Datasets need to be registered in order to be used by Information Maps and BI Dashboard. They also allow for some additional security options if you're accessing data through the SAS Excel Plugin (AMO).

As long as you're writing your own SAS code and wrapping everything up in a stored process, you should be fine. However, there are some limitations to that approach. One of the coolest features of WRS is the ability to set up a report that allows the user to dynamically drill into it as they need with a "simple" drag-and-drop interface (in quotes because while it may be simple, it is not very intuitive, IMO). You do this by setting up an information map, which requires a registered dataset.

-Sterlign

On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 9:12 AM, Quentin McMullen <qmcmullen.sas@gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks Sterling, > > So what is the purpose of registering a data source? > > Is it basically so that a naive user who is building their own report (e.g. > through WRS) can have a data source named "Sales" they can select from a > dropdown list of "available" data sources, without knowing/caring whether > that data source is a SQL server database, SAS dataset, or a view created > from some combination of sources? > > So as long as I'm writing my own SAS code, I shouldn't have to worry much > about registering data? So as a SAS programmer, the fact that the admins > have already registered a bunch of libnames pointing to various databases > is just a convenience, not a necessity? > > Thanks, > --Q. > > On Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:35:13 -0700, Sterling Paramore <gnilrets@GMAIL.COM> > wrote: > >>To answer your main question: If it's all running through a stored >>process, and the stored process has permissions to access the data >>sources, then the data sources do not need to be registered. >> >>I've never built a stored process to output graphs in a WRS report, >>although I've read that it's possible: >>http://www.bi-notes.com/2011/11/sas-bi-web-report-studio-dashboard/ >> >> >> >>-Sterling >> >> >>On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 8:00 AM, Quentin McMullen >><qmcmullen.sas@gmail.com> wrote: >>> Hi All, >>> >>> My (new) group is setting up a SAS server, and will start building BI >>> tools. And while I haven't actually gotten my hands on anything yet, >>> I'm confused by some of what I'm hearing. >>> >>> Big picture for my role would be something like I would want to take a >>> SAS macro that produces an accrual plot for a clinical trial, and make >>> it into a stored procedure that could be accessed via the web (Web >>> report studio, information delivery portal, whatever?) and let users >>> pass in a few parameters and generate a plot. >>> >>> I'm confused as to the purpose/need for information maps, data >>> integration studio, etc. >>> >>> Do I need to somehow "register" a dataset or libref with (with >>> integration studio, or some metadata server) before I can use it in a >>> stored process? (or even use it via EG running on the server?) >>> >>> Imagine the accrual plot macro reads data from an access database >>> sitting on some file server on our network. Suppose it reads it via >>> SAS/ACCESS to PC files, so in PC SAS all I need is a libref pointing >>> to the access database. >>> >>> I'm sure I misunderstood, but in one meeting it sounded like in order >>> to have a SAS job that runs on the server read from the database, I >>> would need to either upload the actual database to the SAS server >>> (madness), or would need to go through some process of registering the >>> access database as a data source in the metadata server (which seems >>> odd). >>> >>> So I'm confused. Seems to me if my SAS code points to the access >>> database (or a SQL server database or a flat file or .....) I don't >>> understand why I would need to register the data source with the SAS >>> server at all. I can't imagine that by using stored process or EG, I >>> lose the ability to simply create my own librefs within a session, or >>> write my own code to connect to a SQL database and do pass-through >>> queries. Do I? >>> >>> I'm sure this will become more clear once we have a sandbox set up, >>> but since it's bothering me now, was hoping someone might be able to >>> straighten me out. >>> >>> Thanks, >>> --Quentin