Extracting extended library attributes (SAS 9 Metadata)

Difficulty Level

Beginner

Published on : 25/03/2021

Expert Advice

Stéphanie
Spécialiste Machine Learning et IA.

Extracting extended attributes is a critical step for auditing or migrating complex SAS 9.4 environments, particularly for LASR libraries where vital parameters—such as server ports or startup options—are stored as Name/Value pairs within the metadata. The key to this technique is navigating the "Extensions" association using the metadata_getnasn function to drill down into the SASLibrary object. As a best practice, always initialize your variables and check the return code (rc) of metadata_getattr to ensure the attribute exists, preventing residual values from the Program Data Vector (PDV) from corrupting your output table.

Attention : This code requires administrator privileges.

This program configures a connection to a SAS^© 9 Metadata Server (host, port, user, password) to search for a specific library (by default 'Visual Analytics LASR'). It uses metadata system functions (metadata_resolve, metadata_getnasn) to iterate over extended attributes and save them into a SAS^© table. Important note: This code is specifically designed for the SAS^© 9.x architecture (LASR, Metadata Server) and is not standard for a native SAS^© Viya^™ 4 architecture, although it can execute if a bridge to a SAS^© 9 Metadata Server is accessible.

Data Analysis

Type : CREATION_INTERNE

Data is dynamically generated by querying the Metadata Server via SAS functions, without reading flat files or external tables.

1 Code Block

OPTIONS

Explanation :
Definition of the macro variable containing the target library name and configuration of global options for connecting to the Metadata Server (authentication and server location).

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1	%let LIBNAME='Visual Analytics LASR';
2
3	options
4	metaserver="my.sas.server"
5	metaport=8561
6	metauser="sasadm @saspw"
7	metapass="password"
8	metarepository=Foundation
9	metaprotocol=bridge;

2 Code Block

DATA STEP Data

Explanation :
DATA step that queries the Metadata Server to locate the 'SASLibrary' object. If found, it loops through the associated extensions (extended attributes), extracts their names and values, and writes them to the output table 'extend'.