Use the CData ODBC Driver for EnterpriseDB in SAS for Real-Time Reporting and Analytics

SAS is a software suite developed for advanced analytics, multivariate analysis, business intelligence, data management, and predictive analytics. When you pair SAS with the CData ODBC Driver for EnterpriseDB, you gain database-like access to live EnterpriseDB data from SAS, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. This articles walks through creating a library for EnterpriseDB in SAS and creating a simple report based on real-time EnterpriseDB data.

The CData ODBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live EnterpriseDB data in SAS due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from SAS to EnterpriseDB, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to EnterpriseDB and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can easily visualize and analyze EnterpriseDB data in SAS.

Connect to EnterpriseDB as an ODBC Data Source

Information for connecting to EnterpriseDB follows, along with different instructions for configuring a DSN in Windows and Linux environments (the ODBC Driver for EnterpriseDB must be installed on the machine hosting the SAS System).

The following connection properties are required in order to connect to data.

• Server: The host name or IP of the server hosting the EnterpriseDB database.
• Port: The port of the server hosting the EnterpriseDB database.

You can also optionally set the following:

• Database: The default database to connect to when connecting to the EnterpriseDB Server. If this is not set, the user's default database will be used.

Connect Using Standard Authentication

To authenticate using standard authentication, set the following:

• User: The user which will be used to authenticate with the EnterpriseDB server.
• Password: The password which will be used to authenticate with the EnterpriseDB server.

Connect Using SSL Authentication

You can leverage SSL authentication to connect to EnterpriseDB data via a secure session. Configure the following connection properties to connect to data:

• SSLClientCert: Set this to the name of the certificate store for the client certificate. Used in the case of 2-way SSL, where truststore and keystore are kept on both the client and server machines.
• SSLClientCertPassword: If a client certificate store is password-protected, set this value to the store's password.
• SSLClientCertSubject: The subject of the TLS/SSL client certificate. Used to locate the certificate in the store.
• SSLClientCertType: The certificate type of the client store.
• SSLServerCert: The certificate to be accepted from the server.

When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

Windows

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Linux

If you are installing the CData ODBC Driver for EnterpriseDB in a Linux environment, the driver installation predefines a system DSN. You can modify the DSN by editing the system data sources file (/etc/odbc.ini) and defining the required connection properties.

/etc/odbc.ini

For specific information on using these configuration files, please refer to the help documentation (installed and found online).

Create a EnterpriseDB Library in SAS

Connect to EnterpriseDB in SAS by adding a library based on the CData ODBC Driver for EnterpriseDB.

1. Open SAS and expand Libraries in the Explorer pane.
2. In the Active Libraries window, right-click and select New.
3. Name your library (odbclib), select ODBC as the Engine, and click to Enable at startup (if you want the library to persist between sessions).
4. Set Data Source to the DSN you previously configured and click OK.

Create a View from a EnterpriseDB Query

SAS natively supports querying data either using a low-code, point-and-click Query tool or programmatically with PROC SQL and a custom SQL query. When you create a View in SAS, the defining query is executed each time the view is queried. This means that you always query live EnterpriseDB data for reports, charts, and analytics.

Using the Query Tool

1. In SAS, click Tools -> Query
2. Select the table sources and the table(s) you wish to pull data from. Then, click OK.
3. Select columns and right-click to add filtering, ordering, grouping, etc.
4. Create a local view to contain the query results by right-clicking the SQL Query Tool window, selecting Show Query, and clicking Create View. Name the View and click OK.

Using PROC SQL

1. In SAS, navigate to the Editor window.
2. Use PROC SQL to query the data and create a local view.
   NOTE: This procedure creates a view in the Work library. You can optionally specify a library in the create view statement.

   proc sql;
     create view orders_view as
     select 
       shipname, 
       shipcity 
     from 
       odbclib.orders 
     where 
       ShipCountry = 'USA';
   quit;
   

3. Click Run -> Submit to execute the query and create a local view.

Report On or Visualize EnterpriseDB Data in SAS

With a local view created, you can report, visualize, or otherwise analyze EnterpriseDB data using the powerful SAS features. Print a simple report using PROC PRINT and create a basic graph based on the data using PROC GCHART.

Print an HTML Report

1. In SAS, navigate to the Editor window.
2. Use PROC PRINT to print an HTML report for the EnterpriseDB Orders data.

   proc print data=orders;
     title "EnterpriseDB Orders Data";
   run;
   

Print a Chart

1. In SAS, navigate to the Editor window.
2. Use PROC GCHART to create a chart for the Orders data.

   proc gchart data=orders;
     pie shipname / sumvar=shipcity
         value=arrow
         percent=arrow
         noheading
         percent=inside plabel=(height=12pt)
         slice=inside value=none
         name='OrdersChart';
   run;