Date:         Thu, 10 Jul 2003 08:48:51 -0400
Reply-To:     Michael Raithel <RAITHEM@WESTAT.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Michael Raithel <RAITHEM@WESTAT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Windows XP
Content-Type: text/plain

Dear SAS-L-ers,

Richard Simhon posted the following:

>We are currently running SAS under windows NT and are about to move over to
windows XP. Has
>anyone been down that path? if so, what have your experiences been. Hve you
encountered any
>problems running SAS programs??

Richard, if your posting were any more timely I would set my watch by it!
As part of a company-wide endeavor here at SAS Mecca, I had my Windows 98 PC
swapped out for a new Windows XP PC on Wednesday.  Yesterday was my first
full day of using it, and I had absolutely no problems running SAS.  But,
then again, I didn't expect problems.

When the migration was first being planned, I was tasked with determining if
there were any perceivable differences in running SAS on Windows XP.  I got
access to a test machine and tested both existing SAS programs and SAS
interfaces--e.g. SAS/Access to ODBC, SAS/Access to Oracle, SAS CALL SYSTEM
statement, SAS FILENAME with PIPE, etc.  I was less concerned about SAS'
processing of SAS data sets and more concerned with situations wherein SAS
would reach out to (or through) the operating system for non-SAS files and
data sources.

During the testing, the only difference that I found was in the result of
the DIR command.  That is, the output produced by:

        CALL SYSTEM('dir c:\richards\big\directory' >
c:\richards\big\directory\contents);

...or by:

        filename extfile pipe 'dir c:\richards\big\directory';

...is slightly different on Windows XP than it is on Windows 98.  I do not
have an example, handy, but I remember that two of the columns were in
different locations under Windows XP.

This was important to us because some of our SAS sharpies have programs that
"shell out" to the operating system to get specific information.  They
expect the directory information to be in the same format that it has been
in for years.  We didn't want them to be caught flat footed.  So, now they
know to: 1. Make changes to their programs, if necessary; and 2. Be wary of
operating system commands under Windows XP.

Richard, best of luck to you as you exchange the letters "NT" for "XP" with
confidence in your SAS applications!

I hope that this suggestion proves helpful now, and in the future!

Of course, all of these opinions and insights are my own, and do not reflect
those of my organization or my associates. All SAS code and/or methodologies
specified in this posting are for illustrative purposes only and no warranty
is stated or implied as to their accuracy or applicability. People deciding
to use information in this posting do so at their own risk.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Michael A. Raithel
"The man who wrote the book on performance"
E-mail: MichaelRaithel@westat.com
Author: Tuning SAS Applications in the MVS Environment
http://www.sas.com/apps/pubscat/bookdetails.jsp?catid=1&pc=55231
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I cannot say whether things will get better if we change;
what I can say is they must change if they are to get
better. - G. C. Lichtenberg
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++