Date:         Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:31:04 +0000
Reply-To:     Michael Raithel <michaelraithel@WESTAT.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Michael Raithel <michaelraithel@WESTAT.COM>
Subject:      Re: SAS 9.3 notes
In-Reply-To:  <5A13389D056308499FA59186199F67DF0553FBB7@BLD9P457014.common.ecamericas>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dear SAS-L-ers,

Jeff posted the following:

>  This is a great topic.  If system generated macro variables are going
> to be generated then why not gen them for every dataset that is
> created?  Something like &dataset_obs where dataset is the name of the
> dataset.  Of course if you have long dataset names this could cause
> some problems.
>
Jeff, I agree with you; it _IS_ a great topic!

I would like to see a number of macro variables that captured the performance metrics of the last executed DATA step or PROC step.  I would envision something like this:

&PM_realtime
&PM_usercpu
&PM_systemcpu
&PM_memory
&PM_osmemory
&PM_timestamp

...to name those that would be available for SAS under Windows.  There would be additional metric macros available for UNIX, Linux, and z/OS, as applicable.

Having these performance metrics ready-n-waiting in macro variables would allow us to harvest them immediately, instead of resorting to writing/running all sorts of post-processing, SAS log-eating programs.  If SAS knows the values of these metrics, why is it so stingy in sharing them with us in a usable format?!?!?!?

Jeff, best of luck in all your SAS endeavors!

I hope that this suggestion proves helpful now, and in the future!

Of course, all of these opinions and insights are my own, and do not reflect those of my organization or my associates. All SAS code and/or methodologies specified in this posting are for illustrative purposes only and no warranty is stated or implied as to their accuracy or applicability. People deciding to use information in this posting do so at their own risk.
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Michael A. Raithel
"The man who wrote the book on performance"
E-mail: MichaelRaithel@westat.com

SAS Press Author Page:  http://support.sas.com/publishing/authors/raithel.html

Author: Tuning SAS Applications in the MVS Environment

Author: Tuning SAS Applications in the OS/390 and z/OS Environments, Second Edition
http://www.sas.com/apps/pubscat/bookdetails.jsp?catid=1&pc=58172

Author: The Complete Guide to SAS Indexes
http://www.sas.com/apps/pubscat/bookdetails.jsp?catid=1&pc=60409

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Those who live to the future must always appear selfish to
those who live to the present. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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