Why Metadata Server is so important in SAS Platform?

I am sure that Metadata Server is the most spoken word by SAS Admin. Every day we deal with Metadata Server. Let's see what is the role of Metadata Server in SAS platform and why it is so important.

SAS Metadata Server:

All the SAS client applications connect to Metadata Server. SAS Management Console, Enterprise Guide, Information Map Studio, OLAP Cube Studio, Data Integration Studio are few examples of SAS client applications. It manages the metadata that contains the location and structure of SAS platform. The main role of Metadata is to read and write metadata. In SAS, Metadata means server definition, data definition, users and groups, security settings and BI content. When you open SAS Management Console you can see several plugins and their object. Those objects are nothing but metadata which is shown in graphical manner.

I hope you might have done user addition. When you add a user, metadata server gets invoked and it write those details in metadata. Metadata will be stored in the form of SAS datasets which is nothing but a table. You can see those SAS datasets under SAS configuration directory.

Applications to update metadata:

Users can access and update metadata using the SAS Management Console, SAS EG, and SAS DI Studio. It depends on the user which tool they use to update metadata. Admins use SAS Management Console, developers use SAS EG or DI to update metadata. You can also manage metadata by coding (SAS programs) like METADATA and METALIB procedures, DATA step functions and batch tools for metadata.

For example: Using batch tools (which I use most) for SAS metadata you can to following task.

• sas-make-folder - This command will create metadata folder. The folder structure you see in SAS Management Console folders tab.
• sas-list-object - This command is used to list SAS objects like libraries tables etc.
• sas-delete-object - This command can be used to delete SAS objects. 

Almost all objects in SAS platform communicates with Metadata Server. SAS spawner, SAS servers and SAS middle-tier application to name a few.

Application for Admins:

Admins use SAS Management Console to administer metadata, users/group addition and apply security to metadata. In SMC, you can see three tabs - Plug-ins, Folders and Search. You obviously know what is the purpose of search, so let me focus on plug-ins and folders.

Plug-ins:

Each plug-ins provide administrative functionality. Plug-ins are small piece of software which allows you to do some task. You have users manager plugin to manage user, server manager plugin to administer server etc. If you have access to the plugin then you can add/view/delete objects. Say Martin has access to user manager plugin then he can add/view/delete user.

Folders:

All the metadata are organized in folder. The folder decides what object can a user see and use. For example: say there is folder named as sales analysis. If Martin has access to this folder then he can use the libraries available in these folder in his coding (SAS program). There will be many such folder but a user can use the libraries/table only if they have access to the folder.

Note: Any user can access library if it is not metadata bound.