Viewing SAS catalog entries and formats within SAS Enterprise Guide

[#1]

Question

How can I view and manage SAS catalog entries, including SAS format definitions, within SAS Enterprise Guide?

Answer

The Catalog and Formats Explorer task allows you to view and manage your SAS catalogs and catalog entries.  The task works similar to the CATALOG window in Base SAS (Display Manager).

A SAS catalog is a special type of SAS file that acts as a container, like a folder, for a variety of content items called catalog entries. Conceptually, this is like a folder in a file system with a diverse collection of file types. The entries and their uses are specific to SAS, and they include things like SOURCE (program code), SCL (SAS Component Language) programs, SAS format definitions, compiled SAS macro programs, and more.

In SAS Enterprise Guide, many of these entry types aren't "viewable" -- they can be managed only in an interactive SAS session.  However, the Catalog and Formats Explorer allows you to view lists of all of the entries, and you can view the contents of certain entries such as SOURCE entries and SAS format and informat definitions.  Watch the following short video to see the task in action.

Catalog and Formats Explorer

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The task is available as a downloadable custom task, simple to install, for SAS Enterprise Guide v7.13 and earlier.  In SAS Enterprise Guide v7.15 and later, the task is built in.  You'll find it on the Tools menu.

[ChrisNZ]

Sadly most of us are prevented from installing custom tasks, Chris. Will they be added to EG?

[MichelleHomes]

Hi @ChrisNZ - the task is included in EG 7.15 - see the last line in the post... "In SAS Enterprise Guide v7.15 and later, the task is built in.  You'll find it on the Tools menu."

[ChrisNZ]

@MichelleHomes I must admit to not having read till the end... Stuck on 7.1 here anyway. Last time we had a discussion with Chris about EG tasks (to display the process ID), the conclusion was the same: can't install add-ons, so this time I skipped reading <blush>.

Very glad this add-on has made it to be part of EG!

Btw Chris the add-one displaying the PID works fine, as long as there is no project open. If there is, the project name replaces the process ID in the window title bar, and we're back to square one.