SAS Viya Copilot is a native capability of the SAS Viya platform that provides conversational, AI-assisted guidance across supported workflows. Viya Copilot is not enabled by default and must be activated by a SAS Administrator before it is available to users.
This article outlines the required steps to activate SAS Viya Copilot in your environment and maps each step directly to the official SAS documentation used to complete setup. (See also Automating SAS Viya Copilot Setup for more admin tips.)
SAS Viya Copilot is supported on the latest version of SAS Viya 4 (Release 2025.12 or later). Ensure your environment is running a supported release before attempting to enable Viya Copilot.
Step 1: Set Up Credentials and Secrets
Documentation: Credentials and Secrets Setup for SAS Viya Copilot
Before Copilot can be activated, a SAS Administrator must set up credentials that allow SAS Viya to access the SAS Orders API.
At a high level, this documentation walks you through:
- Confirming the correct SAS Administrators are associated with the SAS order in My SAS
- Registering an application in the SAS API Portal to generate an API key and secret
- Storing those values as credentials in SAS Environment Manager under the OrdersAPIAuth domain
Once complete, SAS Viya has the required secrets (SAS_ORDERS_API_KEY and SAS_ORDERS_API_SECRET) needed to enable Copilot.
Read documentation
Note: This step must be completed by a SAS Administrator before Viya Copilot can be enabled in the environment.
Step 2: Activate SAS Viya Copilot
Documentation: SAS Viya Copilot Page in SAS Environment Manager
After credentials are set up, Copilot is enabled from the SAS Viya Copilot page in SAS Environment Manager.
In this documentation, you will:
- Open the SAS Viya Copilot page in SAS Environment Manager
- Click Activate SAS Viya Copilot
- Select the appropriate Geographic Region (choose the closest supported region for best performance)
This page is also used to:
- Renew the Viya Copilot secret when it expires or when licensing changes
- Deactivate Viya Copilot if needed
- Review SAS generative AI terms
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Note: Only users with SAS Administrator privileges can activate or manage Viya Copilot.
Optional: Features Page (For Broader Feature Management)
Documentation: Features Page in SAS Environment Manager
The Features page in SAS Environment Manager is used to manage visibility and access for certain SAS Viya features.
While Viya Copilot itself is activated on the Viya Copilot page, administrators may use the Features page to:
- Activate or deactivate other licensed or experimental features
- Control which users or groups can access a feature using Default and Exceptions settings
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Summary
To activate SAS Viya Copilot:
- Set up credentials and secrets using the SAS Orders API
- Activate Copilot in SAS Environment Manager
Once enabled, users can begin interacting with Viya Copilot in supported applications. Also, check out the SAS Viya Copilot: Tips and Tricks page for the latest how-to demos and blogs.
SAS Viya Copilot: Tips and Tricks
For detailed, step-by-step instructions, refer to the linked SAS documentation. If you have questions, start a discussion below.
