following table.

Table 7.1 Metadata-Based Permissions

Permissions Use

ReadMetadata, WriteMetadata, Use to control user interactions with a


WriteMemberMetadata, CheckInMetadata metadata object.

Read, Write, Create, or Delete Use to control user interactions with the
underlying computing resource that is
represented by a metadata object; and to
control interactions with some metadata
objects, such as dashboard objects.
Authentication and Identity Management Overview 49

Permissions Use

Administer Use to control administrative interactions


(such as starting or stopping) with the SAS
server that is represented by a metadata
object.

Multiple Authorization Layers


A user's ability to perform a particular action is determined not only by metadata-based
access controls but also by external authorization mechanisms such as operating system
permissions and database controls. To perform a particular action, the user must have the
necessary permissions in all of the applicable authorization layers. For example,
regardless of the access controls that have been defined for the user in the metadata
repository, the user cannot access a particular file if the operating system permissions do
not permit the action.

Roles and Capabilities Overview


The SAS implementation of roles enables administrators to manage the availability of
application features such as menu items, plug-ins, and buttons. Applications that have
roles include the SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office, SAS Enterprise Guide, SAS Forecast
Studio, SAS Management Console, and SAS Web Report Studio. For example, role
memberships determine whether a user can see the Server Manager plug-in (in SAS
Management Console), compare data (in SAS Enterprise Guide), or directly open an
information map (in SAS Web Report Studio). Administrators can assign roles to users
and to groups.
An application feature that is under role management is called a capability. Each
application that supports roles provides a fixed set of explicit and implicit capabilities.
Explicit capabilities can be incrementally added to or removed from any role (other than
the unrestricted role, which always provides all explicit capabilities). An implicit
capability is permanently bound to a certain role. A contributed capability is an implicit
or explicit capability that is assigned through role aggregation. If one role is designated
as a contributing role for another role, all of the first role's capabilities become
contributed capabilities for the second role.
In general, roles are separate from permissions and do not affect access to metadata or
data.

Authentication and Identity Management


Overview
Authentication is an identity verification process that attempts to determine whether
users (and other entities) are who they say they are. In the simplest case, users already
have accounts that are known to the metadata server's host. For example, if the metadata
server is on UNIX, then users might have accounts in an LDAP provider that the UNIX
host recognizes. If the metadata server is on Windows, then users might have Active
Directory accounts.
50 Chapter 7 • Security Overview

For accountability, we recommend creating an individual SAS identity for each person
who uses the SAS environment. These identities enable administrators to make access
distinctions and audit individual actions in the metadata layer. The identities also provide
personal folders for each user. The metadata server maintains its own copy of each user
ID for the purpose of establishing a SAS identity.
Identity management tasks can be performed manually using SAS Management Console
or by using the following batch processes:
• To load user information into the metadata repository, you first extract user and
group information from one or more enterprise identity sources. Then you use SAS
bulk-load macros to create identity metadata from the extracted information. SAS
provides sample applications that extract user and group information and logins from
an Active Directory server and from UNIX /etc/passwd and /etc/group files.
• To periodically update user information in the metadata repository, you extract user
and group information from your enterprise identity sources and from the SAS
metadata. Then you use SAS macros to compare the two sets of data and identify the
needed updates. After validating the changes, you use SAS macros to load the
updates into the metadata repository.
Note: You cannot use these batch processes to manage passwords. Users can manage
their own passwords with the SAS Personal Login Manager.
The metadata identity information is used by the security model's credential management
and authorization features. For example, when a user logs on to SAS Data Integration
Studio, the metadata server wants to know who the user is so that it can determine which
libraries, stored processes, and jobs should be displayed in the desktop client. If a user
makes a request in SAS Data Integration Studio to run a job against an Oracle table, the
Oracle server wants to know who the user is so that it can determine whether the user
has access to the data in the table.

Single Sign-On in the SAS Intelligence Platform

Single Sign-On for SAS Desktop Applications


For desktop applications such as SAS Information Map Studio, SAS Enterprise Guide,
SAS Data Integration Studio, SAS OLAP Cube Studio, and SAS Management Console,
you can use the following single sign-on features:
• You can enable Integrated Windows authentication so that users will not receive a
logon prompt when they launch applications. Integrated Windows authentication is a
Microsoft technology that generates and validates Windows identity tokens. All
participating clients and servers must authenticate against the same Windows domain
(or against domains that trust one another).
• Users can also avoid the initial logon prompt by selecting the option to save their
credentials in a connection profile. (This option can be disabled on a site-wide basis.)

