Chapter 2: Cross-Environment Data Access (CEDA)

Overview of CEDA

CEDA is a simple strategy for file access across a network. CEDA enables you to read a network-mounted SAS file from any directory-based operating environment that runs SAS 8 or later, regardless of the file format of the SAS file being accessed. For example, CEDA enables a PC to read network-mounted SAS files that are in UNIX file format.

Note  

Prior to SAS 8.2, CEDA was packaged with SAS/CONNECT, which requires a separate license. CEDA is now included as part of Base SAS.

CEDA runs transparently . You can access a supported SAS file without knowing the file's format. CEDA detects the format of the accessing machine and automatically translates the "native" format to the representation of the "foreign," or accessing, machine.

CEDA is most useful in a heterogeneous networked enterprise in which multiple applications read data from a centralized SAS file, process the data, and then generate reports . For example, a SAS data set can reside on a UNIX machine and be accessed by machines that represent data in a format that is "foreign" to the UNIX machine. For example, UNIX and Windows machines represent data differently. Without CEDA, a SAS file could not be dynamically translated when accessed. Instead, a transport file or a file in "foreign" format would have to be generated for the accessing machine.