Managing Large Databases Using SAS and ORACLE

摘要

This paper discusses the principles of database management through the use ofSAS/ASSIST to develop SAS/ACCESS code to interface with ORACLE. It examines how EPA is beginning to use the SAS interface to ORACLE to invoke interactive and batch processing for data entry, editing, updating, automatic report generation, and custom report generation functions. SAS/ACCESS is used to efficiently store the data in ORACLE, using about a third of the memory that SAS databases require and the code is written mostly through SAS/ASSIST. Customized 'views' are developed using PROC SQL with PROC/ACCESS and SAS/ASSIST to efficiently manage extraction of the data from the ORACLE database into SAS for a variety of purposes, specifically database management and statistical/graphical analysis. Detailed sample programs are not presented which demonstrate the basic principles since SAS/ASSIST uses a mouse with point-and-click screens involved so potential users may implement the concepts effectively and efficiently. Some commented SAS code (including SQL and appropriate ORACLE commends) are used as examples and discussed at a level appropriate for a beginner user of the SAS language and SAS/ASSIST.