Single Sign-On for SAS Web Applications


You can enable Web authentication so that users will not receive a logon prompt when
they launch SAS Web applications such as SAS Web Report Studio and the SAS
Information Delivery Portal. In this configuration, SAS Web applications use whatever
authentication scheme you have set up in your Web environment. For example, if your
Encryption Overview 51

Web environment is integrated with a third-party authentication provider, then the SAS
Web applications participate in that scheme.

Single Sign-On for Data Servers and Processing Servers


Seamless access to SAS Stored Process Servers, SAS OLAP Servers, SAS Content
Servers, and SAS Pooled Workspace Servers is provided through SAS token
authentication. This mechanism causes participating SAS servers to accept users who are
connected to the metadata server. No individual external accounts are required, no user
passwords are stored in the metadata, and no reusable credentials are transmitted.
Seamless access to SAS Workspace Servers can be provided through SAS token
authentication, Integrated Windows authentication, or credential reuse. With credential
reuse, when a user provides credentials in the initial logon dialog box, the credentials are
added to the user's in-memory credential cache (user context) and then retrieved when
access to the workspace server is required.
You can also use Integrated Windows authentication to provide direct connections to
OLAP servers (for example, from a data provider) when there is no active connection to
the metadata server.

Overview of Initial Users


During installation, several initial user accounts are created. Some of these accounts are
created for all installations, some are optional, and some are created only if certain
software components are installed. The required users include the following:
• The SAS Administrator account and the SAS Trusted User Account. These users are
generally set up as internal accounts, which exist in metadata but are not known to
the host machine. The SAS Administrator account has access to all metadata,
regardless of SAS permissions settings. The SAS Trusted User is a privileged service
account that can act on behalf of other users when connecting to the metadata server.
• The SAS Spawned Servers account and the SAS Installer account, which must be
defined in the operating system of certain server machines. The SAS Spawned
Servers account is the initially configured process owner for pooled workspace
servers and stored process servers. The SAS Installer Account is used to install and
configure SAS software. On UNIX and z/OS systems, this account is also the owner
of configuration directories and their contents and is the process owner for items
such as the metadata server, the OLAP server, and the object spawner.
Other initial users include the LSF Administrator and LSF User, which are required if
Platform Suite for SAS is installed. In addition, the SAS Anonymous Web Service User
is an optional account that is used to grant clients access to applicable SAS Web
Infrastructure Platform components. Most installations set up this user as an internal
account, which exists in metadata but is not known to the host machine.

Encryption Overview
SAS offers encryption features to help you protect information on disk and in transit.
When passwords must be stored, they are encrypted or otherwise encoded. Passwords
that are transmitted by SAS are also encrypted or encoded. You can choose to encrypt all
traffic instead of encrypting only credentials.
52 Chapter 7 • Security Overview

If you have SAS/SECURE, you can use an industry standard encryption algorithm such
as AES. SAS/SECURE is an add-on product that is licensed separately and offers
maximum protection. This product includes support of the Federal Information
Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 encryption specification. If you do not have
SAS/SECURE, you can use the SASProprietary algorithm to help protect information.

Security Reporting and Logging Overview


Security reporting creates a snapshot of metadata layer access control settings. SAS
provides the %MDSECDS autocall macro to enable you to easily build data sets of
permissions information. You can use those data sets as the data source for security
reports. You can also identify changes in settings by comparing data sets that are
generated at different times.
Security logging records security-related events as part of the system-wide logging
facility. The events that are captured include authentication events, client connections,
changes to user and group information, and permission changes. For more information
about logging, see “Logging and Monitoring for SAS Servers” on page 28 and the SAS
Logging: Configuration and Programming Reference.
53

Glossary

access control template


a reusable named authorization pattern that you can apply to multiple resources. An
access control template consists of a list of users and groups and indicates, for each
user or group, whether permissions are granted or denied. Short form: ACT.

ACT
See access control template.

Application Response Measurement


the name of an application programming interface that was developed by an industry
partnership and which is used to monitor the availability and performance of
software applications. ARM monitors the application tasks that are important to a
particular business. Short form: ARM.

