Modernising SAS AF

Allan Bowe

Desktop

Cloud

AF/SCL - Benefits

  • Fast
  • Flexible
  • Robust
AF/SCL Architecture
  • ❌ Security
  • ❌ Scalability
  • ❌ Support
Web Architecture


  • ✅ Security
  • ✅ Scalability
  • ✅ Support
Modernisation Process
R, Python, Java, Node JS, Ruby SAS
  • Significant migration cost
  • Additional Environment
    • Firewall
    • Authentication
    • Authorisation
  • Additional Language to support
  • Rapid migration
  • Existing SAS Environment
    • SAS Logon
    • SAS Web Server
    • SAS App Server
  • Existing SAS team
Modernisation Process
FrontendBackend
  • Frame Elimination
    • Fresh UI based on existing app
  • Use of Open Source Frameworks
    • React
    • Angular
  • Decoupled from SAS Backend
  • SCL elimination
    • SAS Web Services (STP / JES)
    • SCL Transcoding
  • Catalog elimination
    • SLISTs -> Database
    • Code -> Source Control
  • Filesystem elimination
    • SASjs approach
SASjs

What is SASjs?

An open-source DevOps Framework for SAS App Development. Key components:

Plus a selection of Seed App projects and Integration tooling (such as a VS Code Extension) to enhance and improve the Developer Experience.

SASjs Approach

Benefits

  • Clean separation of Frontend from Backend
    • ✅ SAS manages data requests only
  • Platform Agnostic
    • ✅ Deploy seamlessly to Viya, SAS 9 or Foundation SAS
  • Framework-Centric
    • ✅ Opinionated approach to project setup
SASjs Approach

GIT-Native

SASjs Approach

20+ CLI Commands

  • sasjs test -> Execute self contained tests for Web Services & Macros
  • sasjs doc -> Generate developer documentation from program headers
  • sasjs lint -> Enforce code quality rules

Online Docs: https://cli.sasjs.io

SAS Apps Team

Why Partner with the SAS Apps Team

  • Extensive experience building & migrating SAS Apps
    • Both Front and Backend
  • Maintainers of the SASjs framework
  • Project accelerators
    • AF/SCL Transcoding Kit
    • Portfolio of existing SAS Apps
SAS Apps Team

Further Resouces

TRANSCRIPT Fast to build as point & click Flexible due to filesystem access Robust vendor support, has lasted decades

TRANSCRIPT Everything under end user credentials Desktop deployments software itself going out of support, hard to find devs

TRANSCRIPT Fresh UI - existing frames discarded Open Source = lower maintenance SCL elimination -