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Get the Report →Use the CData ODBC Driver for Twilio in SAS for Real-Time Reporting and Analytics
Connect to real-time Twilio data in SAS for reporting, analytics, and visualizations using the CData ODBC Driver for Twilio.
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 Twilio, you gain database-like access to live Twilio data from SAS, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. This articles walks through creating a library for Twilio in SAS and creating a simple report based on real-time Twilio data.
The CData ODBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Twilio data in SAS due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from SAS to Twilio, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Twilio 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 Twilio data in SAS.
Connect to Twilio as an ODBC Data Source
Information for connecting to Twilio follows, along with different instructions for configuring a DSN in Windows and Linux environments (the ODBC Driver for Twilio must be installed on the machine hosting the SAS System).
Use the AccountSid and AuthToken connection properties to access data from your account. You obtain your live credentials on your Twilio account dashboard. Click Account -> Account Settings to obtain your test credentials.
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 Twilio 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 Twilio Sys]
Driver = CData ODBC Driver for Twilio
Description = My Description
AccountSid = MyAccountSid
AuthToken = MyAuthToken
For specific information on using these configuration files, please refer to the help documentation (installed and found online).
Create a Twilio Library in SAS
Connect to Twilio in SAS by adding a library based on the CData ODBC Driver for Twilio.
- Open SAS and expand Libraries in the Explorer pane.
- In the Active Libraries window, right-click and select New.
- Name your library (odbclib), select ODBC as the Engine, and click to Enable at startup (if you want the library to persist between sessions).
- Set Data Source to the DSN you previously configured and click OK.
Create a View from a Twilio 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 Twilio data for reports, charts, and analytics.
Using the Query Tool
- In SAS, click Tools -> Query
- Select the table sources and the table(s) you wish to pull data from. Then, click OK.
- Select columns and right-click to add filtering, ordering, grouping, etc.
- 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
- In SAS, navigate to the Editor window.
- 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 calls_view as select to, duration from odbclib.calls where StartTime = '1/1/2016'; quit;
- Click Run -> Submit to execute the query and create a local view.
Report On or Visualize Twilio Data in SAS
With a local view created, you can report, visualize, or otherwise analyze Twilio 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
- In SAS, navigate to the Editor window.
- Use PROC PRINT to print an HTML report for the Twilio Calls data.
proc print data=calls; title "Twilio Calls Data"; run;
Print a Chart
- In SAS, navigate to the Editor window.
- Use PROC GCHART to create a chart for the Calls data.
proc gchart data=calls; pie to / sumvar=duration value=arrow percent=arrow noheading percent=inside plabel=(height=12pt) slice=inside value=none name='CallsChart'; run;