How to use SAS Datasets in FM

[meeecog]

Hello Team

We are using SAS to extract data from our transaction system and create SAS Datasets (which are on UNIX Environment) .Cognos is on Windows . We want to connect to SAS which is on Unix using FM to build models ..Is that possible?

If any one are currently using this procedure pls do let me know steps involved in this process ( we need to give these steps to our IT) Appreciate any help on this ASAP

Thanks

[BuddyFarrellHome]

Hi meeecog -
We have the same requirement.  We need to use SAS in our organization (not saying we could not use other ways) due to some of the programmatic manipulation we require on some data, even after ETL into our DW. 
My understanding - and I would LOVE to hear a better way - is that it depends on the requirements.
I want to add some of those datasets directly into my framework solution, and hence the packages - so that should that go away, the reports will not be impacted (i.e., I want to add them directly into a package, not have reports try to read from them).  My suggestion at my company is that we have those SAS jobs run nightly/weekly/monthly/business requirements and produce a simple text file from which I can pull into a framework manager model.  I suggest this so that if that process changes, we can not impact reports.

I am interested in following what you find out that may be different.  To my knowledge Cognos cannot directly pull from an SAS "job" - but we are in BI and I see no issue in pulling from output.  Also, I am trying to educate my environment that we don't really need that data on demand - daily/weekly/monthly is fine.  I will try to figure out how to follow this post!

[MFGF]

Hi,

I think the key issue is in understanding how SAS stores the extracted data in the datasets on the unix server. Is it in a filesystem such as ISAM? Is it in text files? Is it in a database?

If it's in a form that Cognos can connect to, the task should be relatively straightforward. ISAM might have an ODBC driver you could get hold of?

Cheers!

MF.