topic Re: updating datasets online via UI in SAS Studio

updating datasets online via UI

metallon — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 15:39:47 GMT

Hi,

is there a way in SAS Studio or WRS to update/insert/delete observations/cells?

I habe end users who want to update small tables filled with parameters and re-run the STP.

Thanks for any hints.

Re: updating datasets online via UI

Cynthia_sas — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 17:33:48 GMT

Hi:
SAS Studio, SAS Web Report Studio and SAS Stored Processes (if that's what you mean by "STP") are vastly different ways to access SAS Data.

For example, to view data in SAS Web Report studio, Web Report Studio (WRS) has to connect to a metadata server and whether or not someone can update a table depends on the metadata permissions for that user as defined by an administrator. On the other hand, with SAS Studio, someone might edit a table easily as long as they have write permission to the file -- no metadata permissions involved.

And a SAS Stored Process is typically a program that runs and returns results to a client application.

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "small tables filled with parameters" -- many of the client applications on the BI Platform or the Office Analytics platforms support the use of parameters. However, generally the parameters are supplied via the Prompting Framework, or the Parameter Manager in Enterprise Guide. So the parameters are not really contained in "small tables".

If you are asking about either the BI Platform or Office Analytics, then this question might be better placed in one of the Business Intelligence Community Forums, such as the Web Report STudio, Stored Process or Microsoft Office forums.

cynthia

Re: updating datasets online via UI

metallon — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 08:01:04 GMT

Hi Cynthia,

Thanks for your reply. I extra wrote about a small table of parameters so the
prompting framework is not mentioned 🙂
Lets say an Excel sheet with 200 rows. The user can update/insert and delete.
I want to offer the users a web-based way to edit those 200 rows and re-run an STP
that does a calculation based on those rows in combination with other data.

I did not see an update mode feature in WRS. It exists in EG but I need it web-based
because not everyone of the users has EG installed.

Re: updating datasets online via UI

Cynthia_sas — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 12:34:53 GMT

I do not believe that you can update tables in Web Report Studio, the way you envision. When Web Report Studio displays data, it is displayed in SAS Report XML format, not really the type of file that is "input" -- Web Report Studio is designed as a web report designer/viewer.

If you are using a stored process to deliver the data for editing and then want to run a stored process using the data, I believe you will need to use the Stored Process Web Application, which would run in a web browser, but outside the control of Web Report Studio (which uses Java to control how the interface works).

If the users have Excel and you have the Platform, do the users have the SAS Add-in for Microsoft Office? There is a way to take an Excel sheet and use it as input to a stored process. Why move everything to a web browser when you might be able to have the users provide their edits from inside an Excel file?

cynthia

Re: updating datasets online via UI

LinusH — Sun, 17 Jul 2016 06:03:46 GMT

One would suspect that the Table Viewer should hold data entry capabilities, but according to the documentation this is not available.
So your options is basically using client based sw or building your own data entry application using stp and JavaScript.

After 20 years it's a bit fascinating that SAS still not offer any eeb based data entry application.

Re: updating datasets online via UI

metallon — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 14:12:33 GMT

@cynthia

"Why move everything to a web browser when you might be able to have the users provide their edits from inside an Excel file?"

Why use third party software to enable users to provide data input into SAS?
Competitive products like Hyperion Essbase (now Oracle) have those features.
The reasons might be plenty for and against using Excel as input.
I will look into the Add In option. Thanks for the idea.

@LinusH
"After 20 years it's a bit fascinating that SAS still not offer any eeb based data entry application. "
I agree. I have been using SAS for "only" 6 years and noticed that this has not been addressed
while other BI/Analytics product stacks have an option.

Re: updating datasets online via UI

mojerry_realdolmen — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 19:13:16 GMT

office add-in? you can retrieve your dataset, modify it, reload it.