ARM
See Application Response Measurement.

authentication
See client authentication.

authentication provider
a software component that is used for identifying and authenticating users. For
example, an LDAP server or the host operating system can provide authentication.

authorization
the process of determining which users have which permissions for which resources.
The outcome of the authorization process is an authorization decision that either
permits or denies a specific action on a specific resource, based on the requesting
user's identity and group memberships.

browser
See Web browser.

capability
an application feature that is under role-based management. Typically, a capability
corresponds to a menu item or button. For example, a Report Creation capability
might correspond to a New Report menu item in a reporting application. Capabilities
are assigned to roles.

client authentication
the process of verifying the identity of a person or process for security purposes.
54 Glossary

client-side pooling
a configuration in which the client application maintains a collection of reusable
workspace server processes.

credentials
the user ID and password for an account that exists in some authentication provider.

cube
See OLAP cube.

cube
See multidimensional database.

data mart
a subset of the data in a data warehouse. A data mart is optimized for a specific set of
users who need a particular set of queries and reports.

data set
See SAS data set.

data warehouse
a collection of data that is extracted from one or more sources for the purpose of
query, reporting, and analysis. Data warehouses are generally used for storing large
amounts of data that originates in other corporate applications or that is extracted
from external data sources.

database management system


a software application that enables you to create and manipulate data that is stored in
the form of databases. Short form: DBMS.

database server
a server that provides relational database services to a client. Oracle, DB/2 and
Teradata are examples of relational databases.

DBMS
See database management system.

encryption
the act or process of converting data to a form that is unintelligible except to the
intended recipients.

foundation services
See SAS Foundation Services.

HTTP
a protocol for transferring data to the Internet. HTTP provides a way for servers and
Web clients to communicate. It is based on the TCP/IP protocol.

HyperText Transfer Protocol


See HTTP.

identity
See metadata identity.
Glossary 55

information map
a collection of data items and filters that provides a user-friendly view of a data
source. When you use an information map to query data for business needs, you do
not have to understand the structure of the underlying data source or know how to
program in a query language.

Integrated Object Model


the set of distributed object interfaces that make SAS software features available to
client applications when SAS is executed as an object server. Short form: IOM.

Integrated Object Model server


See IOM server.

Integrated Windows authentication


a Microsoft technology that facilitates use of authentication protocols such as
Kerberos. In the SAS implementation, all participating components must be in the
same Windows domain or in domains that trust each other.

internal account
a SAS account that you can create as part of a user definition. Internal accounts are
intended for metadata administrators and some service identities; these accounts are
not intended for regular users.

IOM
See Integrated Object Model.

IOM server
a SAS object server that is launched in order to fulfill client requests for IOM
services.

IWA
See Integrated Windows authentication.

Java Development Kit


See JDK.

Java RMI
See remote method invocation.

Java Virtual Machine


See JVM.

JDK
a software development environment that is available from Oracle Corporation. The
JDK includes a Java Runtime Environment (JRE), a compiler, a debugger, and other
tools for developing Java applets and applications.

JVM
a program that interprets Java programming code so that the code can be executed by
the operating system on a computer. The JVM can run on either the client or the
server. The JVM is the main software component that makes Java programs portable
across platforms. A JVM is included with JDKs and JREs from Oracle Corporation,
as well as with most Web browsers.
56 Glossary

LDAP
a protocol that is used for accessing directories or folders. LDAP is based on the X.
500 standard, but it is simpler and, unlike X.500, it supports TCP/IP.

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol


See LDAP.

load balancing
for IOM bridge connections, a program that runs in the object spawner and that uses
an algorithm to distribute work across object server processes on the same or
separate machines in a cluster.

logical server
the second-level object in the metadata for SAS servers. A logical server specifies
one or more of a particular type of server component, such as one or more SAS
Workspace Servers.

MDDB
See multidimensional database.

metadata
descriptive data about data that is stored and managed in a database, in order to
facilitate access to captured and archived data for further use.

metadata identity
a metadata object that represents an individual user or a group of users in a SAS
metadata environment. Each individual and group that accesses secured resources on
a SAS Metadata Server should have a unique metadata identity within that server.

metadata LIBNAME engine


the SAS engine that processes and augments data that is identified by metadata. The
metadata engine retrieves information about a target SAS data library from metadata
objects in a specified metadata repository.

metadata object
a set of attributes that describe a table, a server, a user, or another resource on a
network. The specific attributes that a metadata object includes vary depending on
which metadata model is being used.

metadata server
a server that provides metadata management services to one or more client
applications. A SAS Metadata Server is an example.

