Insertbuff= option for SAS SQL Pass-through?

[BenConner]

Hi,

I see the insertbuff= option for libname statements for relational databases but don't see a corresponding option for arguments available for the pass-through facility.  Read buffers are available but not write buffers?  I must not be looking at it correctly.

FWIW, this is using Oracle with SAS 9.4 M5.

Thanks!

--Ben

[SASKiwi · Accepted solution]

INSERTBUFF is only relevant when inserting rows into a database table from a SAS table. You don't do that in SQL passthru but usually via a LIBNAME like so:

libname sqlsrvr ODBC noprompt = "<sql connection string>" insertbuff = 10000;

proc datasets library = sqlsrvr;
  append base = MyDatabaseTable data = WORK.MySASTable;
run;
quit;

Having said that you can do this which will apply relevant LIBNAME options:

libname sqlsrvr ODBC noprompt = "<sql connection string>" insertbuff = 10000;

proc sql;
  connect using sqlsrvr;
  <put your passthru query here>
quit;

[BenConner]

Sorry for the delay; SAS T.S. looped in and suggested some changes. Resulted in updates to a lot of programs. That said, the root cause hasn't really been found, esp. on pass-throughs. I'll run this by the folks who can decide to try this. I like it. Kind of back-doors the use of a libname statement. 🙂

Will let you know how this goes.

--Ben

[ChrisNZ]

On top of @SASKiwi 's perfect explanations, don't forget to consider the DBCOMMIT option when inserting data.

When retrieving data, the READBUFF option can be used.

Other options exist too, depending on the database and the connection method, such as FASTLOAD.

[BenConner]

Sigh. They don't have SAS Access for ODBC licensed.

[SASKiwi]

@BenConner  - What SAS/ACCESS products are installed / licensed? The suggestions I've posted will work equally as well with SAS/ACCESS to Oracle.

[BenConner]

Oh! They do have Access for Oracle. I'll put together a test case for them to try.

Thanks much!
--Ben

[ChrisNZ]

>  They do have Access for Oracle

Look at option  FASTLOAD then.

[BenConner]

Thanks to all for your help.  This will alleviate the remaining problem the client has been having with failures through the pass-through facility. 

Using a pass-through via a libname is not something I would have thought possible.  Nice!

--Ben

[BenConner]

As a followup to this, one of the common parameters we use in the Connect To Oracle statement is a (preservecomments) argument.
I don't see a way to enter this on a connect using <libname> ; statement. Are the comments (in this case, Oracle hints) discarded as they appear to be comments to SAS?

[SASKiwi]

According to this link, PRESERVE_COMMENTS works on LIBNAMEs: https://documentation.sas.com/?cdcId=pgmsascdc&cdcVersion=9.4_3.5&docsetId=acreldb&docsetTarget=p1qf...

And yes you need to use this when including Oracle hints.

[BenConner]

Thanks for catching that. I'd searched but hadn't seen it. Obviously flunked the reading test. 🙂

--Ben