Connect to Live SAS xpt Data in MicroStrategy through CData Connect Server

MicroStrategy is an analytics and mobility platform that enables data-driven innovation. When you pair MicroStrategy with CData Connect Server, you gain database-like access to live SAS xpt data from MicroStrategy, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. In this article, we walk through creating a virtual database for SAS xpt in Connect Server and connecting to Connect Server in MicroStrategy to create a simple visualization of SAS xpt data.

As a hosted integration platform, Connect Server is ideal for working with cloud-based BI and analytics tools. With no servers to configure or data proxies to set up, you can simply use the web-based UI to create a virtual database for SAS xpt and connect from MicroStrategy to start performing analytics based on live SAS xpt data.

Configuring Connect Server

To work with live SAS xpt data in MicroStrategy, we need to create a virtual database for SAS xpt in Connect Server.

Create a Virtual MySQL Database for SAS xpt in Connect Server

CData Connect Server uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources and create virtual databases.

1. Open Connect Server and click Connections
2. Select "SAS xpt" from Available Data Sources
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to SAS xpt
   
   

   Connecting to Local SASXpt Files

   You can connect to local SASXpt file by setting the URI to a folder containing SASXpt files.

   Connecting to S3 data source

   You can connect to Amazon S3 source to read SASXpt files. Set the following properties to connect:

   • URI: Set this to the folder within your bucket that you would like to connect to.
   • AWSAccessKey: Set this to your AWS account access key.
   • AWSSecretKey: Set this to your AWS account secret key.
   • TemporaryLocalFolder: Set this to the path, or URI, to the folder that is used to temporarily download SASXpt file(s).

   Connecting to Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2

   You can connect to ADLS Gen2 to read SASXpt files. Set the following properties to connect:

   • URI: Set this to the name of the file system and the name of the folder which contacts your SASXpt files.
   • AzureAccount: Set this to the name of the Azure Data Lake storage account.
   • AzureAccessKey: Set this to our Azure DataLakeStore Gen 2 storage account access key.
   • TemporaryLocalFolder: Set this to the path, or URI, to the folder that is used to temporarily download SASXpt file(s).

4. Click Save Changes
5. Click Privileges -> Add and add the new user (or an existing user) with the appropriate permissions

Connect to and Visualize SAS xpt Data Using MicroStrategy

You can connect to SAS xpt in MicroStrategy by adding a data source based on the native MySQL functionality. Once you have created a data source, you can build dynamic visualizations of SAS xpt data in MicroStrategy.

1. Open MicroStrategy and select your project.
2. Click Add External Data, select Databases, and use Select Tables as the Import Option.
3. In the Import from Tables wizard, click to add a new Data Source.
4. Select MySQL in the Database menu and select MySQL 5.x in the Version menu.
5. Set the connection properties as follows:
   • Server Name: the URL for your Connect Server instance (i.e.: CONNECT_SERVER_URL)
   • Port Number: the port for your Connect Server MySQL service (3306 by default)
   • Database Name: the name of your virtual SAS xpt database (i.e.: SASXpt1)
   • User: a Connect Server user with permissions to access your SAS xpt database
   • Password: the password for your Connect Server user
   • Data Source Name: a name for the new external data source, like "Connect Server SAS xpt"
6. Expand the menu for the new data source and choose "Edit Catalog Options"
7. Edit the "SQL statement retrieve columns ..." query to include TABLE_SCHEMA = '#?Schema_Name?#' in the WHERE clause, and click Apply and then OK (the complete query is below).
   
   

   SELECT DISTINCT 
     TABLE_SCHEMA NAME_SPACE, 
     TABLE_NAME TAB_NAME, 
     COLUMN_NAME COL_NAME, 
     (CASE 
       WHEN 
         (DATA_TYPE LIKE '%char' AND (CHARACTER_SET_NAME='utf8' OR CHARACTER_SET_NAME='ucs2')) 
       THEN 
         CONCAT('n',DATA_TYPE) 
       ELSE 
         DATA_TYPE 
     END) DATA_TYPE, 
     CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH DATA_LEN, 
     NUMERIC_PRECISION DATA_PREC, 
     NUMERIC_SCALE DATA_SCALE 
   FROM 
     INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS 
   WHERE 
     TABLE_NAME 
   IN 
     (#TABLE_LIST#) AND TABLE_SCHEMA='#?Schema_Name?#' 
   ORDER BY 
     1,2,3
   

8. Select the new data source and select the Namespace that corresponds to your virtual SAS xpt database (like SASXpt1).
9. Drag tables into the pane to import them. Note: Since we create a live connection, we can import whole tables and utilize the filtering and aggregation features native to the MicroStrategy products to customize our datasets.
10. Click Finish, choose the option to connect live, save the query, and choose the option to create a new dossier. Live connections are possible and effective, thanks to high-performance data processing native to CData Connect Server.
11. Choose a visualization, choose fields to display, and apply any filters to create a new visualization of SAS xpt data. Data types are discovered automatically through dynamic metadata discovery. Where possible, the complex queries generated by the filters and aggregations will be pushed down to SAS xpt, while any unsupported operations (which can include SQL functions and JOIN operations) will be managed by the CData SQL engine embedded in Connect Server.
12. Once you have finished configuring the dossier, click File -> Save.

Using CData Connect Server with MicroStrategy, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on SAS xpt data. For more information on creating virtual databases for SAS xpt (and more than 200 other data sources), visit the Connect Server page. Sign up for a free trial and start working with live SAS xpt data in MicroStrategy.