Migrating from SAS 9 to SAS Viya: What’s the first step

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BACKGROUND

Thinking about moving from SAS 9 to SAS Viya, start with the SAS Content Assessment Tool.  It is a free download off support.sas.com.  The SAS 9 Content Assessment Tool is batch tool which contain many applications.  The applications provide a wealth of information about your SAS 9 Environment.  The SAS 9 Content Assessment tool is a part of the planning phase of migrating content from SAS 9 to SAS Viya. With the data provided the SAS Content Assessment Tool, it will give you great success for the deployment and migration to SAS Viya.

DOWNLOAD FILES

There are two sets of files to choose from: 1) SAS 9 Content Assessment <Version Number> for Linux PC Users or SAS 9 Content Assessment <Version Number> for Windows PC Users (Figure 1) or 2) SAS 9 Content Assessment <Version Number> for AIX, SAS 9 Content Assessment <Version Number> for Linux or SAS 9 Content Assessment <Version Number> for Windows (Figure 2)  based on the respective operating system. 

Figure 1: SAS 9 Content Assessment for PC Users

Figure 2: SAS 9 Content Assessment for Deployed Environment

The set of files in Figure 1 are for the Linux PC Users or Windows PC Users.  These files should be used when metadata is not installed.  As an example of when to use these set of files, if the user has Base SAS and a thin client on their desktop.  Sometimes, you will hear this version referred to as SAS Content Assessment Lite or the PC Version of Content Assessment. 

Figure 2 is for users who have Planned deployments of SAS installed at their site.  For example, if you used a sample plan file or custom plan file including a metadata server during the installation of the SAS, you should these set of files. This version is referred to the Full Content Assessment or Content Assessment for Planned Deployments.  

Once you choose the correct file type, unpack the zip file or untar the tar file, based on the Operating System on the machine that will run the content assessment.

Additional Information.  If there is a Test server, Production server, QAT server, with three separate metadata servers, then the content assessment tool should run on each environment. 

DESCRIPTION OF APPLICATIONS

PC User Version

Application	Description
Code Check	Displays content from migrating from SAS 9 to SAS Viya
Inventory Content	Counts the number of artifacts on the SAS 9 Environment
Gather SAS Code	Scrapes SAS code from catalogs, DI Studio, EG, EM, etc and writes that code to a .sas files

Planned Deployment Version

Application	Description
Application Usage	Displays the number of frequent users and applications
Code Check	Displays content from migrating from SAS 9 to SAS Viya
Create Enterprise Miner Batch code	Scrapes SAS code from Enterprise Miner projects and writes that code to a .sas files
I18nCode Check	Identifies information about .sas files compatible with utf-8 encoding in SAS Viya
Inventory Content	Counts the number of artifacts on the SAS 9 Environment
Gather SAS Code	Scrapes SAS code from catalogs, DI Studio, EG, EM, etc and writes that code .sas files
Published Accessed Content	Aggregates the data into a data mart
Summarize SAS Logs	Displays step procedures and identities program and steps which I can be optimized

CONFIGURATION

PC User Version

• The setup.txt file is a configuration file where the SAS Content Assessment will look at the file for the paths listed to gather information.  
• Modify the setup.txt file.  In the setup.txt file,

1. Add the SASHome parameter to include the location of the root level of home directory of SAS.
2. Add the paths that you want Content Assessment to accessed in the Path parameter.
3. Include the Label.  The label helps the specific machine.

Figure 3: Screenshot of setup.txt

Figure 3 is an example of setup.txt completed with the information in the SAS_HOME, PATH and LABEL parameters.

Planned Deployment Version

• The pathslist.txt file is one configuration file used by several applications from the SAS Content Assessment to collect data.  
• Modify the pathslist.txt. Figure 4 is an example of the how the pathslist.txt needs to be completed. In the pathslist.txt file,

1. Add the paths you want the Content Assessment to accessed
2. Add the path to the gatheredSASCode
3. Add the paths to the Workspace Server, Batch Server and Stored Process Server, if logging is enabled.

Figure 4: SAS 9 Content Assessment for Deployed Environment

Additional Information. The SAS Code Check reports have great details about which .sas files are a good candidate to migrate to SAS Viya for various applications like Enterprise Guide, Data Integration Studio, etc if gatheredSASCode is included in the pathslist.txt file. 

