SAS Studio: An Introduction
Did you miss the Ask the Expert session on SAS Studio: An Introduction? Not to worry, you can catch it on demand at your leisure. I’ve attached the slides as well.
This session introduces SAS Studio, a development application for SAS that you access through your web browser. During this presentation, you’ll learn how it can help you:
- Interact with SAS from anywhere with a web browser.
- Have easy access to all your SAS programs.
- Connect to a SAS server when you run a program or task.
Here are some highlighted questions from the Q&A segment held at the end of the session for ease of reference.
If my SAS job is running in SAS Studio on Linux server, but I lose my network connection, does my SAS job will fail or still run on the server?
This is a similar situation. It would require you to resubmit the code unless you submitted the code via the Background Submit.
Do you recommend using SAS Studio for a long running SAS job?
You may want to consider utilizing the Background Submit feature. It submits the code and frees up the interface so you can continue working. You can even log off and log back in later and check the status of your job. See here for more information.
Can SAS Studio completely replace all the functions in SAS Enterprise Guide? If not all functions, what SAS Enterprise Guide functions are missing?
SAS Studio cannot completely replace all of the functions in Enterprise Guide. Studio is another interface and not necessarily to be thought of as a replacement. Here and here are two articles to look through.
Is it possible to sort the column names alphabetically, or is the order always consistent with that in the dataset?
Columns can be dragged to different locations in the data grid. Values within the columns can be sorted by right clicking on the column heading.
When viewing a dataset, can you reorder the variables? If yes, will SAS Studio allow you to save a copy of the dataset with the reordered variable list?
Yes, you can drag the column header to a different location. The viewer allows for viewing of the data but does not allow editing, so you can’t save it. You could copy the generated SQL code and reorder the columns in the code, change to a new table name and run that code to create a new dataset.
Can you schedule SAS Jobs/programs with SAS Studio?
SAS Studio jobs can be run in the background but the interface currently does not support scheduling. You could save the SAS programs on the server and use another scheduler like LSF. See here for more information.
I am just a beginner and I can hardly understand. Do you have any additional resources for me?
There will be a recording of this posted to the SAS Community as part of follow up. You will be able to listen to the recording. You may also want to view the user's guide found here.
I would like to know the pros and cons of using the PC-based Studio vs. the Enterprise version.
There are no real functional differences of the GUI itself – the decision is more about the architecture. These decisions are usually made at an organizational level. The implementations are outlined here.
How do I share my folder with my coworker?
This can be handled by creating a network location for the drive/folder or a shared drive. You cannot share MyFolder as that is assigned to your ID only. You could share Snippets as well via a repository.
We are running SAS Studio in Grid Environment, SAS 9.4 M3. A user was trying to load a 116MB file into SAS Studio using the import wizard and got the error message:
“An error occurred while files were being uploaded. Possible cause: The size of the of the uploaded file might be too large. The combined size cannot be greater than 209.72MB”. We set the size in the SAS Studio config file to 210. So, the file is smaller than the size. What is causing this?
Did you restart your web server after you changed the config file? I would contact SAS Technical Support.
Does SAS Studio Basic fully support all the SAS components that an online or batch SAS session supports (specifically SAS/Share and SAS/Connect)? We use MP Connect to run simultaneous local SAS sessions and use SAS/Share to share SAS tables.
Please contact SAS Technical Support with this question as the answer will have site specific components.
Will SAS Studio support running a SAS program in normal batch mode?
SAS Studio supports background processing. See here for more information.
If I need to use data from (Oracle/Teradata) database, do I need to setup my PC specifically? Or SAS Studio will have same set up for all users and will automatically connected to database/server as needed?
You would not need to set up your PC (assuming we are talking about server-based SAS Studio) but would need to set up the connection to the remote database on/via the server. If you have this set up already for Enterprise Guide via metadata, you should be able to use that library.
What set of system options are used when SAS Studio Basic executes SAS code, online, batch or other?
