SAS^® Scalable Performance Data Server

Partitioning and parallel processing

• Partitions across multiple CPUs, I/O channels and disks.
• Supports the dynamic clustering of tables with identical structures.
• Uses parallel CPUs and I/O for summarizations.
• Supports the use of table aliases.
• Integrates into the SAS SQL engine.
• Provides multithreaded WHERE clause processing.
• Evaluates subsetting criteria using WHERE clause planning.
• Supports full table scans where no indexes are defined.
• Launches multiple threads to process different portions of a table simultaneously.
• Evaluates strategies for query processing to determine the least resource-intensive option via WHERE planner costing feature.
• Uses memory lookups in phase two of a star join instead of index points to a table enhances performance.
• Enables parallel write to Hadoop, SAS PROC DS2 and SAS FedSQL capabilities for SAS Scalable Performance Data Server.

Unique indexing technology

• Combines the best features of B-tree indexes and bitmap indexes by using a hybrid bitmap index.
• Analyzes each table and determines the best indexing option.
• Builds and updates multiple indexes with a single read of a data table.
• Maintains a table of statistics about indexes.
• Offers a new SQL reset option that increases the maximum number of hash joins that are available.

Query optimization

• Provides star schema optimization and parallel and optimized join methods for data models other than star schemas.
• Uses transparent restructuring and recoding of nested SQL code to create temporary tables on the fly for accelerated processing.
• Performs fast sorting on BY statements.
• Sorts on subsets of data identified with a WHERE clause or KEEP list.
• Creates single sort bins larger than 2GB to reduce the number of bins needed to complete the sort.
• Provides star join optimizations for use in more unique query instances.

SQL pass-through support

• Sends server-specific SQL statements directly to the server for execution.
• Triggers multiple, independent SQL statements for parallel execution.
• Offers the option of using a SAS library (LIBNAME statement).

Management and security

• Handles large numbers of users and increasing amounts of data.
• Offers dynamic cluster tables for enhanced manageability and scalability of large tables.
• Allocates and addresses more than 2GB of memory at a time by using 64-bit, wide-mode support.
• Provides a sophisticated security implementation that gives administrators read, write and modification access to tables on a per-user or per-group basis.
• Ensures data integrity and consistency throughout the business intelligence and analytic application life cycle via the SAS common metadata framework.
• Offers a central point of control and administration via the SAS Management Console.
• Allows user names to begin with either a character or a number.
• Provides row-level security using WHERE constraints.