SAS online glossaries:Access
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access descriptor
a SAS/ACCESS file that describes data that is managed by SAS, by a database management system, or by a PC-based software application such as Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, or dBASE. After creating an access descriptor, you can use it as the basis for creating one or more view descriptors. See also SAS/ACCESS view and view descriptor.
database
an organized collection of related data. A database usually contains named files, named objects, or other named entities such as tables, views, and indexes.
database management system
a software application that enables you to create and manipulate data that is stored in the form of databases. Short form: DBMS. See also relational database management system.
DBMS
See database management system.
index
- in SAS software, a component of a SAS data set that enables SAS to access observations in the SAS data set quickly and efficiently. The purpose of SAS indexes is to optimize WHERE-clause processing and to facilitate BY-group processing.
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in other software vendors' databases, a named object that directs the DBMS to the storage location of a particular data value for a particular column. Some DBMSs have additional specifications. These indexes also are used to optimize the processing of WHERE clauses and joins. Depending on the SAS interface to a database product and on how selection criteria are specified, SAS might or might not be able to use the DBMS indexes to speed data retrieval.
PROC SQL view
a SAS data set that is created by the SQL procedure. A PROC SQL view contains no data. Instead, it stores information that enables it to read data values from other files, which can include SAS data files, SAS/ACCESS views, DATA step views, or other PROC SQL views. The output of a PROC SQL view can be either a subset or a superset of one or more files. See also SAS data view.
SAS data view
a type of SAS data set that retrieves data values from other files. A SAS data view contains only descriptor information such as the data types and lengths of the variables (columns), plus other information that is required for retrieving data values from other SAS data sets or from files that are stored in other software vendors' file formats. SAS data views can be created by the SAS DATA step and by the SAS SQL procedure. See also SAS data set, SAS/ACCESS view, DATA step view, and PROC SQL view.
variable
a column in a SAS data set or in a SAS data view. The data values for each variable describe a single characteristic for all observations (rows). Each SAS variable can have the following attributes: name, data type (character or numeric), length, format, informat, and label. In the ACCESS procedure, variables are created from the database product's columns or fields.
view descriptor
a file created by SAS/ACCESS software that defines part or all of the database management system (DBMS) data or PC file data that is described by an access descriptor. The access descriptor describes the data in a single DBMS table, DBMS view, or PC file. See also access descriptor.
