Use the CData ODBC Driver for Azure Synapse in SAS for Real-Time Reporting and Analytics

SAS is a software suite developed for advanced analytics, multivariate analysis, business intelligence, data management, and predictive analytics. When you pair SAS with the CData ODBC Driver for Azure Synapse, you gain database-like access to live Azure Synapse data from SAS, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. This article explains how to create a library for Azure Synapse in SAS and create a simple report based on real-time Azure Synapse data.

The CData ODBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Azure Synapse data in SAS due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from SAS to Azure Synapse, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Azure Synapse and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can easily visualize and analyze Azure Synapse data in SAS.

Connect to Azure Synapse as an ODBC Data Source

Information for connecting to Azure Synapse follows, along with different instructions for configuring a DSN in Windows and Linux environments (the ODBC Driver for Azure Synapse must be installed on the machine hosting the SAS System).

Connecting to Azure Synapse

In addition to providing authentication (see below), set the following properties to connect to a Azure Synapse database:

• Server: The server running Azure. You can find this by logging into the Azure portal and navigating to Azure Synapse Analytics -> Select your database -> Overview -> Server name.
• Database: The name of the database, as seen in the Azure portal on the Azure Synapse Analytics page.

Authenticating to Azure Synapse

Connect to Azure Synapse using the following properties:

• User: The username provided for authentication with Azure.
• Password: The password associated with the authenticating user.

When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

Windows

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Linux

If you are installing the CData ODBC Driver for Azure Synapse in a Linux environment, the driver installation predefines a system DSN. You can modify the DSN by editing the system data sources file (/etc/odbc.ini) and defining the required connection properties.

/etc/odbc.ini

[CData AzureSynapse Sys]
Driver = CData ODBC Driver for Azure Synapse
Description = My Description
User = myuser
Password = mypassword
Server = localhost
Database = Northwind

For specific information on using these configuration files, please refer to the help documentation (installed and found online).

Create a Azure Synapse Library in SAS

Connect to Azure Synapse in SAS by adding a library based on the CData ODBC Driver for Azure Synapse.

1. Open SAS and expand Libraries in the Explorer pane.
2. In the Active Libraries window, right-click and select New.
3. Name your library (odbclib), select ODBC as the Engine, and click to Enable at startup (if you want the library to persist between sessions).
4. Set Data Source to the DSN you previously configured and click OK. 👁 Creating a library for Azure Synapse in SAS.
   

Create a View from a Azure Synapse Query

SAS natively supports querying data either using a low-code, point-and-click Query tool or programmatically with PROC SQL and a custom SQL query. When you create a View in SAS, the defining query is executed each time the view is queried. This means that you always query live Azure Synapse data for reports, charts, and analytics.

Using the Query Tool

1. In SAS, click Tools -> Query
2. Select the table sources and the table(s) you wish to pull data from. Then, click OK. 👁 Selecting table(s) to visualize.
   
3. Select columns and right-click to add filtering, ordering, grouping, etc. 👁 Selecting columns(s) to visualize and configuring the query.
   
4. Create a local view to contain the query results by right-clicking the SQL Query Tool window, selecting Show Query, and clicking Create View. Name the View and click OK. 👁 Create a local view to work with Azure Synapse data.
   

Using PROC SQL

1. In SAS, navigate to the Editor window.
2. Use PROC SQL to query the data and create a local view.
   NOTE: This procedure creates a view in the Work library. You can optionally specify a library in the create view statement.

   proc sql;
    create view products_view as
    select 
    id, 
    productname 
    from 
    odbclib.products 
    where 
    ProductName = 'Konbu';
   quit;
   

3. Click Run -> Submit to execute the query and create a local view.

Report On or Visualize Azure Synapse Data in SAS

With a local view created, you can report, visualize, or otherwise analyze Azure Synapse data using the powerful SAS features. Print a simple report using PROC PRINT and create a basic graph based on the data using PROC GCHART.

Print an HTML Report

1. In SAS, navigate to the Editor window.
2. Use PROC PRINT to print an HTML report for the Azure Synapse Products data.

   proc print data=products;
    title "Azure Synapse Products Data";
   run;
   

   👁 A simple Azure Synapse data report.
   

Print a Chart

1. In SAS, navigate to the Editor window.
2. Use PROC GCHART to create a chart for the Products data.

   proc gchart data=products;
    pie id / sumvar=productname
    value=arrow
    percent=arrow
    noheading
    percent=inside plabel=(height=12pt)
    slice=inside value=none
    name='ProductsChart';
   run;
   

   👁 A simple Azure Synapse data chart.