How to limit SAS EG job execution size?

[elena_ziemke_capblurcross_com]

Hi, we are running SAS EG version 7.11 as an Enterprise version on Windows 2012 platform.

The issue we are running into is when a user (or multiple users) submits large SAS job in EG, that takes a lot of space on the server in SASWORK area.   We have 900GB allocated to the entire SAS server and sometimes SASWORK is consuming 95% of that space.  There are few users that submit jobs that can take 500-600GB of space.  I contacted SAS to see if there is a way to put limits on the space that a single job can consume, but their answer was no.   So I wanted to check with SAS users to see if anybody had done it and how it can be done?  

Basically we want to stop SAS job from running after it takes XXXGB of WorkSpace.  Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Elena 

[Kurt_Bremser]

Any operating system that deserves being called so has the option of setting quotas.

And you should give the WORK location a separate filesystem.

Also educate users in the use of the compress option, and the intelligent use of data reduction techniques (keep/drop lists, early reduction of observations, ....). I have found that most times users consume excessive space, it's just inefficient use of the SAS software.

[elena_ziemke_capblurcross_com]

Based on your suggestions, there is no way in SAS to configure restriction quotas?  

[Kurt_Bremser]

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@Elena_ziemke_capblurcross_com wrote:

Based on your suggestions, there is no way in SAS to configure restriction quotas?  

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Not that I know of. And believe me, setting up quota management in the operating system is a breeze.

At least on AIX it was, and managing it is almost a no-brainer.

Talk to your system admins.

[LinusH]

Also, disk in the sizes discussed here are cheap. Double the size shouldn't be an issue...

[Kurt_Bremser]

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@LinusH wrote:
Also, disk in the sizes discussed here are cheap. Double the size shouldn't be an issue...

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This should be done once it is verified that the space is (really) needed. Somebody who fills 1 TB because of a stupid SQL will also fill 2TB. It just takes twice the time.

The second main benefit of my quota regime (after ensuring reliablility of operations) is the detection of badly written code. Which usually leads to an improved SAS experience for the user in question (optimized code tends to be a lot faster than before).