If you are asking about the SAS options that are used, you can open a code window and submit a PROC OPTIONS to see SAS options and how they are defined.
Can an equivalent of -set options and/or -sysparm be specified when executing SAS code with SAS Studio Basic/Enterprise?
Please refer to the Administrators Guide here.
Can a drop-down be set up for available SAS macros? Can there be prompts for the different arguments?
Currently SAS Studio does not support these features.
Will SAS Studio Basic be able to execute a Linux shell script that executes a SAS program?
Only if your administrator has enabled XCOMMAND. Basic is the local PC implementation so I would assume the server-based options for Studio.
Is there a way to view a log generated by a SAS program that was run in batch outside of SAS Studio?
Yes. If the log (assuming a text file) is in a location that Studio can ‘see’ it, e.g. My SAS Files, then you can open the file in SAS Studio.
Results tab clears every time we run the code. In PC-SAS this did not occur and we had the option to Clear All. Is there a setting where we can stop the Results tab from clearing out the buffer?
That functionality is not currently available. It is being reviewed for a future release.
Is there some documentation that provides some more detail of the internals of how SAS code is executed?
The SAS code is executed essentially the same as via Enterprise Guide and PC SAS for that matter. There are different system and SAS options used as well as possibly different SAS system macros being called but the code is executing in the same manner. I would refer to the SAS Studio Administrator’s Guide.
Will process getting slower when multiple users simultaneously use the SAS Studio?
Possibly. This really depends on the backend server(s) and the network traffic - but this is the case with any software. SAS Studio can be configured to run against a grid of servers and/or very large, well configured servers.
Which certificate or program should I learn first if I am a beginner?
There is an online SAS Programming I class that is a recommended beginning point and consider the first SAS Programming Certification. You may also want to look at the Enterprise Guide courses.
Are snippets and tasks available in the basic version of Studio or just the Enterprise version?
They are available in all versions.
Can we use SAS Studio on Chrome or Safari in IOS?
Yes. Shannon has included a link in the PPT slides of which browser is supported.
You mentioned that you can see the code that creates an output. Is that only if you created that table, or can you see the code if someone else created it as well?
The code generated in View Table is for purposes of viewing the data. It does not allow for editing the table. You can see the code for any item you generated. You cannot see other user’s code unless they save it to a location you have access to.
Batch Submit one or multiple SAS programs?
SAS Studio supports background processing, one at a time or multiple up to three. See here for more information.
How do we submit a job to run in the background, please?
See more information about background processing here.
Can we batch submit programs in SAS Studio?
SAS Studio supports background processing. See more information here.
Can you briefly talk about interactive mode and why it would be used?
Some SAS procedures are interactive, which means they remain active until you submit a QUIT statement, or until you submit a new PROC or DATA step. In SAS Studio, you can use the code editor to run these procedures, as well as other SAS procedures, in interactive mode. By using interactive mode, you can run selected lines of code from your SAS program and use the results to determine your next steps. For example, the OPTMODEL procedure in SAS/OR enables you to model and solve mathematical programming models. By running this procedure interactively, you can quickly check results for parts of the program and determine whether you need to make any modifications without running the entire program. I would suggest only using interactive mode for these procedures. You are introducing more overhead by starting multiple workspace sessions.
How many version history does it store and also can you transfer them to SVN process?
I am assuming you are talking about Apache Subversion. It will store quite a few (I did ten as a test) but I do not think you can drop these into Subversion. Please contact SAS Technical support and they should be able to give you a definitive answer.
Can we use keyboard shortcuts, e.g. F8 to submit a program?
Yes, keyboard shortcuts can be used although they do not map one-to-one from PC SAS.
Can I access external files (Excel or CSV or Text) stored on my windows PC (if I am connected to Unix server)?
Yes, but you need to set up the server to be able to ‘see’ the PC drives. Shared drives, samba, etc. could be part of this strategy.
How is the SAS Studio running/executing speed comparing to PC SAS?
