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

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

Getting Started

---

Connect to MongoDB as an ODBC Data Source

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

Set the Server, Database, User, and Password connection properties to connect to MongoDB. To access MongoDB collections as tables you can use automatic schema discovery or write your own schema definitions. Schemas are defined in .rsd files, which have a simple format. You can also execute free-form queries that are not tied to the schema.

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 MongoDB 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 MongoDB Sys]
Driver = CData ODBC Driver for MongoDB
Description = My Description
Server = MyServer
Port = 27017
Database = test
User = test
Password = Password

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

Create a MongoDB Library in SAS

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

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 MongoDB in SAS.
   

Create a View from a MongoDB 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 MongoDB 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 MongoDB 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 restaurants_view as
    select 
    borough, 
    cuisine 
    from 
    odbclib.restaurants 
    where 
    Name = 'Morris Park Bake Shop';
   quit;
   

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

Report On or Visualize MongoDB Data in SAS

With a local view created, you can report, visualize, or otherwise analyze MongoDB 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 MongoDB restaurants data.

   proc print data=restaurants;
    title "MongoDB restaurants Data";
   run;
   

   👁 A simple MongoDB data report.
   

Print a Chart

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

   proc gchart data=restaurants;
    pie borough / sumvar=cuisine
    value=arrow
    percent=arrow
    noheading
    percent=inside plabel=(height=12pt)
    slice=inside value=none
    name='restaurantsChart';
   run;
   

   👁 A simple MongoDB data chart.