SAS/AF software

[Garik]

Hello. 

I came accross a problem. I want to create dynamic reports, but I must install the SAS/AF software.

Where I can get the software. I cannot find the soft. Is it free, or maybe it is available in trial mode.

please support. thanks a lot.

[Kurt_Bremser]

SAS/AF is a SAS module that needs additional licensing.

(expanded license from SAS -> new installation package -> add to SAS depot -> install and configure with the SDW to add it to your installation)

Depending on what you want to do, you might get the same functionality from macro programming (creating dynamic code) and/or from using stored processes with input parameters.

[LinusH]

SAS/AF is legacy software and hasn't been developed since version 8, that's well over ten years...
Perhaps you should talk to a SAS architect for other options (there are quite a few depending on your needs and constraints).

[SASKiwi]

SAS/AF also requires Foundation SAS aka Base SAS to run and both products need to be installed on all PCs using it. A SAS desktop licence could easily cost over $10K per year depending on what mix of products you want.

[art297]

One slight correction to @SASKiwi's comments: SAS/AF only has to be licensed on the one machine that uses it to develop and compile SAS/AF modules. The compiled modules can be run on any machine that has base SAS licensed. However, those modules are NOT compatible with SAS/EG and I have no idea if the are compatible with SAS Studio.

Regardless, if one's shop does run on base SAS and AF turns out to be the most effective way to accomplish certain tasks, it might be most cost effective to have an outside contractor (who does have a license for AF) develop and supply the compiled modules for use at one's shop.

Art, CEO, AnalystFinder.com

p.s. While I am experienced with AF, I am NOT one of the above mentioned contractors

[AlanC]

As mentioned here, this is legacy software. Did you try to run something inside of PC SAS from the menu and it complained? If so, I wouldn't go that route since the products are very dated.

Tell us what you are wanting to do and we can help with how to go about doing it.

[Garik]

Hello.

The main problem is to create dynamic reports for the management. The report should contain several analysing and calculatin moduls. I want to cretae easy to use reports, I try to use ODS, but  is not dynamic as I know. How to handle this issue? The dynamic reports can be created in excel, but excel is not so flexible as SAS is, I have 3 mln. rows minimum. I Have licence for SAS Enterprise Guide.

[Kurt_Bremser]

3 mil rows are data, not a report. A report is something a human can take in at a glance, more or less.

I would keep everything in SAS until it reaches the report stage as mentioned above.

Can you use stored processes?

[Garik]

I just ment, that my data contains minimum 3 mln rows, from which I should create reports. 

Yes, I can use stored processes.

thanks

[AlanC]

That leads to another question which is what tools (SAS software) do you have available to use?

[Garik]

I have licensed SAS Enterprise Guide.

[AlanC]

Well, EG is a client license so there needs to be more stuff on the server. Any idea what SAS packages are available on the server?

[ChrisBrooks]

As others have said AF is very old - I've used it a lot in the past but I don't think many people are writing new systems with it these days. If you need a really flexible interface and you have EG then you might consider Custom Tasks; these can be written in C# or VB .NET using the free version of Visual Studio

[ChrisNZ]

No SAS/AF from Enterprise Guide.

Many other options though, like:

1- EG reports as @Kurt_Bremser said

2- SAS addon for office, to reports and query SAS data from MS Office (Usually Excel)

3- Create HTML reports and push them somewhere on the network.

You can tweak the SAS-created HTML code to add add menus and navigation, .

Or create a main menu to point to the different pages, or a combination of both.

[Kurt_Bremser]

Then I would create the reports in EG, make them flexible with user prompts, and create stored processes from them.