multidimensional database
a specialized data storage structure in which data is presummarized and cross-
tabulated and then stored as individual cells in a matrix format, rather than in the
row-and-column format of relational database tables. The source data can come
either from a data warehouse or from other data sources. MDDBs can give users
quick, unlimited views of multiple relationships in large quantities of summarized
data.

object spawner
a program that instantiates object servers that are using an IOM bridge connection.
The object spawner listens for incoming client requests for IOM services. When the
spawner receives a request from a new client, it launches an instance of an IOM
server to fulfill the request. Depending on which incoming TCP/IP port the request
Glossary 57

was made on, the spawner either invokes the administrator interface or processes a
request for a UUID (Universal Unique Identifier).

OLAP
See online analytical processing.

OLAP cube
a logical set of data that is organized and structured in a hierarchical,
multidimensional arrangement to enable quick analysis of data. A cube includes
measures, and it can have numerous dimensions and levels of data.

OLAP schema
a container for OLAP cubes. A cube is assigned to an OLAP schema when it is
created, and an OLAP schema is assigned to a SAS OLAP Server when the server is
defined in the metadata. A SAS OLAP Server can access only the cubes that are in
its assigned OLAP schema.

online analytical processing


a software technology that enables users to dynamically analyze data that is stored in
multidimensional database tables (cubes).

online analytical processing


a software technology that enables users to dynamically analyze data that is stored in
multidimensional database tables (cubes).

parallel I/O
a method of input and output that takes advantage of multiple CPUs and multiple
controllers, with multiple disks per controller to read or write data in independent
threads.

parallel processing
a method of processing that divides a large job into several smaller jobs that can be
executed in parallel on multiple CPUs.

permission
the type of access that a user or group has to a resource. The permission defines what
the user or group can do with the resource. Examples of permissions are
ReadMetadata and WriteMetadata.

plug-in
a file that modifies, enhances, or extends the capabilities of an application program.
The application program must be designed to accept plug-ins, and the plug-ins must
meet design criteria specified by the developers of the application program.

RDBMS
See relational database management system.

relational database management system


a database management system that organizes and accesses data according to
relationships between data items. The main characteristic of a relational database
management system is the two-dimensional table. Examples of relational database
management systems are DB2, Oracle, Sybase, and Microsoft SQL Server.

remote method invocation


a Java programming feature that provides for remote communication between
programs by enabling an object that is running in one Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to
58 Glossary

invoke methods on an object that is running in another JVM, possibly on a different


host. Short form: RMI.

RMI
See remote method invocation.

role
See user role.

SAS Application Server


a logical entity that represents the SAS server tier, which in turn comprises servers
that execute code for particular tasks and metadata objects.

SAS Content Server


a server that stores digital content (such as documents, reports, and images) that is
created and used by SAS client applications. To interact with the server, clients use
WebDAV-based protocols for access, versioning, collaboration, security, and
searching.

SAS data set


a file whose contents are in one of the native SAS file formats. There are two types
of SAS data sets: SAS data files and SAS data views. SAS data files contain data
values in addition to descriptor information that is associated with the data. SAS data
views contain only the descriptor information plus other information that is required
for retrieving data values from other SAS data sets or from files whose contents are
in other software vendors' file formats.

SAS Foundation Services


a set of core infrastructure services that programmers can use in developing
distributed applications that are integrated with the SAS platform. These services
provide basic underlying functions that are common to many applications. These
functions include making client connections to SAS application servers, dynamic
service discovery, user authentication, profile management, session context
management, metadata and content repository access, activity logging, event
management, information publishing, and stored process execution.

SAS Framework Data Server


a database server that is the default location for middle-tier data such as alerts,
comments, and workflows, as well as data for the SAS Content Server and SAS
Service Parts Optimization. The server is provided as an alternative to using a third-
party DBMS. The server cannot be used as a general-purpose data store.

SAS Management Console


a Java application that provides a single user interface for performing SAS
administrative tasks.

SAS Metadata Repository


a container for metadata that is managed by the SAS Metadata Server.

SAS Metadata Server


a multi-user server that enables users to read metadata from or write metadata to one
or more SAS Metadata Repositories.

SAS OLAP Server


a SAS server that provides access to multidimensional data. The data is queried
using the multidimensional expressions (MDX) language.
Glossary 59

SAS Open Metadata Architecture


a general-purpose metadata management facility that provides metadata services to
SAS applications. The SAS Open Metadata Architecture enables applications to
exchange metadata, which makes it easier for these applications to work together.

