Using SAS/ACCESS® views to retrieve DBMS tables

A tutorial approach will be used to illustrate how useful SAS/ACCESS views can be in an environment with many types of frequently accessed data sources, Views can be considered to be virtual data sets, They require minimal storage and can be used to obtain up-to-date results as well as to create permanent SAS datasets. Prior to accessing an existing Database Management System (DBMS) two descriptor files must be created to define a SAS/ACCESS view of the DBMS table. Special emphasis will be placed on building the Access Descriptor and the View Descriptor using the ACCESS windows of the Display Manager. By using the ACCESS windows as a building block, it requires no knowledge of the SQL language syntax, and requires minimal typing. We will also examine the use of the WHERE clause and how it Increases efficiency and lowers cost.