It is similar, especially for longer running jobs. It may be slower for smaller tasks as there is a webserver (and other things) involved.
How many versions of the program is retained and can you do a difference?
I do not think there is a hardcoded limit. However, please remember that these versions are not saved between SAS Studio sessions.
From a company standpoint, how is SAS positioning Studio compared to EG?
Short answer is that Guide has more functionality and is the most widely used of all of our interfaces. Studio is another option for our users. It does have the added benefit of being browser-based and is currently the programming interface for SAS Viya.
Do SAS 9.4 TS Level 1M2 have SAS Studio?
Yes, it should/could be available to your site. It may have not have been installed or configured. You would need to speak with your SAS administrators.
Does Studio have power and sample size?
Yes, if you have 3.6 you should see the PSS tasks.
Can you send the output to Excel file from dataset?
Yes, you could use a Snippet to create a .CSV file as an example.
Where can I find the installation guide for SAS Studio?
See here for more information.
How many SAS Studio sessions can be run concurrently? Is it better to have them in separate tabs or separate browser windows?
Session scalability is largely determined by your server size, capacity and utilization. The batch/background submit in SAS Studio v3.6 can help your productivity for longer-running jobs.
As new tasks and code snippets are added in your releases, are they immediately available on our interface, or does our IT team have to push some button to push them out?
You IT/admin team only has to apply hotfixes and maintenance to the server (s) in order for all your SAS interfaces to be updated and gain new features.
What resources would you recommend for installing/setup for SAS Studio for Enterprise BI Server?
Configuring the mid-tier is key. Look here and at the version 3.6 admin guide.
I have PC SAS. How do I access it through my browser with SAS Studio instead of kicking off PC SAS and using Display Manager?
You need to make sure it has been installed and configured. You need to have a recent (M2 and later) installation of SAS 9.4. If the above has happened, you should see an entry for SAS Studio on the Start menu. If not, please contact your system administrator and/or SAS Technical Support.
I am wondering if there is any help documents about using my own excel data in SAS Windowing Interface?
I encourage you to search communities.sas.com or the documentation section on support.sas.com.
Can the output data be shown for all rows and scroll down to see instead of limited number of rows on each page and have to go to the next x rows on the next page?
Currently you can only page through 100 observations at a time.
How to access PC files such that Excelsheet located in local PC or desktop if server is linux?
First, you'll need permissions and connectivity between your Linux server and local PC, then you could use the upload feature in SAS Studio.
When selecting the fields for inclusion in the code, in addition to clicking and dragging, can you also double click the field to put it in the code?
Double-clicking on the column will bring up it’s properties window, not simply add it to the selection.
Can you run multiple studio sessions at a time?
Yes, but remember that each Studio session uses it’s own workspace server, meaning they are independent of each other.
What are the privileges to give to a user to be able to effective work using SAS Studio and see Libraries?
At a minimum, read data and read metadata. These may already be set up if you use Enterprise Guide in a client/server configuration.
Are there any plans to include the "workflow" concept of Enterprise Guide into SAS Studio?
It's in SAS Studio version 3.6, the Visual Programmer perspective. Please see the SAS Studio: Advanced Feature and What’s New Ask the Expert session.
Do I have to install SAS Studio first and then create an account to login into, to begin a SAS Studio session?
Not necessarily. The connection profile could be the same one you use for Enterprise Guide for instance. I would create the user before installing SAS/SAS Studio. Please see the administrator’s guide that goes with your back-end SAS (9.2, 9.3 or 9.4)
Does SAS studio allows for exporting result to excel?
Yes, there is a Snippet that can be used.
What's the difference between studio and EG?
Please see here.
Regarding Power Point, can I send different outputs to the same Power Point document?
Yes, different objects will go onto new slides.
How do you copy the generated SQL code?
You can highlight and copy via CTRL-C and paste via CTRL-V, same as all other Windows applications
I was referring to the generated SQL in the table viewer.
There is a button next to the left of the Print icon that will display the SQL code.