SAS SPD Server


a SAS Scalable Performance Data Server. An SPD Server restructures data in order
to enable multiple threads, running in parallel, to read and write massive amounts of
data efficiently.

SAS Stored Process


a SAS program that is stored on a server and defined in metadata, and which can be
executed by client applications. Short form: stored process.

SAS Stored Process Server


a SAS IOM server that is launched in order to fulfill client requests for SAS Stored
Processes.

SAS token authentication


a process in which the metadata server generates and verifies SAS identity tokens to
provide single sign-on to other SAS servers. Each token is a single-use, proprietary
software representation of an identity.

SAS Web Infrastructure Platform


a collection of middle-tier services and applications that provide infrastructure and
integration features that are shared by SAS Web applications and other HTTP
clients.

SAS Workspace Server


a SAS IOM server that is launched in order to fulfill client requests for IOM
workspaces.

SAS/CONNECT server
a server that provides SAS/CONNECT services to a client. When SAS Data
Integration Studio generates code for a job, it uses SAS/CONNECT software to
submit code to remote computers. SAS Data Integration Studio can also use
SAS/CONNECT software for interactive access to remote libraries.

SAS/SHARE server
the result of an execution of the SERVER procedure, which is part of SAS/SHARE
software. A server runs in a separate SAS session that services users' SAS sessions
by controlling and executing input and output requests to one or more SAS libraries.

SASProprietary algorithm
a fixed encoding algorithm that is included with Base SAS software. The
SASProprietary algorithm requires no additional SAS product licenses. It provides a
medium level of security.

server-side pooling
a configuration in which a SAS object spawner maintains a collection of reusable
workspace server processes that are available for clients. The usage of servers in this
pool is governed by the authorization rules that are set on the servers in the SAS
metadata.
60 Glossary

service
one or more application components that an authorized user or application can call at
any time to provide results that conform to a published specification. For example,
network services transmit data or provide conversion of data in a network, database
services provide for the storage and retrieval of data in a database, and Web services
interact with each other on the World Wide Web.

single sign-on
an authentication model that enables users to access a variety of computing resources
without being repeatedly prompted for their user IDs and passwords. For example,
single sign-on can enable a user to access SAS servers that run on different platforms
without interactively providing the user's ID and password for each platform. Single
sign-on can also enable someone who is using one application to launch other
applications based on the authentication that was performed when the user initially
logged on.

SMP
See symmetric multiprocessing.

spawner
See object spawner.

SPD Server
See SAS SPD Server.

SSO
See single sign-on.

stored process
See SAS Stored Process.

symmetric multiprocessing
a hardware and software architecture that can improve the speed of I/O and
processing. An SMP machine has multiple CPUs and a thread-enabled operating
system. An SMP machine is usually configured with multiple controllers and with
multiple disk drives per controller. Short form: SMP.

theme
a collection of specifications (for example, colors, fonts, and font styles) and
graphics that control the appearance of an application.

thread
a single path of execution of a process that runs on a core on a CPU.

transformation
in data integration, an operation that extracts data, transforms data, or loads data into
data stores.

user role
a set of permissions that define which actions a user, or a group of users, can take in
an application.

warehouse
See data warehouse.
Glossary 61

Web application
an application that is accessed via a Web browser over a network such as the Internet
or an intranet. SAS Web applications are Java Enterprise Edition (JEE) applications
that are delivered via Web application archive (WAR) files. The applications can
depend on Java and non-Java Web technologies.

Web authentication
a configuration in which users of Web applications and Web services are verified at
the Web perimeter and the metadata server trusts that verification.

Web browser
a software application that is used to view Web content, and also to download or
upload information. The browser submits URL (Uniform Resource Locator) requests
to a Web server and then translates the HTML code into a visual display.

Web-distributed authoring and versioning


a set of extensions to the HTTP protocol that enables users to collaboratively edit
and manage files on remote Web servers. Short form: WebDAV.

