Use the CData ODBC Driver for Cosmos DB 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 Cosmos DB, you gain database-like access to live Cosmos DB data from SAS, expanding your reporting and analytics capabilities. This article explains how to create a library for Cosmos DB in SAS and create a simple report based on real-time Cosmos DB data.

The CData ODBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Cosmos DB data in SAS due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from SAS to Cosmos DB, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Cosmos DB 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 Cosmos DB data in SAS.

Connect to Cosmos DB as an ODBC Data Source

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

To obtain the connection string needed to connect to a Cosmos DB account using the SQL API, log in to the Azure Portal, select Azure Cosmos DB, and select your account. In the Settings section, click Connection String and set the following values:

• AccountEndpoint: The Cosmos DB account URL from the Keys blade of the Cosmos DB account
• AccountKey: In the Azure portal, navigate to the Cosmos DB service and select your Azure Cosmos DB account. From the resource menu, go to the Keys page. Find the PRIMARY KEY value and set AccountKey to this value.

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 Cosmos DB 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 CosmosDB Sys]
Driver = CData ODBC Driver for Cosmos DB
Description = My Description
AccountEndpoint = myAccountEndpoint
AccountKey = myAccountKey

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

Create a Cosmos DB Library in SAS

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

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 Cosmos DB in SAS.
   

Create a View from a Cosmos DB 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 Cosmos DB 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 Cosmos DB 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 customers_view as
    select 
    city, 
    companyname 
    from 
    odbclib.customers 
    where 
    Name = 'Morris Park Bake Shop';
   quit;
   

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

Report On or Visualize Cosmos DB Data in SAS

With a local view created, you can report, visualize, or otherwise analyze Cosmos DB 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 Cosmos DB Customers data.

   proc print data=customers;
    title "Cosmos DB Customers Data";
   run;
   

   👁 A simple Cosmos DB data report.
   

Print a Chart

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

   proc gchart data=customers;
    pie city / sumvar=companyname
    value=arrow
    percent=arrow
    noheading
    percent=inside plabel=(height=12pt)
    slice=inside value=none
    name='CustomersChart';
   run;
   

   👁 A simple Cosmos DB data chart.