Configuring a SAS engine

To use SAS™ software as the Spotfire Statistics Services engine, you must perform additional configuration steps for each Spotfire Statistics Services installation.

Before you begin

The SAS software must be installed on the same machine as the server. For cluster installations, SAS software must be installed on every machine where a server node is run. The only part of the SAS software that Spotfire Statistics Services requires is Base SAS. Other SAS software packages are not required, but they can be installed on the machine.

About this task

For more information about tested versions, see the System Requirements.

Note: On Microsoft Windows®, Spotfire Statistics Services normally would run as a Windows service. The properties window for a service contains a Log On tab, specifying how the service process should be executed; either Log in as:/Local System account, or Log in as:/This account. Use Log in as:/This account for the service if the time to start up a SAS software task needs to be minimized.

Procedure

Using a text editor, open the file spserver.properties from the following location.
- Cluster: SPSERVER_SHARE/conf
- Standalone: SPSERVER_HOME/conf
(where SPSERVER_SHARE or SPSERVER_HOME is your Spotfire Statistics Services installation directory
Edit the file spserver.properties file to set engine.type=SAS.
For more information, see engine.type.

Set the following property to identify the path to the SAS software installation:

Operating System	Description
Microsoft Windows®	Add `-Dspserver.sashome=/path/to/SAS` to the Java options for the service. For more information, see Procrun .
UNIX/Linux	Edit SPSERVER_HOME/init.d/spserver to specify `SPSERVER_SASHOME`=`/path/to/SAS`.

Note: SASHOME must be set not to the SAS installation, but to the location of the SAS executable (sas.exe).

Restart Spotfire Statistics Services.
Test Spotfire Statistics Services with SAS software operations by sending a simple SAS script to a Web browser. For example, use the following script (assuming the server is accessed via the URL http://myserver:8966/server_name).
```
http://myserver:8966/server_name/api/v8/expression
/eval?cmd=DATA out;DO x=1 to  3;y=x*100;rnum = 
UNIFORM(-1);OUTPUT;END;RUN;
```
If Spotfire Statistics Services is running correctly, it should return XML for a data frame with three rows and three columns.
It should also return text giving the SAS software log for the script, listing the SAS code executed, execution time, and errors, as well as any text produced by the SAS PRINT procedure.