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SAS Companion for the OpenVMS Operating Environment

Using the V8 Engine

The section describes how to access Version 8 data libraries using the default engine, V8. The V8 engine supports indexing and compression of observations.


When to Use the V8 Engine

Generally, SAS automatically determines the appropriate engine to use for accessing the files in the library. If you want to create a new library with an engine other than the default engine, you can override the automatic selection.

You use the V8 engine to create SAS data libraries on disk and to read from, write to, or update those libraries. The V8 engine is the default engine for new SAS Version 8 data libraries, unless the default engine has been changed with the ENGINE= system option.


How to Select the V8 Engine

There are three ways to select the V8 engine:


Member Types Supported

The V8 engine supports files with all Version 8 member types:

ACCESS ITEMSTOR
AUDIT MDDB
BACKUP PROGRAM
CATALOG PUTILITY
DATA SASODS
DMDB UTILITY
FDB VIEW
INDEX


Engine/Host Options for the V8 Engine

The V8 engine provides several engine/host options that control the creating and access of SAS data sets. Most of the following options correspond to options that are available through OpenVMS Record Management Services (RMS).

You can use the following engine/host options with the V8 engine:

ALQ=
specifies the number of OpenVMS disk blocks to allocate initially to a data set when it is created. The value can range from 0 to 2,147,483,647. If the value is 0, the minimum number of blocks that is required for a sequential file is used. OpenVMS RMS always rounds the value up to the next disk cluster boundary.

The ALQ= option (allocation quantity) corresponds to the FAB$L_ALQ field in OpenVMS RMS. For additional details, see the data set option ALQ= and Guide to OpenVMS File Applications.

ALQMULT=
specifies the number of pages that are preallocated to a file when it is created. The value can range from 1 to 128. The default value is 10. The ALQMULT= option is related to the ALQ= option.

For additional details, see the data set option ALQMULT=.

BUFSIZE=
specifies the size of the internal I/O buffer used for output data sets. The value can range from 0 to the maximum allowed under OpenVMS. The engine tries to use a value in the range of 8,192 to 32,768 if possible. The BUFSIZE= option must be specified in increments of 512.

For additional details, see the data set option BUFSIZE=.

CACHENUM=
specifies the number of I/O data caches used per SAS file. The value can range from 1 to 16. The default value is 10. The CACHENUM= option is used in conjunction with the CACHESIZ= option.

For additional details, see the data set option CACHENUM=.

CACHESIZ=
controls the size (in bytes) of the data cache used to buffer I/O pages. The value can range from 0 to 65,024. By default, the chosen value is an even multiple of the file's page size. A value of 0 specifies to use no data cache. Memory is consumed for the data cache, and multiple caches may be used for each data set opened. The disadvantage of large CACHESIZ= values is large consumption of memory. The advantage of large CACHESIZ= values is a reduction in the number of I/Os required to read from or write to a file.

The CACHESIZ= and BUFSIZE= options are similar, but they have important differences. The BUFSIZE= option specifies the file's page size, which is permanent. It can only be set on file creation. The CACHESIZ= option is the size of the internal memory cache used for the life of the current open, so it can change any time the file is opened. Also, BUFSIZE= cannot be used as an engine/host option; it is only valid as a data set option.

For additional details, see the data set option CACHESIZ=.

CNTLLEV=
specifies the level of shared access allowed to SAS data sets. Users can be given both read and write access to a data set that is opened for input only. By default, only shared read access is allowed.

For additional details, see the data set option CNTLLEV=.

DEQ=
specifies the number of OpenVMS disk blocks to add each time OpenVMS RMS automatically extends a data set during a write operation. The value can range from 0 to 65,535. OpenVMS RMS always rounds the value up to the next disk cluster boundary. A large value can result in fewer file extensions over the life of the file; a small value results in numerous file extensions over the life of the file. A file with numerous file extensions that may be noncontiguous slows record access.

If the value specified is 0, OpenVMS RMS uses the default value for the process.

The DEQ= option (default file extension quantity) corresponds to the FAB$W_DEQ field in OpenVMS RMS. For additional details, see the data set option DEQ= and Guide to OpenVMS File Applications.

DEQMULT=
specifies the number of pages to extend a SAS file. The value can range from 1 to 128. The default value is 5.

For additional details, see the data set option DEQMULT=.


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Copyright 1999 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.