Dear SAS
What is the difference between Real Time and CPU Time?
What makes the one faster than the other? I have noticed in my log that sometimes when a data step runs quickly the CPU Time can be longer than the Real Time, but on the long/large run times the Real Time is always very much longer than the CPU Time.
Thanks for you help!!
You might be interested in setting the system option FULLSTIMER for some jobs to show more performance related information. The default setting is usually NOFULLSTIMER .
If interested add:
options FULLSTIMER;
before the data step or procedures you are interested in.
Hello Chris,
Thanks for the reply. I have a question (or confusion) w.r.t. real time definition here. In my view, SAS has its Real World defined in terms of Code, CPUs, Memory, Network, Hardware etc. which in turn may be interacting with system say an Oracle database which has similar Real World. So, please correct me If I am wrong. I interpreted your answer as...
Real World is - When a user's program gets executed on SAS system and assume it is creating and printing a SAS DataSet by fetching some data from an Oracle database, then real world time means the total turn around time for the entire operation including Compile time, Syntax checking, Memory allocation, data set creation and so on until data is being printed and displayed to the user.
CPU Time is - For this entire set of activities, how much time is taken by CPU only? But isn't everything needs a CPU time?
Please guide.
Thanks
-Sandeep
>But isn't everything needs a CPU time?
No. Often, the CPU is waiting for the disk or the network, or even the RAM, and can't process anything. Idle CPU time is not CPU time.
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