Changing staored process code from command line is not reflected in the stored process.

[Sajid01]

Hello All
We are running SAS 9.4 M6 on UNiX (RHEL 6).
We have a stored process that is run frequently.
Sometimes when we make a change to the code using the vi editor and save,
it is not reflected in the stored process results.
We have to request  help from the SAS Admin.
SAS Admin exports and imports the stored process and it works.
Is this the default behavior or we doing some thing wrong?

Is it not possible to make the change take effect without exporting and importing the stored process from the Management Console?

[Quentin]

Hard to say where the misunderstanding is happening without knowing more about your set up, but this is not the way it's supposed to work.

When you look at the stored process in SAS Management Console, and go to the execution tab, where does it say the source code is stored?  Is it stored in metadata, or in a .sas file on the server?

I typically use source code stored in metadata, but the source code is just:

%include ".../myrprogram.sas"

With that, I can edit myprogram.sas with any editor.  I don't have to update the metadata.  When the stored process runs, it runs the %include.  

If SMC shows the source code location as being a .sas file on the server, you should be able to edit that file with any editor and see the changes immediately when you run the stored process.

The only time you should have to update the stored process itself is if you are storing the source code in metadata, and need to update that code.

[Sajid01]

Thanks Quentin.
Simple all in one server.
Code stored on the disk and not metadata.

[AllanBowe]

I've seen this behaviour, also on unix,  using Type 2 (code stored in metadata) although normally it would reset itself after a few seconds or a minute.  I changed my deployment process to always remove and rebuild the STP instead, using the macros here:  https://github.com/macropeople/macrocore/tree/master/meta

I would have to assume there's a cache (in SAS, not filesystem) of the code being kept somewhere.

[Sajid01 · Accepted solution]

Thanks AllanBowe.
I also suspect that there is a cache of the code kept some where.

[Quentin]

Sounds scary to me.  If you can replicate it, I'd pass it on to tech support.

I suppose it's possible they'll say "stop editing the source code with vi", but that would be a disappointing response.  If we can't trust a SAS job to run the correct program, that sounds like a problem to me.  

[Vince_SAS]

Can you provide detailed information about the steps that you take to execute the stored process when the problem occurs?

Vince DelGobbo

SAS R&D

[Sajid01]

Thanks.
Next time when we do it, will document and update.