• Modify the setenv.yaml. In the setenv.yaml,

1. Add the path of the home directory of SAS to the SAS_HOME parameter
2. Add the configuration path of the Lev1 directory to the ASSESSMENT_CONFIGDIR.

Figure 5: Screenshot of setenv.yaml

Figure 5 is an example of setenv.yaml completed with the information in the SAS_HOME and ASSESSMENT_CONFIGDIR parameters.

• Modify the metaparms.sas file. Figure 6 is an example of the how the metaparms.sas needs to be modified. In the metaparms.sas file,

1. Update the METADATACUSTOMER parameter with the name of the customer.
2. Update the METADATALABEL parameter with a name. As example, Prod, QAT, etc
3. Update the METADATAHOSTNAME parameter with the fully qualified hostname of the Metadata Server.
4. Update the METAPORT with the port number of the Metadata Server
5. Update the METADATAUSER with the unrestricted administrator account.
6. Update the METADATAUSERPASSWORD using the SAS encrypted password for the METADATAUSER

Figure 6: Screenshot of metaparm.sas

Additional Information. Use the SAS encrypted password for the metadatauserpassword.  For documentation on SAS Encrypted password, following the link.

Execution of the Content Assessment

PC User Version

• Run the command as an administrator who has access to read the paths listed in the setup.txt file.
• From the command line, execute Runme or double-click Runme under the Assessment directory of where the Content Assessment Tool lives.

Planned Deployment Version

• The applications to run are found under the Assessment directory of where you unpacked the Content Assessment Tool.
• Run the applications as the userid that has access to read the paths listed in the pathslist.txt file.
• From the command line, execute the following sequence

1. applicationUsage
2. publishedAssessedContent  --create-uploads --encrypt-aes  --datamart-type appusage
3. inventorycontent
4. publishedAssessedContent  --create-uploads --encrypt-aes  --datamart-type inventory
5. profileContent
6. publishedAssessedContent  --create-uploads --encrypt-aes  --datamart-type appusuage
7. gatherSASCode --all
8. codeCheck --scan-tag SASCode --show-progress --sources-file pathslist.txt
9. publishedAssessedContent  --create-uploads --encrypt-aes  --datamart-type codecheck
10. i18nCodeCheck --scan-tag i18n --show-progress --sources-file pathslist.txt
11. publishedAssessedContent  --create-uploads --encrypt-aes  --datamart-type i18n
12. summarizeSASLogs --scan-tag SASLogs --sources-file pathslist.txt
13. publishedAssessedContent --create-uploads --encrypt-aes  --datamart-type summarizelogs
14. createEMBatchCode
15. publishedAssessedContent --create-uploads --encrypt-aes  --datamart-type embatchcode

Additional Information.  You may not need all run all applications.  For example, if you do not use Enterprise Miner Projects you can skip Step 14 and 15.  Make sure you read the documentation in the references section for additional parameters when running the applications.

RESULTS

PC User Version

• The output generates html files that is found in the assessment directory under Content Assessment Folder. One report called inventory and the other report called Code Check.
• There are several tabs for the Inventory Application and the Code Check Application.

Planned Deployment Version

• If you have SAS Viya 3.5 or higher, you can use the Import Assessed Content application of Content Assessment to import the data from SAS 9 to SAS Viya to view Visual Analytics Report.
• If you do not have an Environment running SAS Viya 3.5 or higher, you can share the results with SAS.  Contact your SAS Account Team and they will assist in providing you the results to view the data in Visual Analytics. 
• The SAS 9 Preview Assessed Content application create a CSV file to allow you to view the data in a text format. 

CONCLUSION

The SAS Content Assessment is a great tool to help you understand what exists on your SAS 9.4 Environment.  Based on the installation of SAS (planned deployment or non-planned deployment), SAS 9 Content Assessment Tool offers flexibility to collect, analyze data and see the results of that data for the SAS 9 Environment. Each application provides unique information about the SAS 9 Environment and helps prepare to move content from SAS 9 to SAS Viya. 

REFERENCES

Documentation of the SAS Content Assessment for Windows PC Users – https://go.documentation.sas.com/doc/en/sasadmincdc/v_055/contentassessmentwin/titlepage.htm

Documentation of the SAS Content Assessment for Linux PC Users – https://go.documentation.sas.com/doc/en/sasadmincdc/v_055/contentassessmentunx/titlepage.htm

Documentation of the SAS 9 Content Assessment - https://go.documentation.sas.com/doc/en/sasadmincdc/v_055/contentassessment/titlepage.htm

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