SAS/EIS Software: Administrator's Guide

Setting Up the MDP Metadata

The Multidimensional Data Provider uses a set of metadata that describes where each component of a logical data group is located and what it contains. You use the Distributed Multidimensional Metadata facility to define data groups and servers.

To invoke the Distributed Multidimensional Metadata facility, invoke SAS/EIS and select Metabase from the EIS Main Menu. When the Metabase window appears, select from the menu bar

Edit Distributed Multidimensional Metadata
or type the MDMDDB command to open the Distributed Multidimensional Metadata window.

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Note: Alternatively, you can use the experimental MDP Metadata Batch Utility to define or to modify your multidimensional metadata, as described in Technical Support Document TS596. For details on using this utility, download the document from the SAS Institute Technical Support home page. [cautionend]

Store your MDP metadata in a repository. To manage your repositories, select [Add] and [Delete] in the Distributed Multidimensional Metadata window. To define the MDP metadata for a given repository, select the repository and then select [Edit]. For more detailed information on managing your repositories, see online Help for the Repository Manager command (REPOSMGR).

Data Groups

The following steps describe the process that you use to create and modify data groups.

To define a data group, open the Distributed Multidimensional Metadata window, select a repository, and then select [Edit].
Next, select [Add] in the Data Groups tab.
In the General tab, type a name and a description for the data group.
Use the Security tab to provide read and write passwords to protect your metadata against unauthorized access.
To define all the data sources for your data group, select the Data Sources tab.
In the Data Sources window, select [Add] to open the Define Data Sources window.
- Select or specify the SAS filename of your data source. If the data source already exists, the Type is automatically determined.
- If the data source is password-protected, you can specify the password in this window to avoid prompting the user when the data is accessed at application runtime.
- If it is a non-local data source, select Server to open a window in which you can specify an MDP server. See Servers for details on how to set up an MDP Server definition.
- For existing data sources, the information about aggregation levels and analysis columns/statistics is automatically filled in for you.
- For non-MDDB data sources with analysis columns that represent multiple statistics per original analysis column and that use the MDDB SASSFIO prefixing mechanism to identify the analysis column name and statistic, select the SASSFIO check box before you enter the data source name.
  Note: Refer to online Help for the _write method of sashelp.mddb.mddb_m.class for details on the SASSFIO naming conventions.
- If you have non-MDDB data sources that do not follow the SASSFIO naming convention, use the Analysis tab to specify which statistic each column represents (the default is SUM).
After you specify general information about your data source, select the Subtables tab to specify or to verify the aggregation levels that your data source contains.

A subtable (or aggregation level) is defined by the combination of class variables it represents. Select a subtable in the list and then select [Edit].

If a subtable exists in more than one data source, use the Weight attribute to establish which subtable should be used. The lowest value takes precedence. For non-MDDB data sources with multiple subtables, each subtable is identified by the value of an identification variable (for example, _TYPE_ for PROC SUMMARY output data sets). Select the Classes tab to define or verify the combination of class variables for the subtable.

When you add or edit a Class, you can specify a subset for that class. For example, you can select MONTH and then select [Edit/Subset] to display the Define Class window.

You can subset each class variable by value, which enables you to split summary pyramids vertically (for example, you can store the summarized data for each year in a separate file). Note that any subset specified is automatically applied to every occurrence of the given class variable in every subtable of that data source.

Servers

MDP server definitions are referenced by individual data sources. An MDP server definition is required if data sources reside on non-local machines. Please note that data sources can only use MDP server definitions that reside within the same repository.

In addition to the SAS/CONNECT required information on a server, MDP server definitions define how to distribute processing load and enable you to specify additional processing instructions. You can define more than one MDP server on the same SAS/CONNECT server. The following steps describe how to define a server.

Open the Distributed Multidimensional Metadata window, select a repository, and then select [Edit].
In the Servers tab, select [Add] to define a new server.

In the General tab, specify the items required to establish a SAS/CONNECT connection. Select a name for your server, the communications access protocol, and a SAS/CONNECT script file. If your server name is not a known network node name, you also need to specify an address. The form of the address depends upon the protocol used.
Select the Type of Connection tab to specify server invocation and processing load distribution options.

Specify when to sign on and sign off and whether to use Remote Library Services (RLS) or Remote Submit (or let MDP decide). RLS is recommended if the requested subtables exist on the server. If summarization on the fly is required, Remote Submit is usually the better choice because the summarization occurs on the server and only the data that is actually needed for display is downloaded.
Select the Submitted Code tab to specify code locations for additional processing.

Specify the name of a SOURCE catalog entry with code to be submitted immediately after logging on or before logging on. Use this code to provide for data allocations and environment setups. Note that the code is submitted locally. If you submit any code remotely, enclose it in an RSUBMIT; ENDRSUBMIT; block.
Select the Processing tab for further processing and load optimization.

Specify whether SAS/MDDB Server software is licensed in your remote session. This makes it easier for MDP to decide whether remote processing is feasible on the server. You can also specify a weight for your server. This attribute is used in case a requested subtable is present on more than one server. The lowest value takes precedence.
Use the Security tab to provide read and write passwords to protect your metadata against unauthorized access.

EIS Registrations

To be able to use your data groups in SAS/EIS multidimensional applications, you need to register each data group in the SAS/EIS Metabase. To do that, use the following steps:

Open the Distributed Multidimensional Metadata window, select a repository, and then select [Edit].
Select the Data Groups tab, and then select an existing data group.
Select [EIS].
Specify the name of a skeleton MDDB, which is an MDDB with 0 cells that has all the class variables and analysis/statistic columns of your data group. Both the metabase registration and the EIS data model use this skeleton MDDB and send only the actual data request to MDP. The name of the skeleton MDDB cannot be the name of an existing data source.
Select a repository in which to store the Metabase registration.
MDP data groups are registered with a minimal set of table and column attributes. Therefore, you need to add any additional attributes (for example, the HIERARCH table attribute, the DATE column attributes, and so on) after the automatic registration of your data group. To prevent the loss of existing additional attributes, use Update Type: Refresh when you update your Data Group registration.
Select [OK] to create the skeleton MDDB and to automatically register the data group as an EIS registration in the specified repository.

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