WebDAV
See Web-distributed authoring and versioning.
62 Glossary
63

Index

A SAS Information Delivery Portal 42


access controls 24, 48 SAS Information Map Studio 42
accessibility features 2 SAS Management Console 43
aggregating data 42 SAS Model Manager 44
analytical models 7, 44 SAS OLAP Cube Studio 44
analytics 3, 6 SAS Web Parts for Microsoft
application servers 26 SharePoint 45
functionality of 26 SAS Web Report Studio 45
purpose of grouping 26 SAS Workflow Studio 46
architecture 9 content mapping 34
Aster nCluster databases 16 credential reuse 51
authentication 49 cube metadata 44
Integrated Windows 51 cubes 5, 18, 22, 44
token 51
authorization 48, 50
metadata-based 48 D
multiple layers 49 dashboards 5, 39
data management 2, 3
DataFlux Data Management Platform 3
B SAS Data Integration Studio 3
batch servers 22 SAS Data Quality Server 4
business intelligence 3, 5 SAS Data Surveyor 4
SAS Metadata Repository 7
SAS/ACCESS 4
C data mining 6, 41
CA-IDMS 16 data servers 22
capabilities 49 single sign-on for 51
clickstream data 11 data sets 16
client-side pooling 28 as default SAS storage 16
clients 10, 14 data storage 4
by type 37 data source design applications 19
JMP 42 data sources 9, 10
overview of 37 metadata management for 18
SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office 38 DATA step batch servers 22
SAS BI Dashboard 39 data storage 4, 15
SAS BI Portlets 39 cubes 18
SAS Data Integration Studio 40 data sets 16
SAS Enterprise Guide 40 default SAS storage 16
SAS Enterprise Miner 41 high-performance computing 4, 16
SAS Forecast Studio 41 in-database 4, 16
SAS Help Viewer for the Web 46 multidimensional databases 18
64 Index

multidimensional storage 4 IBM WebSphere Application Server


parallel storage 5, 17 Network Deployment 32
relational storage 4 identity management 49
third-party databases 4, 16 automated support for 49
databases identity verification 49
Aster nCluster 16 in-database technology 4, 16
DB2 16 information maps 5, 42
Greenplum 16 initial users 51
hierarchical 16 Integrated Windows authentication 51
multidimensional 18
Netezza 17
network model systems 16 J
Oracle 17 Java batch servers 22
relational 16 Java Development Kit 5 33
Teradata 17 JBoss Application Server 32
third-party 4, 11, 16 JMP 7, 42
DataFlux Data Management Platform 3 JMP Scripting Language 43
DB2 databases 16
default SAS storage 16
desktop applications 37 L
single sign-on for 50 load balancing 27
digital content 34 Load Sharing Facility (LSF) 7
documentation logging
SAS Help Viewer for the Web 46 for SAS servers 28
for security 52
logical pooled workspace servers 25
E logical server objects 25
encryption 51 logical servers
exporting reports 46 purpose of grouping 27
logical stored process servers 25
logical workspace servers 25
F Logon Manager 33
Federal Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 LSF Administrator account 51
encryption 52 LSF User account 51
fine-grained controls 48
FIPS 140-2 encryption 52
forecasting 6, 41 M
managing data
See data management
G metadata
generic batch servers 22 creating and administering 24
Greenplum databases 16 cube metadata 44
grid computing 29 in SAS Metadata Repository 23
Grid Management Services 7 managing data sources in 18
organization of 25
metadata LIBNAME engine 19
H metadata objects 23
Help managing 43
SAS Help Viewer for the Web 46 metadata repository
hierarchical databases 16 See SAS Metadata Repository
high-performance computing 16 metadata-based authorization 48
metadata-based permissions 48
middle tier 10, 13
I components 31
IBM WebSphere Application Server 32 third-party software components 32
models, analytical 7, 44
Index 65

monitoring SAS servers 28 repository-level controls 48


multidimensional databases 18 resource-level controls 48
multidimensional storage 4 roles 24, 49
multiple authorization layers 49

