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SAS/ACCESS Interface to IMS-DL/I Software

Overview of Using the Interface

The SAS/ACCESS interface to IMS-DL/I consists of three parts:

The ACCESS procedure enables you to describe an IMS-DL/I database to the SAS System in an access descriptor file. You can then create view descriptor files from the access descriptor file, which you can use in SAS programs in much the same way as you would use SAS data files. You can print, plot, and chart the data described by the view descriptor files, use them to create other SAS data sets, and so on. Defining SAS/ACCESS Descriptor Files describes how to create and edit SAS/ACCESS descriptor files. Using IMS-DL/I Data in SAS Programs presents examples of using IMS-DL/I data in SAS programs, and Browsing and Updating IMS-DL/I Data shows how to use the view descriptor files to update IMS-DL/I data from within a SAS program.

The interface view engine is an integral part of the SAS/ACCESS interface, but the interface's design is transparent, so you are seldom aware of the engine. The SAS System interacts automatically with the engine when you use SAS/ACCESS view descriptors in your SAS programs, so you can use IMS-DL/I data in your programs in much the same way as you use SAS data.

The DATA step interface provides special extensions of standard SAS INFILE and FILE statements to access IMS-DL/I resources. Using the SAS/ACCESS Interface to IMS-DL/I DATA Step Interface describes these statement extensions in detail.

You may need to combine data from several sources, including IMS-DL/I databases, Version 6 SAS data sets, Version 7 SAS data sets, and other databases. With the SAS/ACCESS interface, such combinations are not only possible, but easy to do. The SAS System can differentiate among SAS data sets, SAS/ACCESS view descriptor files, and other types of SAS files, and it can use the appropriate access method.


How the IMS-DL/I Engine and DATA Step Interfaces Differ

When comparing the two interfaces, you can identify some obvious differences:


When to Use the IMS-DL/I Engine Interface

Use the IMS-DL/I engine interface for:


When to Use the IMS-DL/I DATA Step Interface

Use the IMS-DL/I DATA step interface for:


Features Not Supported by the IMS-DL/I Engine Interface

The engine does not support Fast Path, message queue access, or HSSR. The SLI region type is also no longer supported; however, you can use the DBCTL feature of IMS/ESA and CICS/ESA for those functions.

Features Not Supported by the IMS-DL/I DATA Step Interface

The DATA step does not support the DLITEST procedure and HSSR. The SLI region type is also no longer supported; however, you can use the DBCTL feature of IMS/ESA and CICS/ESA for those functions.


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