Adding a SAS Data Source

Follow the instructions below to add a SAS data source and import data from SAS7BDAT files.

  1. In the Anzo application, expand the Onboard menu and click Structured Data. Anzo displays the Data Sources screen, which lists any existing data sources. For example:

  2. Click the Add Data Source button and select File > SAS Data Source. Anzo opens the Create SAS Data Source screen.

  3. Specify a name for the source in the Title field, and type an optional description in the Description field. Then click Save. Anzo saves the source and displays the Tables tab.

  4. Click the Add New File button. Anzo displays the Add New File dialog box.

  5. Follow the appropriate steps below depending on whether the SAS files are on your computer or the shared File Store:

    If the files are on your computer:

    The From Your Computer option is a convenient way to do a one-time ingestion so you can quickly get started with your data. It should not be relied upon as part of a regular onboarding workflow unless the server is configured to store uploaded files on the shared file store as described in Setting the Default File Upload Path. Data source files that are routinely updated and re-ingested should be hosted on a shared file store.

    1. As a best practice, check the upload location that is listed in the Upload To field by hovering your pointer over the value to view the tooltip. Make sure the upload location is a directory on the shared file store and not in the server installation path. If the file is not uploaded to the shared file store it is not accessible by applications like AnzoGraph. In addition, other users cannot create graphmarts from the data source because they typically do not have access to the file location.

      For example, viewing the Upload To location for the screen above shows that the file will be uploaded to the server installation path, /opt/Anzo/Server/data...

      If your Upload To location is configured to upload the file to the server installation path, click Change and select an upload location that is on the shared file store. For example, the image below shows the Upload Folder Location dialog box that is presented after clicking Change. A folder called fileUploads is selected on the shared store.

    2. Drag and drop the files onto the screen or click browse to navigate to the files and select them. Anzo attaches the files and the Next button becomes active.
    3. Click Next. Anzo lists the uploaded files on the left side of the screen with a status of Pending. For example:

    If the files are on the File Store:

    1. Click the From File Store radio button.
    2. In the File Location dialog box, on the left side of the screen, select the appropriate File Store. On the right side of the screen, navigate to the directory that contains the file to import. The screen displays the list of files in the directory. For example:

    3. Select each file that you want to import. When you finish selecting files, click Next to close the dialog box. Anzo lists the uploaded files on the left side of the screen with a status of Pending. For example:

  6. If you do not need to change SAS file options, click the Process Pending Files button to import all of the pending files. Anzo imports the data and updates the status to Processed.

    If you do need to change SAS file options, click the menu icon () for that file and select Edit. To change the options for multiple files, select the checkbox next to each of the files, and then click the Edit button at the bottom of the table. Anzo displays the Edit SAS File screen. For example, the image below shows the Edit screen for a single file:

    Change the options as needed and then click Save & Import to import the SAS file or files. Anzo imports the data and updates the status to Processed.

  7. Once the files are processed, you can click a table row on the left side of the screen to display the schema on the right side of the screen.

    The automated data load workflow ignores all changes that are made to the schema on the Tables screen—except for changes to primary and foreign keys. For example, if you edit a column heading to change its semantic type, that change is disregarded when the graphmart is created. Only the original type from the data source is considered. If you add or change primary and foreign keys on the Tables screen, however, the automated data load workflow will retain those changes.

For information about creating or changing primary keys and foreign keys, see Assigning Primary and Foreign Keys in a Schema.

When you are ready to onboard the data to Anzo, see Onboarding Data with the Automated Workflow for next steps. Or, if you want to onboard or virtualize the source by manually writing SPARQL queries against the Graph Data Interface service, see Onboarding or Virtualizing Data with SPARQL Queries.