Where Does My SQL Process? Q&A, Slides, and On-Demand Recording

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Watch this Ask the Expert session to learn different ways to access and analyze database tables using SQL on the SAS® Viya® platform.

Watch the Webinar

You will learn:

• Access and analyze database tables using SQL on the SAS Viya platform.
• Use the familiar SQL procedure to work with database tables.
• Accelerate your SQL queries in SAS Viya using the CAS engine.

The questions from the Q&A segment held at the end of the webinar are listed below and the slides from the webinar are attached.

1. Is the OPTION statement "options sasTrace=',,,d' sasTraceLoc=sasLog noStSuffix;" useful for PROC SUMMARY on a database table?
   1. That OPTION statement gives interesting information in the log.  The log will tell you exactly what query was sent to the database, then we know what calculations were done by the database.
2. How can PROC SQL connect to a database developed for internal use, such as "XXX," rather than a standard commercial database like Oracle?
   1. I'd recommend looking into using "SAS/ACCESS Interface for ODBC" to make a library connecting to your database.  "SAS/ACCESS Interface for ODBC" is a more generic database connector.  If that doesn't suit your needs, please contact SAS tech support. 

3. Is the in-memory table stored in memory in the cloud? 
   1. Yes, a CAS in-memory table is in-memory in the cloud.  

4. In real-world applications, how can accelerated SQL processing in SAS Viya improve business decision-making and analytics performance?
   1. Some SAS users have remarkably large data.  Their queries take hours to days to run.  Improving performance improves the speed at which they can make their decisions, and the timeliness of the data those decisions are made on.  Quicker query returns also encourage deeper exploration of the data.

5. How does the SAS Cloud Analytic Services (CAS) engine accelerate SQL queries in the SAS Viya platform, and why is this important for large-scale database analysis?
   1. CAS uses in-memory processing and massively parallel processing to accelerate queries.  As data gets larger, the speed advantages of these techniques increase.  Speed is critical, because it directly affects how quickly data can be turned into useful insights.  

6. What are the key advantages of using the familiar SQL procedure in SAS Viya to efficiently access and analyze database tables?
   1. The key advantage of using PROC SQL in SAS Viya is the familiar syntax.  Analysts who already know how to write PROC SQL can continue to do so, without needing additional training on PROC FedSQL.  However, they should still be aware that if CAS tables need to be queried, PROC FedSQL is strongly recommended.  Using PROC SQL on CAS tables can lead to error messages and performance issues.

Recommended Resources

SAS SQL 1: Essentials

Accelerating SAS Code on the SAS Viya Platform

Please see additional resources in the attached slide deck.

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