Use the CData ODBC Driver for JD Edwards 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 JD Edwards, you gain database-like access to live JD Edwards data from SAS, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. This article explains how to create a library for JD Edwards in SAS and create a simple report based on real-time JD Edwards data.

The CData ODBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live JD Edwards data in SAS due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from SAS to JD Edwards, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to JD Edwards 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 JD Edwards data in SAS.

Connect to JD Edwards as an ODBC Data Source

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

The driver connects to JD Edwards through your Application Interface Services (AIS) Server. Set the following connection properties:

• URL: The base HTTPS URL of your AIS Server (e.g., https://jde-ais.example.com:8300).
• User: Your JD Edwards username.
• Password: Your JD Edwards password.
• Environment (optional): The JD Edwards environment to use (e.g., PD920 for production or DV920 for development). If not specified, the AIS Server's default environment is used.
• Role (optional): The JD Edwards role for the session. If not specified, the AIS Server's default role is used.
• DeviceName (optional): An identifier for the connecting device or application, used for auditing and logging on the AIS Server.
• Jasserver (optional): The specific Java Application Server (JAS) instance to route requests through, useful in clustered environments.

Choosing Which Data Is Exposed

JD Edwards organizes tables and business views by System Code, and the driver exposes each System Code as its own schema. Use these properties to control which schemas are available:

• DataModel: One or more ERP modules (comma-separated) whose System Codes are exposed as schemas, or All to expose every System Code in the connected instance. Defaults to FinancialManagement.
• SystemCodes: A comma-separated list of additional System Codes to expose alongside those from DataModel (e.g., 42,43).

When you connect, the driver sends your credentials to the AIS Server to obtain a session token and caches it. The driver requests a new token automatically before the session expires.

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 JD Edwards 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

[CData JDEdwards Sys]
Driver = CData ODBC Driver for JD Edwards
Description = My Description
URL = https://your-jde-environment-app.example.com
User = admin
Password = myPassword

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

Create a JD Edwards Library in SAS

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

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 JD Edwards 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 JD Edwards 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 accountspayable.accountledger_view as
     select 
       documentnumber, 
       amount 
     from 
       odbclib.accountspayable.accountledger 
     where 
       BusinessUnit = '100';
   quit;
   

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

Report On or Visualize JD Edwards Data in SAS

With a local view created, you can report, visualize, or otherwise analyze JD Edwards 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 JD Edwards AccountsPayable.AccountLedger data.

   proc print data=accountspayable.accountledger;
     title "JD Edwards AccountsPayable.AccountLedger Data";
   run;
   

   

Print a Chart

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

   proc gchart data=accountspayable.accountledger;
     pie documentnumber / sumvar=amount
         value=arrow
         percent=arrow
         noheading
         percent=inside plabel=(height=12pt)
         slice=inside value=none
         name='AccountsPayable.AccountLedgerChart';
   run;