Can you develop standard mysnippets that I can be shared with other users in my department?
Yes - we suggest creating and organizing a snippets repository for that exact purpose.
Can you use SAS Studio with 9.2 version?
No, it's supported at version 9.4 M2 and later.
What about exporting to excel?
Yes, this can be done. Check in Snippets, Data, Generate CSV File
Can you please show us how to create or run existing stored process?
Sorry, it's unlikely that we'll cover this today. Since stored processes are essentially macros, they can be created and run in SAS Studio like other SAS macro code. Enterprise Guide provides a wizard to create stored processes that's a great way to get started - simply right mouse click on the item you'd like to turn into a stored process. I suggest Enterprise Guide for Stored Process creation/running.
Can you make find/replace across multiple programs at once?
No, currently only the program that is open and active.
We may get to this but are you able to move projects and/or code back and forth between Studio and EG? Is there anything that works in one but not the other?
Yes, you can import Enterprise Guide projects into SAS Studio (but not the other way). The main difference is that SAS Studio's process flow nodes do not always illustrate the same level of granularity as EG's process flow nodes contain. Many times the process flow nodes are translated into SAS code nodes.
Does it go the other way too, SAS Studio to EG? Also, if the original EG Project is updated does it need to be re-imported to SAS Studio?
Sorry, SAS Studio process flows currently cannot be consumed by EG...we are examining ways to support this. Yes, if the EG project is updated, it does need to be re-imported to SAS Studio. We're also considering ways to provide greater synchronization between EG & SAS Studio.
When you change the code in a snippet and save the new code, do you overwrite the original snippet or do you create a new SAS program ?
Yes, potentially you can overwrite and replace/update the original, depending on your permissions
Okay. But you could simply copy the code from Studio and paste in EG Program, right?
Yes
Is there a was to direct connect to SAS Visual Analytics LASR server from SAS Studio. In other words be able to send an output table to SAS VA server from Studio....?
Yes, inputs to and outputs from SAS Studio can be read & written anywhere that SAS Visual Analytics can read them
Is there any performance difference between EG/Studio?
Our customers report that they're both affected by several factors, such as by your network speed, server sizing, number of concurrent SAS sessions, volume & nature of analytics tasks being executed, etc. we have hardware experts on staff that conduct server sizings to ensure your environment is right-sized for SAS Studio and EG
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Can code modules be analyzed for running in Parallel in Studion like they can in SAS EG?
Yes, via SCAPROC but there is no GUI yet.
I assume SAS knows which Tasks to show based on which products are installed?
SAS Studio will show all tasks available and give you an error message should the server not have the required product installed.
Is there a way to see the file owner in the properties?
Use the List Table Attributes task or you can use PROC DATASETS in code.
Automatically opening output slows SAS performance?
Potentially - one key thing to keep in mind is how much data can reasonably fit into a browser?
Can you provide a list of preferences that can slow SAS performance?
Our customers report that SAS Studio is affected by several factors, such as by your network speed, server sizing, number of concurrent SAS sessions, number of background submits concurrently executing, volume & nature of analytics tasks being executed, etc. we have hardware experts on staff that conduct server sizings to ensure your environment is right-sized for SAS Studio and EG.
Excel is a Results option in EG. Is it available as Results option in Studio?
Not directly. You could use code or a code snippet to generate an excel file.
What is the version of SAS Studio Shannon is using?
3.71
Can you show how to create a new variable using Tasks in the SAS Studio?
The Query node that is part of SAS Studio does not have the ability to create a new variable nor is there a task to do this in Studio. You can always write code to do this.
SAS Studio has a Viya version - SAS Studio 5.1.
Yes and there will soon be an update to 3.8
Will there be another Studio session ?
Yes, please search SAS Studio here to find more webinars https://www.sas.com/en_us/learn/ask-the-expert-webinars.html
Recommended Resources
Course: Exploring SAS Studio for SAS Programmers
Book: An Introduction to SAS® University Edition
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