topic Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET in SAS Enterprise Guide

Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

Louis_Gallo_CIGNA_com — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 14:43:30 GMT

I am trying to find a way to run an existing SAS EG program from within VB.NET. If this is possible? If it is, is there any way to pass SAS variables in before running the program? (Currently, I use Prompt Manager)

There are tons of articles on calling VB.NET tasks from within a SAS EG project, but I want to go the other way and call SAS EG passing params in from a VB.NET front end.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Lou Gallo

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

FriedEgg — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 16:11:09 GMT

http://support.sas.com/documentation/onlinedoc/guide/examples/SASGF2012/Hemedinger_298-2012.pdf

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

ChrisHemedinger — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 19:21:10 GMT

See also -- many examples posted here (associated with the paper cited by

Not Just for Scheduling: Doing More with SAS Enterprise Guide Automation - sasCommunity

And if you're interested in doing more with Microsoft .NET and SAS directly:

http://blogs.sas.com/content/sasdummy/2013/06/09/sas-client-with-microsoft-dot-net/

Chris

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

TomKari — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 23:21:00 GMT

A colleague covered a similar area at SGF 2012. Her paper is "SAS® IOM and Your .Net Application Made Easy"

Tom

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

Louis_Gallo_CIGNA_com — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 16:20:41 GMT

Hi Chris,

I want to sure that I am setting my expectations right that what I am trying to do is possible.

I am trying to open an existing .EGP SAS EG project and run that from VB.NET or C#.NET. I need to set SAS variables before the actual run in SAS EG from .NET.

Most of the articles that I have seen do not reference running an existing SAS EG project, more actual SAS code.

Am I trying to do something that is not supported? If not, can you point me to any references for running an existing EGP file.

Thanks to all that responded.

(My SAS EG program works wonderfully and fast, but I trying to dress it up for any non-SAS folks that may want to use it.)

Thanks,

Lou

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

Louis_Gallo_CIGNA_com — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 14:21:31 GMT

I am almost there. I can run my SAS project in a C# barebones program (not dressed up yet).

SAS.EG.Scripting.Aplication EGApp = new SAS.EG.Scripting.Application();

EGApp.Open("my filename","");

EGApp.Project.Run;

EGApp.Quit();

Now I am figuring out how to insert in my SAS macro variables before running it. (Augh!! So close!)

If anyone has any suggestions, it would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Lou

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

ChrisHemedinger — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 14:33:20 GMT

Lou,

I suggest something like this:

SAS.EG.Scripting.Code c = EGApp.Project.CodeCollection.Add();

c.Server = "SASApp" /* or your sever */

c.Text = "%let macro=myval;";

c.Run(); /* or just run the project. */

Chris

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

Louis_Gallo_CIGNA_com — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 19:43:43 GMT

Is there a way though to insert insert a macro variable into an open and existing project?

' This VB.NET code runs my SAS code wonderfully but need a way to pass parameters in!!

Dim appMain as New SAS.EG.Scripting.Application

Dim prjMain as New SAS.EG.Scripting.Project

Dim prjName as String

prjName = "mysasegproject.egp

appMain.Open(prjMain.ToString, "")

prjMain = appMain.Project()

prjMain.Run()

Is there any way to insert a macro variable into this code logic so my project can use it?

I tried using Windows environmental variables and having my SAS EG project read them. That works BUT the environmental variables are "sticky" and cannot be changed if your code runs multiple iterations.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Lou

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

Peter_C — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 14:13:00 GMT

Lou

as a "batch process with no user inputs", your EG project can retrieve values from the calling environment by reading environment variables (rather than a user selecting those values from from the prompts).

This assumes you have a way to introduce code like:

%let parameter1 = %sysget(ENV_VAR1) ;

One way (not the only way) would be to add something to the autoexec used when SAS starts. Obviously this would be "after" the EG project starts.

Rather than pick up parameters from the environment, an EG project could "proc import" the parameters from a file of name-value pairs.

I would not expect setting environment variables to be any more "sticky" than SAS macro variables.

If you need to manage re-running, that should be done within the SAS code of the project recognizing the situation.

Many of the EG projects that I use have more than one route through the project. I have to choose the start point.

How would your package achieve this?

Peter

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

Louis_Gallo_CIGNA_com — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 14:48:04 GMT

Thanks so for responding Peter. It is very strange. I use the exact convention in my SAS code to read the environmental variables I set in VB.NET code.

In VB.NET code:

System.Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable("SASSTARTINGDATE"; strStartingDate, EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process)

In SAS EG code:

%LET STARTINGDATE = %SYSGET(SASSTARTTIME);

If I try running the SAS report again within the same .NET executable session (It is a user front end for executing the SAS EG code), it still holds onto the first iteration environnmental variables and ignores the new ones. If I kill the SAS.EXE in the background, it will work fine on the second iteration. It almost seems like the first environmental variables settings got stuck to that SAS.EXE or SYSWOW64 in the background. Am I doing something not disposing of an object properly after each loop.Note that I am executing my SAS EG EGP in VB.NET in a thread, but I terminate and dispose of the thread object.

It is getting frustrating, so I may just fall back to PROC IMPORT. That will probably be less frustrating.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

Lou Gallo

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

TomKari — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 21:11:44 GMT

It sounds like you're only getting the values that the environment values have when SAS starts; I'm not enough of a Windows expert to know if this is usual behaviour, but I wouldn't be surprised. If you're good in VB.Net, you could probably code up a quick test to see if it exhibits the same behaviour. If it does, it would rule out this mechanism for inter-process communication.

Tom

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

Peter_C — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 13:38:45 GMT

this behaviour sounds like "startup" settings being used by the first SAS session persist over all sessions.

Need to find a way to start a new session each time.

This behaviour could be similar to the distinction of "stored process servers" and "workspace servers" in SAS BI platform.

In EG, just disconnecting from the server ensures the next code submitted will run in a new session.

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

shoin — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:08:16 GMT

Hi Chris this may be a dumb question, but do you need any options turned on for running VB script ? I am not win expert and i have been asked many times.

Thank you in advance,

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

ChrisHemedinger — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:26:51 GMT

Not sure what you mean by "options" - do you mean privileges? Typically anyone can run a VB script on the local machine without additional permissions. Trying an example script from here is probably the best proof that you're able to do what you need.

Chris

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

shoin — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:31:38 GMT

Thank you for the quick reply, I meant no SAS options are needed to enabled for example, xcmd? (It may be needed for other reasons but not specifically run VB scripts.)

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

ChrisHemedinger — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:34:08 GMT

No, no special options are needed to use VB script to drive SAS Enterprise Guide actions. XCMD is needed only if your SAS code calls out to the operating system shell (so, using SAS to drive the Windows operating system).

Chris

Re: Running a SAS Enterprise Guide Program from VB.NET

shoin — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:42:01 GMT

Thank you senor!