S
N SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office 5, 38
Netezza databases 17 SAS Administrator account 51
network model database systems 16 SAS Anonymous Web Service User
account 51
SAS BI Dashboard 5, 39
O SAS BI Dashboard Web Part 45
object spawner 22 SAS BI Portlets 5, 39
load balancing and 27 SAS BI Server 2
monitoring 28 SAS BI Web Services for Java 33
SAS Spawned Servers account 51 SAS Business Analytics Framework 1
OLAP cubes 5, 18, 22, 44 SAS Comment Manager 34
online Help SAS Content Server 22, 34
SAS Help Viewer for the Web 46 SAS Data Integration Server 2
Oracle databases 17 SAS Data Integration Studio 3, 40
Oracle WebLogic Server 32 SAS Data Quality Server 4
SAS Data Surveyor 4, 11
for clickstream data 11
P for SAP 11
parallel storage 5, 17 SAS Enterprise BI Server 2
how it works 17 SAS Enterprise Data Integration Server 2
options for implementing 17 SAS Enterprise Guide 5, 40
passwords 50, 51 SAS Enterprise Miner 6, 41
permissions 48 SAS Forecast Server 6, 41
metadata-based 48 SAS Forecast Studio 41
Platform Suite for SAS 7 SAS Foundation Services 35
plug-ins 43 SAS Framework Data Server 11, 22
pooled workspace server 13, 22 SAS grid computing 29
logical 25 SAS Grid Manager 7, 29
pooling SAS Help Viewer for the Web 46
client-side 28 SAS identity 24, 49
server-side 13, 22, 27 SAS In-Database 4, 16
workspace 27 SAS Information Delivery Portal 5, 42
portlets 5, 39 SAS Information Map Studio 5, 42
Preferences Manager 34 SAS Installer account 51
printing reports 46 SAS Intelligence Platform 1
process flows 40 accessibility features 2
Process Manager 7 architecture 9
processing servers components 2
single sign-on for 51 roles in 49
security 47
servers 21
R single sign-on 50
relational databases 16 strategic benefits 7
relational storage 4 SAS Logon Manager 33
reporting, security 52 SAS Management Console 7, 43
reports 45 defining data source objects 19
creating 45 SAS Metadata Repository 7
organizing 46 loading user information into 50
printing and exporting 46 metadata in 23
viewing and working with 45 updating user information in 50
66 Index

SAS Metadata Server 12, 21, 23 SAS/ACCESS 4


controlling system access 24 SAS/CONNECT servers 22
creating and administering metadata 24 security 47
metadata in SAS Metadata Repository authentication and identity management
23 49
SAS Model Manager 7, 44 authorization and permissions 48
SAS object spawner 13, 22 encryption 51
load balancing and 27 initial users 51
monitoring 28 reporting and logging 52
SAS Spawned Servers account 51 roles 49
SAS OLAP Cube Studio 5, 44 single sign-on 50
SAS OLAP Server 12, 18, 22 server objects 25
data storage 4 server-side pooling 13, 22, 27
SAS Pooled Workspace Server 13, 22 servers 9, 11, 21
SAS Preferences Manager 34 single sign-on 50
SAS servers 9, 11, 21 for data servers and processing servers
logging and monitoring for 28 51
SAS Content Server 34 for desktop applications 50
SAS Metadata Server 12 for Web applications 50
SAS OLAP Server 12 SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) 17
SAS Pooled Workspace Server 13 spawner 22
SAS Stored Process Server 13 load balancing and 27
SAS Workspace Server 12 monitoring 28
SAS Shared Web Assets 33 SAS Spawned Servers account 51
SAS Spawned Servers account 51 storage
SAS SPD Engine See data storage
data storage 5 See parallel storage
parallel storage 17 stored process servers
symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) 17 See SAS Stored Process Server
SAS SPD Server stored processes 13, 22, 25, 27, 41
data storage 5 symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) 17
parallel storage 17 system access
SAS Stored Process Server 13, 22 SAS Metadata Server control of 24
load balancing 27
logical 25
SAS Stored Process Web Application 34 T
SAS Stored Process Web Part 45 tables
SAS tables See data sets
See data sets Teradata databases 17
SAS token authentication 51 third-party databases 11, 16
SAS Trusted User Account 51 data storage 4
SAS Web Administration Console 34 third-party software
SAS Web Infrastructure Platform 33 middle-tier components 32
SAS Web Infrastructure Platform Services threaded reads 4
33 token authentication 51
SAS Web Parts for Microsoft SharePoint
45
SAS Web Report Studio 5, 45 U
SAS Workflow Engine 34 updating
SAS Workflow Studio 46 user information in metadata repository
SAS Workspace Server 12, 21 50
load balancing 27 user information
logical 25 loading into metadata repository 50
logical pooled 25 updating in metadata repository 50
pooled 13, 22 users, initial 51
workspace pooling 27
Index 67

V Web applications 13
verifying identities 49 single sign-on for 50
Web-based applications 37
workspace pooling 27
W workspace servers
Web application server 32 See SAS Workspace Server
68 Index

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