Running code on EG server, also need to save SAS data sets to local/network drives

[JSWilson64]

So my team has been using desktop/pc SAS for about 15 years now, we are being dragged into the Enterprise Guide platform kicking and screaming 🙂

Our EG server is running Unix, our local machines are running Windows 7. Endpoint will be local machines with only SAS PC File Server, EG and the add-in for MS Office installed, in less than 60 days...

We need to be able to save SAS data sets to a folder on a local or network drive. I do have Proc Export working using PC File Server and I can get Excel output as we need but I cannot figure out how to set a SAS Libname to a local/network folder.  

Thanks

[Kurt_Bremser]

You can only define a libname for a directory that is visible on the SAS server, so you will need a common share on your environments.

[Damo]

Hi @JSWilson64

As you may know, the LIBNAME statement will be executed on the server where SAS Wirkspace server sessions are started.

So the path you use has to be relevant to that server.

For instance if you have a Windows server (I know yours is Unix but it is for the demonstration ) and you use 'libname test "c:\temp";', the path C:\temp will be the one on the server, not your local machine.

Samba drive or similar might be the way to go.

An alternative, native to SAS Enterprise Guide would be to use the Download Data Files to PC task, from Tasks => Data.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Damo

[JSWilson64]

Thanks Damo! 

I'll look at that task - do you know if it can be set up to use macro variables for file and folder names?  That might just do the trick.

[ChrisHemedinger · Accepted solution]

The "Download Data Files" task does not support macro values, but the Copy Files task (in Data menu, v7.13 and later) does.  You'll have to deal with path names instead of libname.member notation.

[JSWilson64]

That helps!  Now I need to get our IT folks to upgrade us from 7.100.

Thanks, Chris, your SAS Dummy blog is helping a lot with this transition.

[ChrisHemedinger]

Glad to hear it!

You can use the Copy Files task in earlier versions as a custom task (links all in the blog) -- but upgrade is better 😉