Andrew Howell

ANJ Solutions

SAS Visual Analytics:

What’s in it for the SAS programmer?

SAS Visual Analytics for SAS Programmers

• Loading data into Visual Analytics• Visual Tools

• Programming & traditional client tools• SAS EG, SAS DI, SAS code

• Running SAS code in Visual Analytics reports• Create Stored Process in Enterprise Guide

• Add Stored Process in a Visual Analytics report

• Note:• This presentation is not VA version-specific

• All screenshots are Visual Analytics v7.3

Visual Analytics Data Requirements

• Data needs be to either:• Always available

• Readily available

• Different methods for:• Visual Analytics users

• Analysts

• Report Builders

• Admins & Data Managers

VA User Data Manager

Manual:-VA Explorer-VA Report Designer

Manual:- VA Data Builder

SAS clients:- Enterprise Guide- Data Integration Studio

SAS clients:- Data Integration Studio- Management Console

VA AutoloadVA AutoloadVA Reload-On-Start

Loading data into Visual Analytics

• Two LASR servers are installed by default• LASR Analytics Server (Managed)

• Public LASR Analytics Server (Flexible)

• Each server has one library(plus other associated libraries)

• LASR Library (Managed) – may also have associated Hadoop library for co-located data.

• Public LASR Library (Flexible) – may also have associated AutoLoad library

Loading data into Visual Analytics

• In both cases, users can select:• Existing LASR tables, or

• Self-service options:• Upload local files

• Upload server-based files

Using code to load data into Visual Analytics

• SAS Enterprise Guide task

• SAS Data Integration Studio transformation

• Both simply generate SAS code1. Load data into LASR library

2. Register LASR table in metadata

Loading data into Visual Analytics

Visual Analytics – AutoLoad library

• Populates a Public Library from a designated“drop folder” in disk storage

• Default schedule 15 mins (once activated)

• Flat files (*.csv, *.xlsx, etc) are imported, then defined & loaded into memory.

• SAS tables are defined as LASR tables and loaded into memory

• Other folders for appending & unloading data

• SAS library defined in metadata

Running SAS code in Visual Analytics

• Visual Analytics has a large collectionof web report objects• Bar charts,• Graphs• Geomap• etc.

• When running VA report objects, these are runon the LASR server - In memory, fast.

• Other non-VA content• For example, a Radar chart?

• Solution: Run SAS code in VA as a Stored Process.

Run Stored Process

3. Run Stored Process from Enterprise Guide

Run Stored Process

3. Run Stored Process from Office Add-In

Run Stored Process

3. Run Stored Process from Stored Process Web Application

Add Stored Process to Visual Analytics Report

• Open an existing report

Add Stored Process to Visual Analytics Report

• Add Stored Process object to report

Add Stored Process to Visual Analytics Report

• Select alternate chart type• Stored Process prompt

Summary

• Loading data into LASR libraries• VA interface

• SAS code

• AutoLoad library

• Running SAS code in VA reports• SAS Stored Process

• Create in EG, deploy as Stored Process

• Consider whether to run on Workspace Server or Stored Process Server

What is a SAS Stored Process?

• “Metadata registered” SAS code• Waiting to run “on demand” by a SAS client• Metadata instructions

• How to run the SAS code• Workspace Server, Stored Process Server

• How to request prompt values from the SAS client• How to return results to the requesting SAS client

• SAS Clients• Enterprise Guide• Office Add-In (Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, etc)• Data Integration Studio• Visual Analytics

Create a Stored Process in Enterprise Guide

1. Create a regular EG task (or code node)• Can also create a Stored Process from an entire

process flow.

• If requiring prompts, create these first at EG prompts• The prompt values will be passed to the SAS code as macro

values

2. Register the task as a Stored Process

3. Run the Stored Process from any SAS client.

Create a Stored Process

1. Create a regular EG task (or code node)• This example – Radar Chart (“wedge” chart type)

Create Stored Process

• Generated SAS code (simplified)

Create Stored Process

• Create Enterprise Guide prompt(s)

• This example:• Different radar types

• Prompt name “ChartType”will populate a macrovariable of the same name

Create Stored Process

• Modify code to use the promptvalues• Passed as macro variables

• Throw in some “hand written”SAS code

Create Stored Process

• Run EG task with prompt

Create Stored Process

2. Turn EG task intoa Stored Process

Tips’n’Tricks

• SAS Enterprise Guide Data Step Debugger• New with SAS EG v7.13

• Similar to Display Manager debugger (only better!)

Tips’n’Tricks

• SAS Graphics Accelerator - Audible graphs!!• SAS 9.4M4 (to create)

• Google Chrome add-in (to view)• Download from Chrome web store