SAS ODBC Driver User's Guide and Programmer's Reference

Accessing Your Data Sources (Overview)

The details of how you access your SAS data sources depend on which ODBC-compliant Windows application you are using (for example, Microsoft Access or Excel), and on whether you are accessing local or remote data. However, here is an overview of the procedure that you follow:

Install the SAS ODBC driver. (Refer to the installation instructions that are shipped with the driver.) The installation program creates an ODBC icon in the Windows Control Panel if one does not already exist.
Double-click on the ODBC icon to access the ODBC and SAS ODBC dialogs.
Use these dialogs to provide the SAS ODBC driver with the necessary information about your SAS data source(s). (See Chapter 2 for instructions.) In addition to SAS data files, SAS data sources can include DATA step views, PROC SQL views, or SAS/ACCESS views, all of which contain definitions of data that is stored elsewhere rather than the physical data itself. (See What Kinds of Data Can I Access with the SAS ODBC Driver? and SAS Data Sets.)
The next step depends on whether you want to access local data or remote data:
Note: TCP/IP (Winsock) is required for accessing local and/or remote data sources.
- To access local data see Accessing Local SAS Data Sources.
- To access remote data sources, see Accessing Remote (SAS/SHARE) Data Sources.
Consult the documentation for your Windows application for instructions on how to access or import data from other sources. From the list of available data sources, select or specify the name that you assigned to your SAS data source.
Select or enter the name of the desired SAS data library (if required by your application).
Select or enter the name of the desired SAS data file or view.

For information about configuring file DSNs for ODBC-compliant applications that only support the use of file DSNs (such as Microsoft Excel '97), see the SAS ODBC Driver online help.

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