topic Re: Automating SAS EG Prompt in SAS Enterprise Guide

Automating SAS EG Prompt

Dreamer — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 19:50:50 GMT

Hi,

I have a SAS EG process with prompts in it for different reports.

Every day user creates a bunch of reports from this process. He has to select these prompt values for every run.

Is there any way to automate the prompt values? Something similar to what "Casting director" does in BO reports.

Like, a user can update an excel with prompt name & values.

S.no | PName | Value
1 | Region | East

2 | Region | West

Then SAS EG can read this prompt file and create reports for each row of input prompt.

Thanks

Re: Automating SAS EG Prompt

SASKiwi — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 21:51:14 GMT

If your users are supplying all of the inputs that will tailor an EG process in Excel you could avoid EG prompts but instead create SAS macro variables that feed into your process steps to customise them.

Re: Automating SAS EG Prompt

Dreamer — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 01:43:54 GMT

Thanks SASKiwi, but the problem is how to run the entire process for each set of parameters i.e each row of excel.

If i have to code then I can put the entire process in a SAS Macro function and then call that with each set of input parameters.

But unlike SAS DI, SAS EG doesn't have a loop task that can be embed in process to loop the entire process. My team is not mature in coding and that's why I'm looking for a point & click solution here!!

Re: Automating SAS EG Prompt

SASKiwi — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 05:14:19 GMT

I'm not sure you are going to find a point and click solution but have a look through the possibilities listed here:

https://communities.sas.com/message/193195#193195

Re: Automating SAS EG Prompt

jakarman — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 07:11:20 GMT

Are You looking for dynamic prompts https://support.sas.com/resources/papers/sgf09/355-2009.pdf ?
There are many ways to use and implement prompts

Are You looking for scheduling options for automated processing of reports? This is a world on his own.
Are looking for refreshing reports that are included in a MS-office document? This is part of AMO

Are you loking for running SP's in batch?

I am only seeing you have Eguide and wanting to automate something. Please elaborate.

Re: Automating SAS EG Prompt

Dreamer — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 17:07:45 GMT

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!!

I'm not sure if I re-invented the wheel. But I created a VBA application to read and pass prompt values to Stored Procedure. It worked for me.

Here I have added a sample solution:

Re: Automating SAS EG Prompt

ChrisHemedinger — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 17:30:24 GMT

This capability is built into the SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office -- using cell values for prompt answers in a Stored Process. So yes, you sort of re-invented it -- minus the much nicer interactivity that you get with the SAS Add-In.

If that solution is working for you -- nice job!

Chris

Re: Automating SAS EG Prompt

Dreamer — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 22:10:14 GMT

Chris, I believe your suggestion is to select prompt value from Cell when SAS Add in opens a pop up asking for prompt value. Or pass the complete list as a data source (text/xml) to Store procedure.

In both the cases SP will be triggered with only one set of prompt values. But my requirement is to run this process for multiple set of prompts.

See if we can get this way:

Lets assume I have a EG process which filters observations and create report based on prompt value.

Prompts:

Sex (=M/F)
Age (>= Value)

When user runs this process, SAS will ask for prompt. Lets say user enters (M, 14). SAS will create report for these values.

If user has another set of parameters (say F, 12) for an another report then user will have to re-run this process with new prompt values. Think if he has many such sets. Each time he'll have to manually trigger the process with new prompt values.

I was just trying to automate this manual effort.

PS: User does adhoc reporting, so scheduling is not an option + User doesn't know much programming!!